Resume construction

Resume submittal: an arduous journey

3 major obstacles to success

Obstacle 1: Electronic submittal

Resumes must contain the language (Keywords) that computer software and staffing personnel are likely to input.

Otherwise your resume will sit in a black hole and may never be seen

Best guess on keywords:Resume language matches job descriptions

Keyword mastery

Best: Keywords within recent accomplishments (you produce good results for your company using skills that are in demand!)

Better: Keywords in current chronology (your job description says you were responsible for using these skills recently; not that you produced results using them)

Good: Keywords anywhere in the resume (beware ! New technology is catching up to out-of-context ploys)

Obstacle 2: Staffing Personnel: the guardians of decision-makers’ time

To gain a recruiter’s support, set yourself apart: show how you achieve results better or differently than competitors

Recent and relevant usage of critical skills

Demonstrated, measurable and recognized impact on previous employers

Promotions and progression to current level

To advance, Recruiters need to see:

Clear focus on a targeted functional position and level

Frequent Unexplained Gaps in Chronology. Unemployed in tough market is one thing…every few years is something else

Typographical or grammar errors = careless and lazy

“Consultant” without engagements = unemployed in stealth mode

Lack of balance, thin recent accomplishment with TONS of old glory = yesterday’s news

Accomplishments out of scale = overqualified! Managing a $50M budget ≠ startups

Recruiters Hate

Obstacle 3: the Hiring Decision-Maker

Impact + Presentation

Demonstrating Appropriate ImpactImprove SalesIncrease market shareImprove qualityImprove productivityIncrease profitReduce expenseReduce turnoverExpand/add territoryLaunch / build/ develop productImprove complianceReduce liability / risk

Differentiation: be qualified, but different (and better!)

Indicators of a bad resumeOverall presentation:

• Typos, grammar errors, inconsistent fonts, small / unreadable font

• Functional or non-traditional formats (like pulling all the accomplishments out of the chronology)

• The language in the resume (key words and industry jargon) is misaligned with or missing from the document

• More than 15 years of work history / dates that go back further (with some exceptions, of course)

• Subjugating work history behind anything other than a summary statement (except for those coming right out of school and leveraging that new degree)

Indicators of a bad resumeTop section (objective / summary area):

• Objective statements (they are passé)

• Generic language and format

• Focus on task and not impact to employer

Indicators of a bad resumeJob chronology section:

• No bullets or all bullets

• No accomplishments

• Quantifiers that are inconsistent with target roles

• Accomplishments without context (5% increase in sales might be great following 5 years at 2%)

• Language used dates the skill set (FORTRAN/Personnel Manager)

• Emphasis on the wrong skills (manager vs. hands-on, technical vs. management)

Indicators of a bad resume

Misc Other categories:• Awards without context

• No college (very few people have NONE)

• More space devoted to old jobs than more recent

• Self-employed consultants without specific client engagements

• Irrelevant, short term jobs

• Results without aligned action steps

• Missing demonstrations of employer appreciation (rehired, recruited away from competitor, earned award, promotion, awarded additional responsibility)

Well-written resumes help computers and staffing personnel identify the best candidates, present content in a way to drive superior interviews, and pave the way for larger offers