Write A Great Résumé

Jack Shand, CMC, CAE

© Leader Quest and Jack F. Shand

I have reviewed tens-of-thousands of résumés in my career. Here are some important insights to make your résumé – and job prospects – even stronger. Check off each item as you review it against your own résumé –

Be honest. Write the resume anticipating that every claim, detail, and accomplishment will be verified. A study in the U.S. found 35% of candidates lied about credentials or past employment relationships (e.g., they were fired). Make sure your resume stands up to scrutiny. If former co-workers, peers, supervisors, education institutions and associations are contacted as part of a thorough validation process, are you confident they would confirm what you have said in your resume?
Have someone you trust, and if possible two people, carefully read your cover letter and resume. It is remarkable how many spelling mistakes and other errors are in resumes, including those of senior managers and professionals. The prospective employer will eliminate you if they see carelessness in the preparation of your resume. Exercise similar care in addressing an application. If you misspell the name of the employer, you’re not going to impress them (e.g., is it Kathryn, Catherine, Katharine, etc.?).
Tailor the resume to the specific opportunity. You may be looking for full-time employment, but imagine if someone telephones you to offer a contract (request for your services) for thousands of dollars (your salary), but it is conditional on a proposal (your resume). Would you send a standard “off-the-shelf” template that doesn’t address their specific needs or would you demonstrate in your reply that what they need, and what you offer, is an excellent match? It may seem cold, but at this stage the employer wants to know what you can do for them (maximize potential), not what they can do for you (pay a salary). Don’t rely on a generic resume to tell them exactly what you offer to accomplish their unique needs.
Develop an inventory of accomplishments and experiences you can choose from. Consider building a resume for each job opportunity. Start by developing a list of 3 to 5 accomplishments for each major area where you have experience, e.g., marketing, human resources management, public relations, resource development. Draw on this inventory for each application. It’s important to sell yourself better than everyone else. You can achieve this by including experiences that are directly relevant to the employer’s needs. Hundreds of people may have applied for this position and only one will get the job, and probably no more than a dozen will be interviewed. The short-list will likely comprise people who leave no doubt they’ve done this work exceptionally well before. Build your resume to assure the prospective employer that you have the experience to deliver on their expectations.
Emphasize what you have accomplished and learned, not just what you’ve done. For example, “created in-house training and team development programs resulting in higher staff morale and lower staff turnover” says a lot more than saying “I managed ten staff.” Showing up and doing the job is a minimum expectation in today’s market. In a sentence or two, describe how you left an organization or department better than when you joined it.
Where possible, and in the interests of brevity, measure the achievement. “Market share increased from 38% to 44% over three years” is an example of measuring the achievement. Give some indication of how you did it. If the employer needs more detail they can ask at an interview.
Length of the resume is not as important as many think. If you present six pages of compelling, relevant information, I am going to read it. If you present two pages of information that I have to scour through to find what I need to know, I will probably give up in frustration or conclude you have difficulty crafting a concise message.
Fancy graphics are nice visually but all that matters is the presentation of information in a manner that helps the reader get to the relevant points quickly. For example, consider putting education information and professional association memberships toward the end of the resume, unless the nature of the job requires greater emphasis (e.g., an academic position, a recent graduate with minimal employment experience).
Be careful with e-mail. If you send a file attachment that contains a virus, don’t expect to hear from the prospective employer…at least not about a job. Also, many of the large Internet career services distribute your information based on their template. For certain positions, this approach will not be appropriate because the specific needs of the prospective employer may not be addressed with a “one-size-fits-all” format.
Show your passion for the work. Your commitment to your field of work can be reinforced by citing your own volunteer work, membership in professional or trade associations, and presentations or research papers in your area of career specialization. Convince the employer you care about the work. Also, remember that volunteer work, community service and “giving something back” says a lot about character.
Emphasize connections to the sector. We’ve all heard the saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s whom you know.” Contacts and access are not just important for political lobbyists; a professional network helps everyone succeed at work. Use opportunities, such as reference lists or letters of recommendation, to reinforce to the employer that you have an impressive professional network that may help you to be more effective in the job than other candidates. However, don’t “name drop.”
Apply the golden rule. Put yourself in the shoes of the person who has to review hundreds of resumes and select a handful of excellent candidates. What can you do to help them make a decision that reflects well on them? One tip is to send your resume early in the process, before they become overwhelmed or are well into the interview process.

Do you have other tips that have worked well for you? If we have omitted something that you’ve learned, please share it with us so we can in turn share it with others.