A résumé shouldn’t be a collection of facts, it should tell a story about you. What do you want the hiring manager to remember about you when they’re done reading? That’s your career-story! For example, if you’re applying to be a Project Manager, you might want the person perusing your résumé to remember you as “that communicative, problem-solver with 20 years’ success completing deliverables in a timely and efficient manner.” That’s the headline of your story, also referred to as your Summary. The rest of your résumé should back-up, and further detail, that headline.
Be Concise
Don’t be too wordy. Hiring managers receive several résumés daily, on top of their typical workload. As much as they would love to get to know every detail about you, they just can’t make the time for it. So, the goal for résumé-writing is to put as much information into as few words as possible. Tell them your career-story but be picky about your word choice. Think of it this way: every word must earn its way onto the page. Most importantly, be concise with your sentences when writing out your daily responsibilities and accomplishments. The hiring manager will want to peruse quickly, without lingering too long to get the information they need.
Brag About Yourself
When writing a résumé, it’s the time to flaunt your accomplishments. Nobody likes a braggart – except when reading a résumé. Hiring managers want to hire the best, so tell them that you are! Were you the youngest VP in the history of the company? Flex that! Were you promoted within 6 months of starting that job? Shout it out! Having never met you, the hiring managers only know what’s on the page. Tell them all the awesome things you’ve done and impress them with your achievements, all the way to the phone to call you for an interview.
Proofread!
Excellent language skills, especially in writing, are noticed and appreciated. Proofread your résumé for proper grammar and spelling. Résumés also indicate great or poor communication skills, both verbally and written. This tells the hiring manager how you’ll perform on the job when writing emails to clients or communicating with your team. A well-written résumé also displays organization and attention to detail, giving the person who hires you a positive idea of who you are as a person. They’ll know you’ll be dedicated to performing the job well and willing to double-check your work to ensure correct results. Tell them all this by just taking those few extra minutes to thoroughly proofread!
Format
We need to talk about something people often miss, but it’s so important. Let’s talk about format. Match the format of your résumé to your industry! Believe it or not, this matters. Formatting your résumé shows you know your industry well. Of course, a résumé for an advertising position will differ from a programmer position. Some résumés will be more creative-focused, others more structurally-focused. Catering your résumé to the job applies to many aspects, including language and tone, but especially to format. Research templates for résumés formatted to that particular job and use that format.
Be Truthful
Exaggeration is okay, but don’t flat-out lie. We want to puff up and brag about ourselves, but we don’t want to land a job where we can’t actually do the job. Don’t say you’re proficient in a program that you’ve never used, but it’s alright to say you “led” a project of which you oversaw all aspects. What’s the difference? If you oversaw every aspect of the project being performed, you’ll know how to do it. If you learned from others’ mistakes or contributed to the successes, you’ll know how to do it well. However, if you’ve never been on a specific platform, you’ll struggle to use it and your new team will have to take time out of your new-hire training to teach you. To avoid headaches from you and your new employer, heed this advice: be truthful!
Your résumé should be a well-written, honest story about you and your accomplishments. Tailor your résumé for the position you’re applying to, choose the best format for that industry, and don’t forget to be truthful. For more tips for writing résumés and job hunting, keep up with our news and job postings on pdxMindShare!
