Your resumé on its own may not appear to be the most masterful document created. It may not look well in a frame, but like many things it is the sum of the parts that completes the masterpiece. Most artists work in sections and spend countless hours and weeks on perfecting the overall final product. That is what we’re going to learn about today!
There are several sections to a resumé. Some are useful and some are just fluff. We need to remove the fluff. Since we want to keep it down to 1-2 pages, it would serve you well to trim it down some. Let’s break down each section:
- THE HEADER: This is the very tippy top part of your resumé. This is probably the easiest part of the resumé to complete. Just like you get points for putting your name on your SAT test, you get points for putting your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Make sure to check these that your address and phone number are current. You don’t want to get called to an interview on a burner phone that you threw in the river because you used it to facilitate a bank heist 2 months ago.
- OBJECTIVE: I personally hate this section, and I think it is about as useful as a mute 2-legged guard dog. Your objective is to get an interview and get the job. I know that, you know that. So, let’s just stop with the bullshit song-and-dance routine, and get down to business. If you weren’t interested in the job then you wouldn’t have sent a resumé to me.
I have seen people take themselves out of the running with the objective section. For example, let’s say you apply for a job of Loan Officer with a bank. I would expect, if you are going to include an objective to say something like “To find a position in the banking industry with growth potential that is relevant to my education and work background.” However, this same person may have applied for the position of veterinary assistant 2 weeks ago and the objective reads “To find a position working for the welfare and care of animals.” I can infer either 1) you are careless and didn’t bother to tailor your objective to the job or 2) you have a really low opinion and image of bankers.
- ACHIEVEMENTS: Any awards you have received, years worked in an industry or profession as well as any accomplishments ought to be listed here.
If you led a sales team in sales for 12 months in a row, list that here. If you have 20 years’ experience in the car-washing industry, list it here. If you reduced overhead expenditures by 25% in 2 years, list it here. If you improved a process and cut the time to do it by 50%, include it here. Make sure that every achievement listed is QUANTIFIABLE. Do not make general statements. Use numbers to back up your claim, it gives you credibility. And use real numbers! Don’t lie. References do have a way of getting checked…
Hiring Manager (HM): “Oh, I see that Bud Tugly used to work for you. “
Prior Employer (PE): “That’s right.”
HM: “I see he was there for 3 years and worked as a Hiring Manager.”
PE: “Uh, no, he actually worked here a Mail Room Intern.”
HM: “Oh, well, that’s an honest mistake. Anyway, he says that he cut hiring costs by 75% in his time there.”
PE: “What? No, he increased them because he kept losing mail. We found 2 bags of resumes in the fake ceiling above his desk. ”
HM: “(nervously) Uh, thank you for your time!”
One final thought here: Some people like to put awards and achievements at the bottom. Bullshit! These are your crowning accomplishments and you need to highlight your greatness and announce it to the world, shouting them from the mountaintops!
1993 Competitive State Waterfall Swimming Champion – last known photo.
- JOB HISTORY: I think it is good to list the company you worked for, the position (1 line per position if you worked multiple positions with the same company) and dates worked (years only).
Many people like to put their job descriptions here. Don’t! Your achievements and accomplishments section should accomplish this by telling what you are good at and where your strengths lie. Most people can infer job duties from a title anyway. You are wasting precious space with fluff. If you were a salesperson, I know you did sales. If you were a Supervisor, I know you supervised. You are not going to strengthen your resumé at tall by listing job duties. You are only going to bore a lot of Hiring Managers who are trying to get through a stack of resumés looking for the person who won’t be a hiring mistake.
- EDUCATION / CREDENTIALS: Now we are getting to the good stuff. Put your highest level attended. Go in order from oldest to newest achievement. Make sure to include the institution attended, year graduated (or last attended) and diploma. If you are proud of your GPA you can include it here. If you aren’t, then don’t, and bury it in your past along with your other crimes and misdemeanors.
Another useful thing to include here are professional certificates and licenses. Any credentials relevant to the job are good to list. Just keep them relevant. You probably do not want to include your game / fishing license. Don’t include your drivers’ license either! If you are required to drive for the position, that will be addressed in the hiring process anyway as the employer will verify your records against the state DMV records to make sure you aren’t the next Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel.
- REFERENCES: Don’t include this. Some people like to put “Available per request.” That is inferred. If an employer wants professional references they will ask for them explicitly and they belong on a separate page altogether. Otherwise, they will be requested upon a job offer, which is the norm. Some companies include this on a job application as well.
- SALARY HISTORY: Same here. If you remember nothing else, remember this. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER submit a salary history without being asked. Unless it is stated in the job ad or asked for in the interview, just…don’t! This means you will be starting any salary negotiation at a huge disadvantage. I will talk more about this later.
Well, there you have it. The sections to the traditional resumé. Now, if you have managed to make it all the way here, I am going to make one more suggestion to make your resumé shine brighter than the distribution yard of a mirror factory in the hot Arizona sun. Let’s add one more section:
- COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT / OTHER SKILLS: This is another chance to set yourself apart. If you are community minded and like to feed homeless orphans, adopt puppies and nurse injured gopher frogs back to health, list it here. If you are a dynamic individual who plays 7 musical instruments and has played Carnegie Hall, list it here. If you have produced a TV show or acted in commercials, list it here! These are things that will make you memorable. We are all very interesting people with fascinating histories outside of our jobs! You want to be memorable in a stack of 110 resumés!