If you remember the days of typewriters and carbon paper, then you know that word processing is nothing short of a miracle when it comes to making resumes.
In the olden days, we carefully typed the resume and proofed it a million times before paying a printer to make 100 copies on high-quality paper. Yes, 100. It was common to receive notes from friends on the backs of outdated resumes, because we always ended up with about 85 more than we needed. But who knew? You bought extra because you didn’t want to buy twice.
Ah, but every sword has two sharp edges. If word processing introduced the convenience of print-on-demand resumes, it also fostered the compulsion to make constant changes. These days, it’s common for a job seeker to send a different resume for every job. In fact, many job search strategists encourage this practice, declaring that only a customized resume can compete in a tight market.
I’ve noted my disagreement with this strategy numerous times, so I’ll just summarize by saying that revising resumes to compete against other resumes is simply not job search. That’s a clerical arms race. Job search involves speaking directly to people who can hire you, and providing a clearly written document outlining your skills.
If you’re using a dozen resumes, I can promise two things. First, you’re not running a very focused job search, which tells me you’re not diving in deeply enough to build contacts in any one field. And, second, no matter how much time you spend revising each resume, most of your versions will look nearly identical. In other words, the changes are so minuscule they’re not worth making.
I have a better suggestion. If you’ve been revising your resume, vow to improve it instead. Give it one last look with the following suggestions in mind, then channel your efforts into building contacts in your field of work.
1. Target a job or industry, then focus your information toward that audience.
2. Introduce yourself by using a Profile or Summary section. A few sentences summarizing your experience and strengths will place you in context as the reader moves down the page.
3. Answer your reader’s main question early: “What can you do for me?” A Skills or Qualifications section formatted with bullets can be helpful.
4. Provide context to your job descriptions so the reader can understand your role better. Was it a large company? Which products did you work on?
5. Trim job descriptions so they matter to your targeted audience. A former warehouse worker going for route sales doesn’t need to note all types of forklifts operated. But an excellent safety record and inventory management skills might be of interest.
6. Don’t overemphasize dates. Placing dates in separate columns on the left or right margins tends to draw attention where it’s not needed.
7. Break out of your job titles. If your title is confusing or nondescriptive, modify it (within reason). For example, a government E-5 Clerical IIA won’t mean a darn thing outside that workplace. Changing the title to Office Clerk makes more sense.
8. Label your categories compellingly. Instead of “Professional Experience” or “Work History,” a nurse could use “Nursing Experience” or “Clinical Care.”
9. Create categories unique to your selling points. For example, a counseling professional could name a section “Populations served” to identify age groups, ethnicities or specific caseloads he or she has managed.
10. Take credit for the education you have, even if you didn’t finish the degree or certificate program. On the other hand, don’t include random training in unrelated fields, such as real estate courses when you’re searching for engineering positions.
11. Include interests, community involvement or other categories that can “humanize” you and spark interview chatter.
12. Let go of arbitrary rules, such as resume length or how far back to go in listing your jobs. These decisions will be different for each job seeker, depending on total work history, targeted audience, and other factors.
13. Consider the screen presence of your document. For example, tables can make a resume look cluttered, while certain fonts can be too “fancy” for the low resolution of some monitors. Not surprisingly, sticking with the basics will be the safest bet.
14. Add some personality. You’ll be hired partly on your skills, and partly on your work style and personality. Shine a light on these elements by including your customer service philosophy, quotes from past colleagues or something else of interest.
15. Don’t overthink it. The best test for a resume is the market, so once you’ve made your improvements, get the resume out the door and into the hands of employers.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
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