Creating a Resume

According to recent Ladders.com research, the average time spent by a recruiter reading your resume is now just 6 seconds! So, if you are going to get yourself noticed, it is important that your resume is concise and highlights in the correct places the information that will get you a longer look and, hopefully, an interview. Make sure you create a resume designed specifically for the position for which you are expressing interest. This will take some effort and some thought. We will attempt to highlight some points where this is done subtly.

Style

With the high tech ability of today’s word processing or design programs, it is very tempting to use fancy schmancy fonts and colors and style templates. However, not only is this not necessary, it is often counter-productive. When constructing a resume, it is still best to use standard fonts such as courier, arial, times new roman, verdana, and other non-sans-serif fonts (fonts that do not have the small projecting features called “serifs" at the end of strokes). Avoid larger-sized fonts and highlight, if you must, with boldface or italics.

There are several different formats of resumes available to you and are largely dependent upon your level of experience or the type of field in which you are looking for a position.

The Chronological Resume

The Chronological Resume is likely the most common resume format. This type of resume usually contains an objective (passé) and/or career summary statement and a chronological listing (from most recent to past!) of all your employers along with related accomplishments. Educational information is included along with certifications and special skills.

This type of resume may be fine for someone who is experienced, but if you are switching careers or are just entering the workforce, this type of resume will most likely help you wind up in the "no" pile. The reason for this is the chronological resume will highlight your inexperience or the lack of relevance your work history might seemingly display to support your desire for a career change. So how do you showcase your talents if you can't lay them out like everyone else?

The Functional Resume

The Functional Resume takes some skill so make sure you take extra time and care in developing this resume. Functional resumes highlight your abilities, such as hiring, managing or coaching, rather than your chronological work history. You'll still need to summarize your work history, but this is usually done at the bottom of your resume well after the hiring manger is usually sold on bringing you in for an interview. This format is quite helpful for people

• With gaps in their work history.
• With frequent job changes.
• Looking to transition to new careers.
• Who are re-entering the workforce.

The reason this format is so helpful is that commonly we acquire transitional skills in our place of work that are appropriate for non-like jobs. For example, perhaps you worked in a retail or food service establishment where you were required to hire, interview, manage, coach, evaluate and/or terminate other employees. If you were to list “Mamma Jane’s Restaurant” in chronological order, the hiring manager looking for a supervisor in a non-retail situation might skip over that listing. In responding to an ad for the supervisor position, if you were instead to highlight these functions in an ordered way at the front of your resume, you may have a better chance of having this experience noticed.

Bulleted vs. Paragraph

A paragraph format is rarely a good option unless, possibly, if you are applying for a copywriting or newspaper or blogger position (even then, I would recommend writing samples rather than paragraphs on your resume). Remember that the hiring manager is only going to spend roughly six seconds on a resume on average. As soon as that hiring manager sees a paragraph-formatted resume and realizes you’ve sent him a reading assignment, your resume is going to quickly go either into the “no” pile or the “review later” pile. Just so we’re clear, the “review later” pile is the “No-in-training” pile.

Bullet-list your information. Whether using the chronological or functional resume, group your information concisely into bullet points. If using the chronological resume, format your company name, position, etc., and then bullet point your accomplishments and responsibilities below. If you are using the functional resume, you’re simply bullet-pointing your list of skills, responsibilities and accomplishments. Remember to remain grammatically consistent with your bullet points. It’s unnecessary to use complete sentences, but they should either all be complete sentences with periods at the end or none should be complete sentences but instead appear as a list of concisely-worded fragments. Ultimately, since you have all of six seconds to express yourself, I would recommend using the concisely-worded fragments.

How long should my resume be?

You have six seconds. The old standard was to never make your resume longer than one page. This is no longer the commonly accepted practice, but it is still not a good idea to make your resume longer than two pages. Nothing is more frustrating to a hiring manager or recruiter than receiving a monograph for a resume. From person experience as a recruiter, I can tell you that a seven page resume in paragraph format is going in the “’no’ pile” before even being scanned for content. I’m not looking for your autobiography. I’m looking through thirty resumes for the best fit and I have limited time and other things to do. So tell me what I need to know, please, and no more.

What software should I use?

If you are delivering or mailing your resume this isn’t very important. However, if you are emailing your resume or uploading it to a company website, it may be important to consider what file format you should use. On most company websites onto which you can upload your resume, they will tell you what formats are acceptable. But when sending your resume via email, it may be worthwhile to call the company and ask the receptionist or administrative assistant in what format you should send your resume. Typically speaking, Microsoft Word or PDF are your best bets. The newer versions of Word can open and read a resume created in Microsoft Works or saved as an .xps file, but it may alter your formatting. When in doubt, call and ask!

Content

So we have discussed style, but ultimately your resume is going to come down to content.

Objective vs. Summary or Headline

The current trend is moving away from the objective statement. This was an ingredient of the resume that most people did so poorly that it rendered it useless. Hiring managers began simply skipping over it altogether to get directly to the “meat” of resume.

The objective statement can, however, be effective if done properly. Remember our two most important criteria: You have six seconds and what do they want? If you are going to include an objective statement, keep it focused on what you can do for the company. Since this can be quite difficult to accomplish and since the objective often comes across as baloney and since the hiring manager is likely to skip over it anyway, it is probably better to go to a summary or headline.

The summary statement says in one succinct sentence who you are. “I am an accomplished certified public accountant with 12 years of experience.” Or simply a straightforward headline (not in sentence form): Accomplished CPA with 12 years of experience. If you are using a summary statement, go ahead and put the heading “Summary:” If you choose to use a headline, simply center-justify it without the heading “Headline.”

Company name vs. Position Title

Something you will want to consider when sending your resume is what is going to be most important to the hiring manager looking at your resume: where you worked or what you did. This is one of those subtle ways you will create your resume for the specific position for which you are applying.

Say you are sending your resume for a machinist position at Kelloggs and you have previously worked as a machinist at General Mills doing very similar work. In this instance, the typical left-formatted “name of company” in boldface with the position title next to it or below it would be a good idea. Nothing says “call this person” more than the competitor’s name in the work history!

In short, if you are applying for positions in the same or similar industry as your work history and are using a chronological resume, it is perfectly acceptable—and even recommended—to go ahead with the traditional highlighting of the name of your previous employers. For example:

Hartley Insurance—New York, NY                               May 2009 – February 2013 Property Insurance Adjuster Bullet point #1 Bullet point #2 Bullet point #3 The Smith Agency—Uniondale, NY                               June 2003 – April 2009 Property and Casualty Claims Manager Bullet point #1 Bullet point #2 Bullet point #3

However, if you are applying for a machinist position that is not necessarily in the same industry and the job posting indicates that the machining background is what is important, you may want to consider highlighting the position title instead. For example:

CNC Machinist                                                             May 2009 – February 2013 Hartley Tool & Die—Paramus, NJM Bullet point #1 Bullet point #2 Bullet point #3 Sheer Operator                                                             June 2003 – April 2009 Smith Metals—East Orange, NJ Bullet point #1 Bullet point #2 Bullet point #3

Again, the important point here is that you have six seconds to get the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager. What do you want them to quickly see in those in six seconds? It is important to think about this with every single resume you send out and to keep in mind, “what is going to be important to them?” For this reason, I would not recommend lining the dates along the left side of the page as I've seen some do. The dates are important, but they are not going to be what draws the initial attention of the hiring manager.

When creating your bullet lists, regardless of whether you are using a chronological resume or a functional resume, see if you can find some version of a job description for the job for which you are applying. It might be on the company’s career page on their website, or it may be posted on Indeed.com or Monster or CareerBuilder or other job board. Be careful not to lie, but make sure you use similar syntax. If the position calls for “must have experience with accounts payable/accounts receivable” and you have that experience, make sure to include:

• Responsible for maintaining accounts payable/accounts receivable using Peachtree 50
• Achieved 100% client compliance with our 30 day terms

The idea behind this is to make sure they see exactly what they are looking for.

If you are having difficulty remembering what exactly your responsibilities were in a position or if you cannot find a description of the job to which you are applying, try using www.onetonline.org. Simply type in your job title and the website will give you very generalized job descriptions. The idea is to jog your memory as to what you did previously so you can make sure to include it in your resume.

Avoid using terms like “worked” or “made” that say little. Focus on what the skill or responsibility accomplished. Instead of “sold pharmaceuticals” try “Increased sales of pharmaceuticals in my category/geographical area by 40% in the first year.” Instead of “worked on a band saw” try “Cut pine and cherry wood to client specifications using a band saw” or “Increased production of wood furniture materials by 25% operating Proxxon Micro Band Saw.”

Try to keep your bullet lists succinct, uniform, and always written with what the reader should be looking for in mind.

Which comes first, employment or education?

This is a question that is often asked, but the answer once again comes down to”What is going to be important to them?” What came first in the “requirements” portion of their job posting, “3-5 years experience” or “BS in Engineering?” It’s as good as any place to start in deciding which to list first in your resume.

The answer to this could also depend upon which is more relevant to the job to which you are applying. If you are responding to a posting of a Human Resources Assistant maybe your recent Bachelors Degree in Business Administration or Human Resources is more relevant than your positions at the local minit mart—even if you were responsible for hiring and firing and management at that minit mart.

You have six seconds. Which information is most imperative that the hiring manager sees?

Personal information, References, and Hobbies

Never—and I cannot stress this enough—never put personal information like gender, age, marital status, number of children, ethnic background, or anything of that nature on your resume! Just for emphasis: never do this! First of all, it is rarely relevant to the position. Secondly, this is protected information, so don’t give it up willy-nilly. Because it is protected information, including it places the hiring manager in an awkward and unwanted position. Thirdly, you have six seconds, so keep the information on your resume to information that gets you the interview, not information that may give someone a reason to eliminate you.

Mention hobbies or “special interests” only if they are relevant to the position for which you are applying. Typically, hobbies and special interests are resume-fillers and largely unnecessary, if not counterproductive. However, if you are applying for an assembly position at a wood furniture manufacturer and you thoroughly enjoy puttering around in your woodshop in your garage, it may not be a horrible idea to include it in the special interest or hobby section (I would not recommend the phrase “puttering around”). Otherwise, skip this altogether. Don’t forget: You have six seconds!

Never put references on your resume. The idea is to get the interview first. Give yourself the opportunity to sell yourself before giving the hiring manager the chance to default to “word of mouth” no matter how good that word of mouth might be. It was once common practice to include the phrase “References available upon request” at the bottom of the resume. Well, no kidding! Who is going to say “no way” when a prospective employer asks them for references? It’s a waste of space and has become passé. I would recommend not including any mention of references on your resume. This includes the name and number of previous supervisors that some people like to include in their previous employment listings. Leave all of this information for after the first interview.

Grammar and Spelling

Yes, grammar and spelling do count! Very little will kill an otherwise good resume quicker than grammar and spelling mistakes. Most word processing programs are equipped with a spell-checker and a grammar-checker. This is a nice place to start, but I would not recommend stopping there. Spell-checker will rarely catch everything and mistakes like “your” and “you’re” or “collage” instead of “college” (please don’t misspell “college” on your resume!) will not be flagged. Proof-read your resume no less than three times and have someone else review it for mistakes as well. Remain consistent with grammar.

• If you’re using full sentence structure on your job description bullet lists, make sure all of the bullet points are full sentences.
• If you are capitalizing the first word in each of your bullet points, make sure to remain consistent and capitalize every first word.
• If you have decided to bold face company names and italicize position titles, remain consistent. You also want to remember to match this style when it comes to your employment history (i.e., boldfaced company name becomes boldfaced school name and italicized position title becomes italicized major/degree).

Finally, always tell the truth on your resume! There are an increasing number of services that make it progressively easier and cheaper to verify the information you include on your resume. The best that could happen is that the prospective employer finds out prior to or even after the interview and you are eliminated from consideration. Worse yet is the possibility the truth is unearthed after you begin employment and face the embarrassment of losing that new job as a result. Tell the truth. There are very good ways of making the truth sound better than you might think it is than creating an alternate reality.

Remember to keep your resume clean and concise and remember to focus your resume to give the hiring manager the information he or she wants quickly; you only have six seconds. Go!

The Cover Letter

Don't Forget The Cover Letter!

When you have found a position for which you think you are suitable, it’s time to send a resume. Always send a cover letter with your resume. Never, and we mean Never, send a resume without one. We receive many resumes without one and sometimes it difficult to determine which popsition the candidate is responding to. A cover letter can make or break your chances, so if you’re unsure, there are several good resources online. Follow the examples, but make sure each letter you send is original and unique for each employer.

• Make sure the cover letter is on the same type of paper as your resume and uses a font face and size that matches your resume so that they are cohesive and consistent.
• Make sure to address your letter to the hiring individual. You may need to call the company and explain to the receptionist that you are sending your resume for the open accounts receivable position and ask to whom you should address your cover letter.
• If responding to a blind box ad, try to avoid such gender-specific salutations as “Dear sirs” or “Dear Gentlemen.” In such cases, “Dear Hiring Manager” is a better option.
• Make sure in your cover letter to let the reader know which position you are responding to. It is not necessary for your chances, but it might also be good to let the reader know how or where you learned of the position (i.e., "I am responding to the position of business analyst advertised on Indeed.com")
• Use simple language and uncomplicated sentences to answer the question, “why should I hire you?” NEVER make your letter longer than one page, and keep it well under a full page if possible.
• Always make certain to proof-read your letter and use spell-checker. Nothing says “’no’ pile” like a cover letter with typos, poor grammar, or misspellings (for example, “college” does NOT have an “a” in it).
• Be proactive and ask for an interview. Let the reader know you will be following up and when and then actually follow up.
• This is often forgotten because you would think the fact you're bothering to send a letter and resume that it would be implied, but don't forget to express that you are very much interested in the position
!

Follow these steps and get yourself noticed!

The Art of the Career Fair

Having attended many career fairs over the years as a recruiter, I’ve seen many different styles and many different approaches job seekers have used.  I thought I’d share my take on what works and what does not work.

The DOs.

Just like a traditional job interview, it is important to do as much homework as possible before arriving at the career fair.  Don’t just roll out of bed one morning and say to yourself, “eh, what the heck.  The View is a repeat today, so I think I’ll go to the job fair at the local community college.”

When you become aware there is a local career fair scheduled, see if you can find out ahead of time what companies will be presenting.  Usually, if it is being presented by a college or a government agency, they will post on their website what companies will be presenting.

Get yourself a spiral notebook or steno pad or something on which to take notes that you will take with you and refer to at the career fair. If you want to look really good, take a day planner.

Decide what companies with whom you most want to speak.  Maybe there are five to ten companies for whom you are really interested in working.  Get online—most public libraries have computers free to public use if you don’t have one—and research these companies ahead of time.  Go directly to that company’s website and read not just the index (home) page, but look for the “about us” page and their career page.  Learn as much about them as you can.

Create resumes geared specifically for these companies.  Because you’ve made company-specific resumes, be careful to give the correct resume to each.  Also make sure to take plenty of “generic” resumes as well, because they, too, will come in handy.

Dedicate one or maybe two pages of your notebook to each company.  Figure out specific questions you will want to ask the representative about their company.  It’s important that these questions be open-ended rather than yes/no and the questions should, at this point, be about the company rather than positions.  Get them talking about their company.  Make them feel like they are auditioning for you rather than the other way around.  Sound empathetic to what they are saying and maintain eye contact.  Do not ask questions like “what are you hiring for?” or silly questions like “what does your company do?”

The questions you ask the representative should indicate some knowledge of and interest in their company.  “I understand that you make plastic bags.  That’s cool.  That must be recession-proof, huh?”  This has a hint of self-awareness but usually will be received with some humor.  Obviously this is a random example, but the point is that you'll want to plan ahead for your opening statement and question. Wait for them to acknowledge or answer the question.  Then ask “What does that process look like?” or "What does the sales cycle look like?" or a similarly-spirited question that fits the type of position you are seeking.  Wait and listen closely to the answer.  Then bring the company back to you.  “I’m trained to do XYZ.  How do you think that would help your company?”  They may flatly say that it doesn't.  But in that case you haven’t wasted either your time or theirs.  Furthermore, it is unlikely this will be the answer.  It is important here that you ask “How do you think that help your company?” and not “Would this help your company?”  This seems like a very subtle difference, but it is a tried and true sales technique.  In this instance, you are asking them to think of how you could help rather than whether you could help.  First, it is likely to eliminate a simple yes or no answer and will get them talking.  Secondly, it implies an assumption on your part that you can help and you are simply asking what that help would look like.  You should pay very close attention to the answers to all of these questions because they should inspire easy and obvious follow-up questions.  The idea is to keep them talking and to get them thinking about how you would fit in rather than if you would fit.

If the career fair sponsor has a list of the vendors on the website, they may also include information like name and title and email of whomever will be there from the company. If you want to be really creative, look these people up on LinkedIn.com.  If you don't have an account with LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) it is free and fairly painless to create one. When researching the representative on LinkedIn, take note of how long the representative has been with the company; where they worked previously, what school they attended, etc.  You are looking for anything that might be helpful to make a personal connection with the recruiter. Make sure to note this in your notebook and glance at your notes before going to a booth (you obviously won't remember all these details about everyone). I would not walk up to the booth and say, "hey, i understand you went to Villanova University. The Wildcats are awesome!" But if Villanova is something you can connect with on a personal level, sneakily ask, "how much did your schooling help you with this company?" Wait. They might give up Villanova in the answer. If not, it is perfectly acceptable to then ask "do you mind my asking? Where did you go to school?" I promise they will answer. Now you can go in with your anecdote or personal connection. DO NOT FAKE IT. They will almost assuredly know. "Oh, Villanova? I grew up near there. In fact, I used to ice skate at Radnor before they turned it into a roller skating rink and now a strip mall."  You can try the same thing with a previous employer, but this is a little more tricky, so use this one with caution. If you or someone you know well also worked there or still does it might be worth the mention.  Otherwise, the school thing will be received a lot better. “Oh, you worked at Hostess? Man I love Twinkies!” probably will not get you very far.

Honestly--and trust me when I tell you this is from personal experience--the biggest thing you're fighting against at a career fair is the sheer boredom of the representative. The recruiter has either been there for several hours or they are looking at several hours more. If you get them talking they will feel like they are actually having a conversation with someone and not regurgitating the answer to the "what do you do?" question they've answered many more times than they care to. If you have planned ahead exactly who you want to talk to, see if they have a room diagram when you get there. Whether they do or don't (if they do, this becomes easier) shoot ahead of the pack. If you are there right when it starts (always better than arriving later), there is usually a horde of people walking in one entrance and the vendors in the first aisle or first area get everyone and the people further into the room get to sit or stand there and watch people filter through. Move quickly through the masses and go to the opposite side of the room and work your way back. You will likely have the attention of these people without competition for awhile. Also, once the press of people has made their way through, the people at the front are now bored for the next couple hours. By working your way backward, you will reach the front of the room by the time those people will be quite happy to have someone to talk to again.

Once you have made your way through the room to talk with the specific companies on your list, it is now time to go back through to talk to your “B list” companies. These will be companies that did not jump out to you on the vendor list but may still be worth talking to.  Because they were not companies you necessarily researched you will not have the same intel, but some of the strategies will still work.  Remember to try to make them talk because at this point in the day, they will likely be hungry to do so.  This will be when your “generic” resume will come in handy.

Before arriving, make sure to dress for success.  This seems like a common sense statement, but you would be surprised by how many people attend a career fair to speak to potential hiring managers yet look like they just climbed out of bed or came straight from the gym.  Dressing appropriately not only shows some respect for the situation and for the recruiter, it displays a certain amount of respect for one’s self.  You don’t necessarily need a three-piece suit (although this will definitely make an impression), but you should look professional.

When it comes time to offer the recruiter your resume, give a hard copy and briefly offer one or two highlights.  If you can, stand next to them holding it and point to what you’re highlighting, then surrender the paper.  Make sure to ask if there is an email address you can send another copy to later. Trust me, the recruiter has received quite a few resumes at the job fair and yours is likely going into a folder or a job fair box.  You want to make sure they get another look.   This is very important:  don't forget to actually send one! Also make sure to ask if there is anything additional necessary to apply—an online application on the company website; should you call to make an appointment; is there someone else to whom the recruiter would recommend you copy your resume email;  etc.   When you send the resume email, reference not only having met them but reference something they talked about (i.e., "I was really impressed with your explanation of how you make widgets and I think my skills would not only fit in, but I think I could help improve not only the process but the result.") Remember to thank them not just for their time at the job fair but for the terrific and helpful information. In your email, be sure to ask for permission for a specific time about a week out from the email that you can follow up. If that permission is granted, make sure to actually follow-up, either by email or by phone.

The DON’Ts

Don’t go unprepared.  If you do, you will blend in with the hundreds of other people there. This is basically a one minute date, so you want to be remembered.  The best way to do this is get them talking.  They will remember that you gave them someone to talk to for a little while and they will be more likely to remember your name and face.
Don’t give them any reason to think you don’t care.  This is accomplished by dressing inappropriately and asking inane questions like “what do you do?”  Make them believe you care.

Many of the vendors will have “gift” items on their table.  It is important not to look like you are there just to do some office supply shopping.  Buy your own pens!  Feel free to look at the items and if they have mugs or pens or something with their website or phone number, ask if you may take one “as reference.”

Try your best to refrain from the statement, “I really need a job.”  There is so much wrong with this simple little statement, and will most likely rule you out with the savvy recruiter.  Whether they consciously realize it or not, nearly every recruiter bristles at the statement because they know at some level that the number of times this statement is made is inversely proportionate to the chance that the candidate is actually suited for the position. In my own experience, by the third time a candidate says the phrase “I really need a job,” that person is completely wrong for the job and will not work out.  The statement is horribly counterproductive, serves only to put the recruiter on the defensive, and should be avoided at all costs.

The career fair is a tricky enterprise, but it comes down to three basic concepts:

• Preparation
• Strategy
• Execution

If you follow the above advice, you will greatly improve the chances of a successful experience.

Good luck!

Ted Taylor, SPHR, CSP