Staffing360

I am often asked for advice about writing resumes and it’s easy to see why. In these harsh economic times, with unemployment approaching double digits, people are pretty anxious about making that first impression with a prospective employer. This edition of THE STAFFING BLOG will take a look at projecting the passion, drive, expertise and desires of an entire career onto a couple of 8½ by 11 inch sheets of paper (and as if that weren’t enough of a challenge we’re also going to try and make those pages sing).

Write, re-write and re-write again…

Communication is an important core skill for virtually every position out there. In many cases there is no requisite skill that is more important. We need to be aware that the manner in which your resume is written- grammar, spelling, syntax- will be serving as the primary screening device for HR professionals and hiring managers. Every day candidates are SCREENED OUT of the process because of sloppy verbiage. You need to be excruciatingly critical of yourself, write, re-write and re-write again (and don’t forget to PROOFREAD – multiple times).

Apply the “SO WHAT” rule liberally: 1) after you write a paragraph or a section sit back and put yourself in the position of a semi-interested reader; 2) read the paragraph you just wrote and ask/exclaim, “So what?”; 3) answer the question- in the form of a re-write; 4) repeat as needed. And remember that the best way to improve on a resume is to bring in examples; more examples and better examples. For instance, if a position requires an ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously don’t just write: “managed multiple projects simultaneously.” Instead, describe the scenario where you’ve done it in great detail, include detail of both the successful outcome and the benefit to the company. Be the candidate that gets SCREENED IN.

Custom Fit Always Trumps Off the Rack…

As the old adage goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result each time. How many of us have crafted a resume and then blasted it out to hundreds of hiring entities; then we wait, and we wait some more. Still waiting? I thought so. Sending the exact same resume in response to many different positions is akin to taking aspirin for everything that may ail you. Sometimes it will work but most times it doesn’t. It’s a bit of a crap-shoot. It’s an “off the rack” approach that has no place in today’s bespoke job market. At a minimum your “SUMMARY” section should speak to each pre-requisite of the position that you are applying to (speaking of which, a well written SUMMARY is the most important part of the resume).

Stay focused and be concise…

Yet another adage, though not as old as the last one; a resume should be one page in length for every ten years of experience. There is some value to that advice, it’s critical to concentrate on staying focused and writing in a concise manner. You have a limited amount of time to grab a hiring authority’s attention and a limited amount of space to present your credentials. Don’t waste either. Of course the trick is in knowing where to use economical language and where to elaborate. You can start by avoiding things like detailed presentations of team accomplishments (concentrate on your contributions- it’s your resume, after all), lengthy descriptions of your company, and too much personal information. But DON’T skimp on specific and detailed examples of your accomplishments that are relevant to the position that you are applying to.

The bottom line is to remember that your resume is not crafted for the purpose of helping you to ace the interview or land the job, perform well in the job or land the big promotion. Its sole function in life is to get you a conversation with a hiring authority. The rest is up to you.

Please click here to download a sample resume.