You've
made a decision: It's time to launch a job-search campaign,
but you haven't updated
your résumé in five years (or is it ten?).
As you sit down to draft the
document, your brain somehow turns to dust. You go to
Barnes & Noble and buy nine dozen books. And now you're
even more confused by varying formats, layouts and résumé
types (chronological, functional, combination, target,
creative, transitional) — and you're overwhelmed.
If this scenario sounds familiar, let's look at some basic
points.
• There
are no (or, at best, few) "rules."
In drafting, select
an attractive layout — one that commands the reader's
attention, uses ample white space, uses "bullets"
(symbols that set off a line or paragraph) and horizontal
lines or boxes that set off parts of the résumé,
and employs an attractive, easy-to-read typestyle. You
do not want the copy to be too dense, the type too small,
or the document too long (a résumé for a
career-entry candidate should be no more than one page).
•
Be sure the résumé presents useful, relevant
information —
information the reader wants. "Useful" means
content that conveys relevant data. A résumé
that solely conveys job responsibilities (without highlighting
achievements) does not convey job relevance. For example,
if you're a sales representative, the résumé
should present evidence of quota attainment, production
volume increases, account growth and retention numbers/percentages.
Mention of awards is great, but make sure these awards
are performance-based and provide the context. For example,
if you won the "Best Salesman Award," let the
reader know the award went to the top five performers
in a sales force of 300.
• Unless
you're an actor or model, the résumé should
not include a photo.
• If
there are long, multiple or unexplained gaps in your employment
history, explain these briefly. If
you took a sabbatical to climb Mount Everest, meet the
Dalai Lama, or paint seascapes along the Norwegian coast,
say, "I took a year off to travel, learn more about
foreign cultures or expand/develop a latent talent.
• Be
careful not to omit or overtly mask chronology. If,
for example, you select a transitional, combination or
functional (or similar) format stressing transferable
skills, make sure the reader can easily identify where
you gained these skills and experience.
• Finally,
neatness, factual accuracy and good grammar remain
constants for getting your readers' attention, and getting
you selected (or, as I prefer to say, "elected")
for an interview.
