About your Resume…
Interesting post about resumes by Marc Cenedella of The Ladders in his Monday Newsletter:
“Nobody wants to read your ‘ingredients’ label — the comprehensive listing of everything and anything you contain.
Would you market Coke Zero by putting Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Benzoate and Potassium Citrate in the same size font on the label as ‘great Coke taste, zero calories’? No, because you’d want to emphasize the most important things, rather than distract people with irrelevant information.”
Now the part where I disagree: He feels the top third of the resume should be used to list your skills, capabilities and talents. But I gloss over that resume format. I want to see those skills & capabilities in practice further along in the resume. All too often, job seekers put a cornucopia of “key words” at the top of the resume…but the resume is “all sizzle; no steak”.
So where does that leave you, the resume writer?
There is a joke that if you ask 3 recruiters for advice on the best resume format you will receive 5 different answers. Frustrating, I know!
I will leave you with this:
The resume is your most important asset in a job search. Many people feel it’s enough to list their accomplishments on a resume, and then “wow” the interviewer with their winning personality. However, it’s the resume that gets you to the interview.
When writing your resume, I advise you to sit down and think, “Why me?…why would I hire me?” Step out of yourself, and think: The hiring manager for the job I want is sitting in front of a stack of resumes. He/she has an important position to fill…they want to make a hire to be proud of…they fear making the wrong choice. What can I do to illustrate my background and strengths in a way that will make my resume rise to the top of the pile? Instead of simply “listing your ingredients”, paint a picture of the delicious meal that resulted…your campaign increased response by 8%; or you cut costs by $126,000; or you streamlined the process which resulted in more production.
And, as I have said many times, but it seems to bear repeating because I keep receiving truncated resumes…take as much space as you need. Only entry level job seekers should have a one page resume. Digital space doesn’t cost anything; take 2, or 3, or even 4 pages to tell your story.
Good luck!
In Resumes