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Does Your Resume Sing or Sag?

by Kristen King on October 16th, 2007

If you want to climb your way up the professional ladder, a killer resume is mandatory. But do you know what it takes to craft a resume that gets the job done? Avoid these common mistakes, and rise to the top of the application pile.

1. Unclear objective. I constantly see resumes with objectives like this: “To secure a position that will allow me to use my skills.” Um, duh. What job do you want? What field are you targeting? Stating a clear objective helps recruiters and potential employers figure out where you’ll be a good fit. Think of specific job roles rather than vague, say-nothing statements full of buzzwords: “Director of Marketing Communications,” “Sales Executive,” “Administrative Associate.” These are objectives that actually mean something.
2. Vague or bland job summaries. Let’s get one thing straight: What you did in your old job and what you accomplished in your old job are very different things. Your day-to-day responsibilities are certainly relevant, but a job description should not be the main focus of your professional history; focus on your individual accomplishments and contributions. In other words, what makes you different from the people who held that job before and after you?
3. Missing information. Don’t leave huge gaps in your work history. If you had a personal situation that prevented you from working or a job that you really don’t want to talk about for some reason, a brief explanatory note to fill the gap would be appropriate. For example, a single line note: “1997-1999, home-based consulting during personal leave of absence.” Also, don’t omit education or other relevant information.
4. Overly personal information. Not only does it make you look completely unprofessional, but it can create problems for your potential employer by giving them information they legally should not have. For instance, if you include on your resume that you’re a divorced single mom of 3 who loves playing Bingo at the Catholic church on Wednesday nights, you’re providing all kinds of details that employers aren’t allowed to ask you about in interviews, which means that they could be open to legal issues if they bring you in and then you don’t get the job. And seriously, how is that relevant to your strategic business development prowess anyway?
5. Negative comments about previous employment. It’s one thing to mention that you were laid off following corporate downsizing. It’s another to vent about it, call people incompetent, or complain about your boss/coworkers/pay/etc. Just don’t do it. It makes you look petty.

DO include these elements:

• Clear and complete contact information.
• The full name, location, and dates of previous employment (year is sufficient; no need to specify month and specific date for each job).
• Your official job title for previous positions.
• Education, training, and certifications.

Lots of resources recommend a 1-page resume, but for most folks that’s just not possible. Try to keep it at 2 pages. If you have a long work history that makes this challenging, you don’t need to get into elaborate detail for every job you’ve had over the last 25 years and then some. Expand on the most recent 4 or 5 and limit older positions to a line or two, remembering to focus on what you personally contributed to the organization, not mundane daily tasks. “Answered e-mails and phone calls” is boring. “Coordinated written, telephone, and face-to-face communications for sales teams nationwide” is not only more specific as to what you actually did, but it’s also more impressive.

What resume do’s and don’ts do you recommend?

(photo via SXC.hu)

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POSTED IN: Job Hunting, Resumes & Cover Letters