Resumes: 3 Ways to Manage Your Can of Worms

Your can of worms

“I’m not getting any responses to my resume,” the caller says.  “Can you help me?”

Your can of worms
Resumes need not be a can of worms.

My response,  “Resumes are a can of worms and I need to see the resume.”  The truth is, resumes do not need to be your downfall.  Determining the “right” way to do a resume can be daunting.  The top third of the resume and your efforts are critical for your success.  The following tips assist with grabbing the readers’ attention.

1.  Basics

  1. Check the spelling.
  2. Read the finished resume aloud.
  3. Read the resume from right to left to check again for spelling errors.
  4. Have a strong Summary which includes the job title under your contact information.
  5. Recruiters want to know your location and whether you can relocate, if the job isn’t local.
  6. Education can be near the top, if recent or after Experience, if over three years ago or irrelevant.
  7. No fluff allowed, like “Desire a meaningful job where I can make an impact.”
  8. Show your best, related skills for the job.

2. Summary vs. Objective

A number of years ago we used an objective at the top of a resume, such as.  “Objective: Accounts Payable Manager.”  Today we still need a title but by using the title from the ad or job description, the likelihood of response is better.  Job titles are sometimes cryptic.  For example, “Business Development Manager” means asking for money for a non-profit, but in sales organizations, it can mean selling products by developing business partnerships who sell to the end users.

Some career counselors are advocating adding the job title you want on a line under the contact information.   Others suggest embedding the job title in the Summary statement such as  “Detail oriented Business Manager with vast experience in channel sales for software security products.”  The Summary allows a bit of bragging with the details of your accomplishments in the Experience section.

A standard way to present sections of your background show:

Contact information

Summary

Experience-duties run together in paragraph form with no personal pronouns or articles (if possible). Bullet your accomplishments (what makes you exceptional beyond the average employee) under the duties. Focus on skills.

Technical – if you have special skills in this area

Education – include relevant courses, if a new college graduate, certifications, relevant workshops or training

You don’t need personal information on the resume.  If you have space, you may want to include professional associations, leadership roles in activities and interests.  Companies should not care if you have five daughters, a lovely wife and dog.

Each section can be moved to present you in the best way to the potential employer.  A resume is never, ever complete or perfect.

The recruiter and the hiring manager want to know what you can do for the company to increase profits or save time and money.  They don’t want someone who simply needs a job.  They want someone who can hit the ground running.  Your resume is that proof.

3.  Networking

When you ask someone to look at your resume, the door opens.  But do your research first.  Do you see openings which may fit you? Find someone in the company (through others or LinkedIn) where you want to work and ask about the culture, the future of the company or how he or she likes the team effort.  This person may be able to plop your resume in front of the hiring manager, once you gain trust.  Spend more time face to face and on the phone, once that top third is perfected.   It’s called networking!

Your Efforts

Attitude and effort equal success.  Yes, resumes may be a can of worms, although standard formats with customizing your resume with each submission can assure better opportunity for attention.  Throwing the same, tired resume online does not work.  By using these three tips, you can be assured that your attitude and effort will reap rewards!

Ruth Glover,  writes about change, especially career change.  She assists people with career issues. If you’d like a free resume template for a traditional resume, please send a note through the website.  If you have gaps and rocks in the road, a hybrid resume may be the answer.  She will write more about hybrid resumes in a later article.