CRAFTING A RÉSUMÉ AND DIGITAL PROFILE TO REFLECT THE NEW YOU
Crafting a new résumé is not everyone’s idea of a good time. In fact, I have witnessed many midcareer workers struggle with this task because they have not updated their résumés for five years. The résumé created five or more years ago does not include your recent accomplishments. Adding these accomplishments and additional information, like professional development, education, and community outreach activities, gives you an entirely new look. It is really a new you in writing. In addition, crafting a new digital profile for LinkedIn should be a concurrent effort. The digital profile and the résumé must be in sync because potential employers and executive recruiters review both items.
THE PURPOSE OF A RÉSUMÉ
You craft a résumé in order to interest a potential employer in your candidacy and to motivate the hiring manager to schedule a personal interview. However, no matter how great your résumé, if it does not get to the right person, your candidacy will go nowhere. Many job candidates sit at home and send résumés by the hundreds to job boards and company career pages. The result? Nothing.
Companies do not hire résumés. They hire living, breathing, walking, talking, thinking candidates who have the smarts to leave the house and meet hiring managers and human resources directors, in the flesh, to begin building a relationship.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WRITING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
Job candidates frequently spend hundreds of hours writing the perfect résumé based upon advice from peers, spouses, college professors, and a variety of online resources. When you say “résumé,” everyone provides suggestions and advice believing their way is the best way. While some of this input could have value, most of it is redundant or based on personal experience, which may be outdated. Even college professors get into the act and give advice that has no relevance in the business world. For example, they call the résumé curriculum vitae, a term used only by the academic establishment. Do not refer to your résumé as a CV. In the business world, it is a résumé.
Résumé guidelines vary with the times. Today’s résumé has certain major components and a certain style. Gone are the days of block paragraphs to describe previous jobs and their responsibilities.
My experiences as an executive recruiter working in the staffing industry every day is the basis for the direction I offer. If you follow my instructions, you will design a first-class résumé that reflects what is current and acceptable in today’s business world. However, if you want general résumé-writing advice, review websites like Career Confidential, www.careerconfidential.com. The CEO, Peggy McKee, is one of the best in the business, and I suggest that you attend one of her many webinars, the cost of which is very attractive—free.
What about those professional résumé-writing services that charge $50 to $300 for designing your résumé? If these résumé-writing gurus sell their services, they must be good. Right? Save your money. Spend that money to attend a trade show or conference where you will find hundreds of hiring managers in person. This would be money well spent because landing a job is a matter of building a personal relationship with hiring managers and other influential company workers like the director of human resources.
Still, there are some rules and guidelines that are important to keep in mind. I have reviewed thousands of résumés in my recruiting business. Few are outstanding; many are just okay; and some are too cute. Cute résumés contain too many unnecessary stylistic features like a nonstandard typeface, multiple colors, clip art, photos, borders, and other design features. The basic rule is this: Keep it simple. Keep it clean. Remember this is business communication, not a promotion piece for the Super Bowl and certainly not a menu for a French restaurant.
Recruiters working in the staffing business know how a résumé should look, and they can tell you what mistakes to avoid. Executive recruiters say these are the five most common mistakes candidates make on résumés:
FIVE COMMON RÉSUMÉ MISTAKES
1. Typos. Correct spelling is your responsibility, not the spell-checker’s. Nothing will send your résumé to the trash heap faster than a misspelled word.
2. Grammar mistakes. Hiring managers expect grammatically correct résumés from everyone. Make a mistake, and you are finished. There is no second chance.
3. Inconsistent formatting and style. Use only one typeface and type size. The current preferred typeface is 12 pt. Times New Roman.
4. Missing metrics. Quantify as much as possible. Generalities say nothing about your expertise or accomplishments.
5. Gaps in employment history. You do have a work history, which consists of full-time professional experience and possibly significant part-time work in college or even high school. Make sure your work history is in chronological order beginning with your last job and going back to your first job.
RÉSUMÉ FEATURES YOU MUST GET RIGHT
One could write pages listing the most important rubrics for résumé writing. Do this. Don’t do that. Do it this way. No, do it my way. It’s not that complicated. Here are the items you must get right to produce a credible résumé:
• Résumé File Name. This is one of the most important parts of your résumé, and you must get it right. The file name must be brief and to the point so the reader will understand without hesitation who you are and what the file is about. State the file name like this:
“Jerome Michael’s Résumé. Marketing Associate Candidate for General Electric.”
• Résumé Length. The résumé for an entry-level candidate and a résumé for a midcareer candidate will differ in length. Appearance, style, and format, however, are the same for all candidates. Length of résumé for all entry-level candidates should be no more than two pages. However, the résumés for midcareer workers with ten to twenty years of experience that includes executive-level positions and possibly publications could be three or four pages, or even more.
• Résumé Appearance. Your résumé is your personal appearance in written form. Think of it as the way you would dress for a live interview: uncluttered and neat. Hiring managers are not interested in your picture, graphs, boxed items, borders, charts, shading, or clip art. If they want to see how you look, they can always go to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or other social media.
• Résumé Formatting. Consistency is key from beginning to end. Use bullet points consisting of only one line instead of paragraphs in the body of the résumé. Use only one typeface and size. Use uppercase bold for major headings and lowercase regular type for text. Do not use a script typeface, like Segoe Script, under any circumstances. The typeface is not the tool to differentiate your candidacy from the rest of the pack.
• Résumé Style. Résumé styles change over time. Today’s readers view content in small bits and pieces. They lose interest when confronted with long paragraphs. Save that for your first novel. The way we convey information is by using bullet points instead of paragraphs, with one exception. The first major heading of your résumé, “Objective” or “Summary,” should be in paragraph form but not to exceed about ten lines. List every other item in bullet points. Use “Objective” when you are applying for a specific job. Use “Summary” if you are submitting your résumé to a human resources director to make this key person aware of your search for an unspecified position in the company.
• Résumé Metrics. One of the most common mistakes candidates make is listing their achievements using broad generalities like “Treated a large number of patients at the emergency room at Chicago Hospital.” The statement means much more to the hiring manager if it reads, “Treated an average of thirty patients per day over a three-year period at Chicago Hospital.”
MAJOR HEADINGS OF YOUR RÉSUMÉ
Here are the major parts of your résumé. Include all of them on your résumé in this order:
1. Personal Identification
2. Objective or Summary
3. Military Work Experience (if applicable)
4. Work Experience
5. Awards, Recognition, Community Service
6. Technology Skills
7. Education
Do not include “References on Request” or “Hobbies and Special Interests.” Here is a review of each major heading with an explanatory note:
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION
The first items on your résumé, at the top of the page and centered, are your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Use only one phone number, the one that you use most frequently for both inbound and outbound calls. Remember that calls regarding employment matters come at all hours. The 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. window is no longer valid. Your address must include your street number, town, and zip code. Your name should be first, in uppercase bold. Beneath your name is the address, phone number, and e-mail address in lowercase regular type.
I have received résumés without an address, only a name, phone number, Twitter hashtag, and an e-mail address. This is the result of a mistaken notion of tech gurus who believe that in a digital world, where you live is not important. Tell that to a human resources director, and you are history. Do not buy into the hype. Use common sense. Always include your full address.
OBJECTIVE OR SUMMARY
This is nothing more than a marketing piece about the product you are selling: your candidacy. Write this in paragraph format and limit your self-advertisement to ten lines. Write a custom “Objective” for each job application reflecting the contents and requirements in the job description. Specifically, state your work expertise in terms that reflect the job specifications and using key words from the job description. Remember that the reader, the hiring manager or the human resources director, is thinking, “What can this person do for our team and the company going forward?”
If there is only a general statement on a company website under “careers” that reads, “Customer Service Representative Manager,” think about what this position requires: excellent verbal and written skills, patience, punctuality, understanding, and courtesy. Build your objective statement around the job description.
State specifically the position for which you are applying (e.g., “I am applying for the Finance Manager position.”). If appropriate, quantify your experience. For example, if you are applying for a position requiring writing skills, state, “My written communication experience includes ten years as housing industry writer for Forbes magazine.” In your cover letter, you can elaborate on that experience.
In this section, you may want to include specific competencies in a list of single words or phrases following the “Objective” or “Summary” paragraph. Here is an example:
CORE COMPETENCIES
PowerPoint Excel Database Social Media
Personnel Management Field Manual Writing
Logistics Editing Research
Including such a list will give you a plus mark if the company is using key-word scanning software.
MILITARY WORK EXPERIENCE (ONLY IF APPLICABLE)
List your military experience chronologically beginning with your most recent service assignment and rank. List each MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) under a major heading followed by specifics in bullet point format. Do not use acronyms and write using civilian-speak, not military jargon.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Make this a chronological listing beginning with your most recent work experience. To explain what you did at these companies, state your responsibilities in bullet-point format. In the following example, note that each contains a specific responsibility, not a broad generality:
MCGRAW-HILL K-12 EDUCATION, 2000–2020
• Regional Sales Manager with six direct reports covering fifteen Midwest States, 2014–2020.
• District Sales Manager with three direct reports covering Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, 2007–2013.
• Sales Representative covering Wisconsin and Illinois, 2000–2006.
While you were in college, you may have had a number of part-time positions related to the specific job for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a technology position and in college you designed websites for local small businesses, this should be included under work experience. It indicates that your passion for using technology is more than a passing fancy. In addition, it tells the hiring authority, like the technology director, that you have an interest and aptitude for work in technology.
AWARDS, RECOGNITION, COMMUNITY SERVICE
This is a section not often found on résumés, but I encourage its inclusion based on my experience with hiring managers. I have noted that one of the first things that a hiring manger will notice when scanning a résumé is a major heading listing awards and recognition for outstanding achievement.
What do you include? Awards for performance from previous employers, like “Employee of the Year Award.” Also, go back to your college years and list notable achievements like making the Dean’s List or graduating cum laude.
Another noteworthy item is your outreach experience, because many employers are community conscious. Hiring managers and human resources directors will give you a big plus mark for your give-back to those in need. Many small businesses and large corporations like Starbucks, Microsoft, Bank of America, and General Electric are community conscious and encourage their employees to participate in outreach efforts.
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
In today’s world, employers assume that candidates have the technology skills required to be productive workers. However, hiring managers have been burned many times because of this false assumption. If your tech skills are outdated, take an online course from HigherNext or another online organization as verifiable proof to a hiring manager that you are up to speed. Also, you can find technology courses at universities, local community colleges, and online.
No matter what the job or industry, you will be required to use technology to meet your job requirements.
EDUCATION
This is the last major heading on your résumé, and it is very straightforward. Chronologically list college and military (if applicable) education. Also, if you attended a prestigious college prep high school, list that, too. Include other professional development courses and certifications. This is how your education section might look:
• The Lawrenceville College Prep High School, Lawrenceville, NJ. Diploma. 1995.
• Elon University, BA. Major: Events Management. Minor: Communications. 2000.
• Elon University Study Abroad. Art History Program. Florence, Italy. 1999.
• The International Culinary Center, New York City. Graduate-level courses in Pastry Arts and Cake Design. 2001.
• Strayer University, Completion of online Web Design course. 2006.
• HigherNext, Online Certified Business Laureate Degree. 2019.
If you authored books or published articles, add a new major heading titled “Publications.” Chronologically list all publications in bullet-point format.
Don’t add anything after the “Education” section (such as references, favorite sports, ethnicity, gender, religion, or age). If pertinent, you can address these topics during your interview with the hiring manager or human resources director.
WRITING A DIGITAL PROFILE
Always write a digital profile for media such as LinkedIn. It is an important tool that hiring managers, human resources directors, and recruiters use to verify what is on your résumé and to read references from colleagues or customers. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your résumé and digital profile are in sync. Write your résumé first and then create your digital profile.
The digital profile need not be a verbatim repeat of your résumé. Extract the most important features of your résumé and place them in the appropriate place on the digital profile.
COVER LETTERS
When you send your résumé to a named person, always include a one-page cover letter. The cover letter is a summary of your candidacy and explains why you are interested in that particular job and company. It is a business document, so format it as such. Include the following five items in your cover letter:
1. Your source of information for the position. Include the name of the person who referred you if applicable.
2. The reason for submitting your résumé.
3. A compliment about the company.
4. A brief statement of your background and experience and how it relates to the job description.
5. A post script (PS) suggesting the next step, like scheduling a date for a personal interview.
If you are submitting your résumé by e-mail, make the cover letter a part of the e-mail text and attach the résumé. If submitting your résumé by FedEx or UPS, include a formal typed cover letter rather than a handwritten note on a plain sheet of paper.
MOVING FORWARD
Crafting a résumé and digital profile in keeping with today’s style is necessary to move your candidacy to the next step, a personal interview with the hiring manager. Where and how to find these decision makers and the companies they represent is key. You will learn all of this in the following chapters.
CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS
• Your digital profile and résumé must be in sync. One must reflect the other.
• Spelling and grammar mistakes on your résumé will end your chances for employment.
• Today’s employers are community conscious. List all outreach activities on your résumé.
• Always list awards and special recognitions from past employers, schools, colleges, and civic organizations.
PRINT AND DIGITAL RESOURCES
Career Confidential. www.careerconfidential.com.
Higher Next/Proctor U. www.highernext.com.