Resume Tips
What it is
A chance to communicate your experience, skills and desires in a quick concise manner; it is your best foot forward, an opportunity to get or lose an interview, an opportunity to get or lose an interview, an invitation to learn more, a door opener, an explanation of relevance.
What it isn't
The be all and end all, a chance to explain every detail of your life, it doesn't get you the job- it gets you the interview or prevents you from getting one.
Make it relevant!
A resume has about 10 seconds in front of a recruiter or hiring authority to get and keep their attention. If they cannot determine what you are or what you can do within that timeframe your resume may be tossed.
Show how your experience relates to what they care about.
- Company size
- Public/Private
- Industry
- Sales Volume
- Location
- Union/Non-Union
- Product or service
- Accomplishments
If they cannot figure out that your experience is relevant to their problems you won't get a change to explain anything further.
Make them want to keep reading
- Show a logical progression
- No gaps chronologically
- Bullets points
- Quantifiable, measurable, deliverable information
- Consider giving reasons for leaving
- Paragraphs and narratives should be avoided
Do not share
- Height
- Weight
- Marital status or family information
- Health status
- Social security number
- Your salary
- Anything that will allow them to discriminate
Format tips
- Use conventional fonts-make it readable without effort
- No pictures or graphic images
- Avoid too much white space
- No fancy paper
- Use a consistent format
- Use a conventional format; do not type resumes using a spreadsheet program
- Two pages is fine, three if absolutely necessary
- No functional resumes- too much effort to get through
Other points
- Consider a background summary in place of a career objective. Is it adaptable or do I have to change it with each resume submission?
- Does it email well?
- With education, don't just list the school; list degree received, graduation dates, special accreditations.
Last of all have someone else read it. If this were not your resume, would you read it? Have you distinguished yourself from other? It is clear what you have done through out your career and what you can do for your next employer?
Management Recruiters and Sales Consultants of Racine is an Equal Opportunity Employer.