Writing That Works, 3e_ How to Communicate Effectively in Business - Kenneth Roman [52]
Dear Charlie:
Attached is the resume of someone I think you should meet.
A resume is frequently the first detailed information about you that a potential employer will receive. It is the first impression of you. Not the final impression — that is you.
What’s Important in a Resume
A resume summarizes the facts about you, your education, and your experience that are relevant to the job you want. But the most important point is that it positions you in the mind of the reader or interviewer.
Summarize what you have to offer (or what you want)
The single most important section is a heading that summarizes what you have to offer a prospective employer in terms of experience, skills, results or interests, or your job objective. Don’t be a pessimist and conclude right away that you don’t have the qualifications. Most people have more than they realize, but an amazing number either can’t pull them together in coherent form or are too lazy to think about how they relate to the person receiving the application.
Put the summary at the head of your resume, in boldface type.
14 years of marketing experience, proven ability in building brands
Information technology officer with track record in Business Process Reengineering
Objective — management training position in retailing
Think about this summary more than anything else that follows. Work on it, distill it.
Make it as easy as possible for a potential employer to decide whether you might be a candidate for the job at hand — and whether it is worthwhile to go to the next step and invite you to an interview. Remember: The purpose is an interview, not a place in a file drawer.
Keep it simple
Stick to standard, conventional forms. A prospective employer, confronted by a pile of applications, will not be charmed by those that must be figured out like a puzzle.
No fancy formats or pop-ups. A standard 8 ½ by 11-inch page, designed to go in a standard Number 10 business envelope, and a standard file folder, easy to find for further reference, is the only professional style. Make it neat and not fussy. Avoid lots of italics and boldface, special typefaces, colored paper. Resumes on videotape are seldom acceptable except in companies where show biz is in style.
A resume should be straightforward, logical — and truthful. Make it easy for the reader to understand you and to track your career. And write it yourself. No professional consultant knows you as well as you do, nor cares as much about getting you a job.
Keep it short. Try to get your resume on one page, two at the most. If you have little experience, padding won’t help. If you have decades, all the more impressive to stick to highlights. Don’t forget that there will be a cover letter — and an interview — in which you can elaborate on any points you want to stress.
What to Put In — What to Leave Out
Leave out the small stuff and the old stuff, so you can fully make the points that are important. You don’t have to put everything in a resume; keep back something for the interview. Leave out those high school awards, the college fraternity social chairman, the minor achievements. Leave out “References available on request” — if we want them, we’ll ask for them. Put in everything that points to why you would be good at the job.
Make sure you have described your accomplishments in terms of the result, not the activity. It is important for your reader to know how far you moved the rock, not how much time you spent pushing it.
There’s no one perfect style for everybody. The resume represents you, and you’re not like everybody else. One useful format is to divide it into two parts — a tight chronology of your jobs and responsibilities, followed by a page highlighting your significant achievements.
Start by putting in everything; then boil it down to a page or so by cutting the marginal points or those that barely apply. If they don’t directly