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One of the most frequent requests I get from my friends — aside from asking me to edit their essays — is to fix their resumes.
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(Usually they bribe me with food, which I admit has a much higher success rate than it should.) It’s probably not chance that I’ve landed internships at high-profile places that get tons of applicants like Glamour and Mediabistro — after all,
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Comments
11.10.08
Teresa, great article! Kudos to you for putting your education near the end. It's virtually assumed you have a degree (or if you're going for an internship, that you're in school), so that information is not something HR folks care about as much as your experience.
The one thing I would add that you left out is to drop the objective at the top page. It almost always says something along the lines of "I want a job just like the one I'm applying for," so all it does is take up valuable space. I would instead replace it with a professional summary of experience. For example, if you're a finance person, it might read:
A finance professional with strengths in database analysis and financial projections. Experience and skills include:...
...and then you list out, in bullet form, 4 to 8 skills that tie directly to what the job description says its looking for (assuming you actually have those skills - don't lie!).
Most HR people only look at a resume for 10 to 20 seconds before moving on. This helps grab them hard at first glance and get them to keep reading.
Great article though! Keep up the great work...
Chris
11.10.08
Teresa - Some great advice, especially about targeting your resume to make it relevant for the employer. As you note, it's a marketing document, so it is as much about them as it is about the resume owner.
Another suggestion - don't just list WHAT you've done, include results and accomplishments. This is key - help the reader envision you working for them by demonstrating your impact on previous organizations.
I'd tweak the order of things on a resume from your suggestion. I always include a skills/accomplishments oriented section at the top of the resume. Skills and accomplishments are the main course. I put them first to interest the reader in learning more!
All of these great suggestions can be easier said than done! I'm happy to help and offer a free assessment to anyone who'd like a professional resume review!
11.10.08
@Chris: Thanks! My friends in consulting disagree about putting education at the end (see here: http://byteresawu.com/2008/11/09/resume/#comment-3662285). It's definitely up for debate, but I find that at least in Communication-related fields, experience is more valuable than education.
I actually don't currently have a "summary" field, but maybe I will consolidate your suggestions and Miriam's to make sort of a summary of qualifications/skills field that goes at the top, and shorten my bullet point list of technical skills at the bottom.
@Miriam: Great suggestions. I may take you up on that offer for a free resume assessment — always helps to have another pair of eyes look it over! :)
11.10.08
I actually recommend what Miriam noted to my friends too. Qualifying your actions with results is a great way to stand out.
11.11.08
Great post! I'm not sure I agree with the idea that your email's domain name is going to cost you a call-back. When I worked as a recruiter, I could have cared less if the email address was from Gmail or Hotmail.
11.11.08
@Erika: Thanks for your feedback! I don't think it'll cost a callback, but that's just my personal take on email addresses, especially since I'm interested in the tech field — it's important that I'm keeping up with the times! (I'm not even a proponent of a Yahoo address, really; I think Gmail or your own domain name is best.)
11.13.08
I work at a staffing company in Boston, Hollister (www.hollisterstaff.com/?=451) and really enjoy readying your blog. I have so many clients that come in with just one resume and broad range of jobs that they are looking for. All too often people fail to remember that resumes need to be tailored to each job you apply for. Thanks for another great post!
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