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Good Résumé versus Great Résumé
There are clear differences between a good résumé and a great résumé.
A good résumé is a glorified application. This type of résumé explains
to the hiring manager the following information in this order: dates
of employment, companies, titles held, and job functions. It concludes
with when and where you received your education. It is good because
the hiring manager can get a clear summation of your past experience
and education.
A great résumé is a marketing brochure. This résumé highlights the
scope and depth of your experience. It describes the expertise you
have developed throughout your career that relates to your future
employer's needs. A great résumé communicates a compelling reason for
the prospective employer to need and want your services.
Good résumés identify where you went to school, the jobs you have had,
and your responsibility in those jobs. Great résumés extract the
relevant accomplishments from your past experiences and highlight
them. This prompts the interviewer to ask about them with the future
in mind.
Great résumés also pave the way for great interviews. A well-crafted
résumé will prompt the interviewer to target specific areas that are
most relevant to the open position. A résumé that lists everything you
have ever done requires you to be prepared to talk about all these
things in an interview. It is difficult to prepare for such an
extensive interview and can lead the interview astray.
Create a Great Résumé
Once you have adopted a future-focused orientation, you are ready to
create your résumé. The presentation of your information, the layout,
and the language you use to communicate value are extremely important.
There are only two things you can be sure a hiring manager will do
when reviewing your résumé: (1) Hiring managers will begin reviewing a
résumé by starting at the top, and they will read the lines from left
to right. (2) Their first impression will have the greatest impact and
will influence how they perceive you. It creates the lens through
which all other information is filtered.
Based on these principles, it is essential that the most relevant,
important information be presented at the top and along the left side
of your résumé. The least important information should be at the
bottom and along the right side.
Résumé Format
In order to transform your résumé from a good résumé to a great
résumé, concentrate on using your layout and language most
effectively. Here's how.
Headings
The main heading is where you provide contact information for the
hiring managers. Your main heading lets them know who you are and
where you can be reached. This section should be designed like a
professional letterhead. Résumés are formal documents, so you should
not use abbreviations here.
Example:
Fran C. Smith
1153 Terry Avenue - Atlanta, Georgia 30306 - francsmith@aol.com -
404-555-1234
The main heading highlights your name and provides the contact
information on one line, followed by a divider line. This format saves
space that can be dedicated to communicating more of your strengths.
Notice that it is not necessary to label the phone number or e-mail
address; these items are understood. Be as concise as possible.
Use the same heading on your references page, cover letters, and
thank-you letters. By creating a professional-looking letterhead, you
offer a consistent image to the hiring manager. It also allows the
hiring manager to quickly access your contact information on every
document.
Section headings are titles you assign to different areas of your
résumé. For example, your employment section will have one heading.
Your education and community activities sections will have their own
headings.
Section headings are extremely important. A section name influences
how the hiring manager perceives the information within the heading.
If you use an objective statement as your first section heading, you
communicate your needs to the hiring manager. You are saying to the
hiring manager, "My objective is to get a job."
If your first section is a summary of qualifications, your section
heading communicates the value you offer the hiring manager. You focus
the reader on the ways you will meet the company's needs. This heading
also tells the hiring manager you are indeed "qualified" for the
position. You summarize the qualifications that will be explained in
detail in the remainder of the résumé.
A summary of qualifications should be confined to three high-impact
statements.
The first statement should highlight your years of experience in the
profession and industry.
The second statement should identify the areas of expertise you want
to emphasize.
The third statement should identify personal attributes that are
important to the role and company.
Example:
Summary of Qualifications
Offers more than 10 years of progressive advancement in the
manufacturing industry, serving as an operations executive.
Demonstrates a proven record of success in leading as many as 250
associates, streamlining business processes, and managing multiple
projects delivered on time and within budget. Possesses exceptional
communication skills and the ability to develop high-performance
teams.
While "Summary of Qualifications" is the best section heading to begin
your résumé, there are several exceptions to the rule. If you fall
into one of these exceptions, then you need to consider beginning your
résumé with an objective statement.
Exception 1: Clarity. If you are making a transition by applying for a
position that diverges from your past experience, an objective
statement is needed, since your skills are not an obvious or solid
match for the position. Use the objective statement to clarify your
interest in the position and show that your skills are transferable.
Exception 2: Intent. If you do not use a cover letter to introduce
your purpose in sending the résumé, an objective statement is
appropriate. The objective statement communicates the purpose of your
résumé. In this circumstance, the objective should be very direct and
specific to the prospective company and position.
Additional section headings that are useful in constructing a résumé
that communicates value to a hiring manager include:
Areas of Expertise
Career Highlights
Professional Achievements
Key Accomplishments
These sections follow your summary of qualifications. They emphasize
specific strengths you have developed throughout your career. These
sections provide an opportunity to bring special attention to
experiences that are most relevant to the hiring manager, regardless
of when and where they occurred.
For example, if you want to convey that your experience as a leader is
a key asset even though your leadership experience has been in a
different industry, you can emphasize this in a leadership experience
section. This way, the hiring manager focuses on your leadership
qualifications first before reading about it later in the context of
the industry.
Be careful not to give too much information in this section. For
example, if you create an areas of expertise section, ideally confine
your expertise to four areas and not more than six areas. Listing too
many areas dilutes the depth of expertise. The same holds true for
accomplishments and achievements. Focus the hiring manager's attention
on your most important accomplishments by creating three strong
statements.
Select a high-impact section heading for your employment section. Do
not use "Employment History" or "Work Experience." These headings are
vague and generic. The terms employment and work define virtually
every type of job available, from soda jerk or paperboy to corporate
CEO or marketing director.
Instead, create a compelling section heading that optimizes your
experience. The following section headings are appropriate for
professional résumés. They communicate a career path, versus a series
of jobs.
Career Progression
Career Advancement
Professional Experience
Now you are ready to arrange the most important information at the top
left of the page and least important information at the bottom right.
Start with what is most compelling to the hiring manager. Begin with
your professional title or your industry and company name. Then list
the location and your dates of employment to the right.
Example:
Marketing Director
XYZ Industries, Atlanta, Georgia
June 1992-June 2002
Résumé Length
There are differing opinions regarding the appropriate length of a
résumé. The general rule regarding résumé length is:
One page for less than 10 years of professional experience
Two pages for more than 10 years of professional experience
However, this rule can vary depending on your circumstances. For
example, say you have more than 20 years of professional experience.
If the last 5 to 10 years are the most relevant and substantial, then
a one-page résumé that highlights this experience may be more
appropriate.
This conversation between an author and his editor illustrates why you
should pay attention to your résumé length.
Editor: I like your book except for the ending.
Author: What's wrong with the ending?
Editor: It should be closer to the beginning.
More is not better in résumé writing. Your objective is to keep the
hiring manager's attention focused on your skills that add immediate
value to the company. If you describe every experience and function of
your entire career, you risk diverting the focus away from the parts
of your résumé that are most important.
Additionally, if you put every single experience on your résumé, you
have to be prepared to discuss every single experience in the
interview. As a result, your interview will be more difficult to
prepare for and you run the risk of being asked about experiences that
are not relevant to the position. You may be perceived as "not a good
fit" because, based on your résumé, the hiring manager asked about the
wrong skill, rather than what was needed for that particular position.
Résumé Content
Transform your résumé from a description of job functions to a series
of accomplishment statements that are of interest to the hiring
manager. To do this, read your job function statements and ask
yourself:
What was the purpose of this responsibility/project/task?
How was this job function relevant to the company?
Did this job function save time, save money, increase revenue, improve
a process/policy/infrastructure?
The answers to these questions are typically the most important
elements of the résumé to the hiring manager and need to be
communicated clearly.
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Reprinted from: The Play of Your Life: Your Program for Finding the
Career of Your Dreams -- And a Step-by-Step Guide to Making It a
Reality by Colleen A. Sabatino © 2004 Rodale Inc. Permission granted
by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold
or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit
their website at www.rodalestore.com
Colleen Sabatino is enjoying nationwide recognition as a career
counselor. Her seminars and corporate consulting sessions are so
popular that MBA programs are planning to adopt her book as part of
their curriculum. From setting the stage, to crafting the life-script
that will open the necessary doors, Sabatino's program affords the
secret to becoming a star in your own life.
For more information, please visit
www.writtenvoices.com.
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