Marketing Recruiting, Marketing Communications, Executive Placement & Executive Search by Laurie Mitchell & Company, Inc.

Résumé Writing Tips

As your résumé is your sell sheet, it should be exquisitely written, demonstrating how well you think on paper. It must be a well-crafted stand-alone writing sample that immediately evidences that you are a strong writer and a clear/clean thinker.

The following advice is also intended to facilitate your résumé’s being saved in the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) now utilized by all good-sized companies. Additionally, if you name your Word résumé “Jones, Mary12.28.09.doc” you will increase the chances that it will be saved. ATS’s prefer résumés as single Word files.

A résumé sets the agenda for the interview. Consider the recipient as a target audience, so customize it for particular positions or companies. As your résumé prompts the interviewer’s questions, it ought to suggest WHAT s/he should ask you and set you up as the expert. It should be interesting and truthfully titillating.

Always remember who your reader could be: An older person who wears reading glasses or a young HR type who has never heard of your employers.

Thus, don’t assume everyone knows about the companies you mention. Give corporate descriptions or epithets. Never forget to mention exactly which product lines/products you work(ed) on and what their channels of distribution are. If you’ve been AD/PR/Digital agency-side, mention by proper name the accounts you’ve handled and what precisely you did per each significant client. Don’t simply give the general job description of an account executive. Detail what you accomplished for each important client in such a manner that the reader instantly “gets” the scope and magnitude of your responsibilities.

Bland HR-type job descriptions (instead of anecdotal bullets describing specific accomplishments) are a waste of space because those reading your résumé already understand any job description you could possibly provide. A résumé is not a compilation of job descriptions but rather a compelling document that catalyzes interest in you and highlights what challenges you’ve met or issues to which you’ve been exposed.

Use ONLY Arial 11pt typeface as it is sans serif and the most comfortable for older eyes to read either on the screen or in hard copy. Except for newspaper/book titles, etc, don’t use italics. Make your résumé easy to read and have sensitive ATS’s retain it by avoiding italics, half-tones, too much underlining, arrows, asterisks and fancy visual elements including cutesy logos and overly stylized fonts for your name. Use plain solid black bullets when needed.

ALL résumés should be reverse-chronological. HR professionals and recruiters detest functional résumés because they obfuscate job histories (and -- are viewed by HR pros -- as hiding or downplaying something), and force the reader to wander around your résumé trying to place your accomplishments under the appropriate employer or figure out what you did when and where. For those of us who read hundreds of résumés each day, it is very tempting to delete résumés which make us work too hard or lack relevant data. A résumé should be so clear, and the information so obvious, that the reader automatically understands exactly what you did where and when.

Include month/year for all degrees so that they can be quickly verified, and month/year for start/finish of all positions held. Use numerals such as 7/99-2/08.

Each bullet under each employer should begin with a strong, descriptive action verb, and be more anecdotal than job description-y. For example, alternate “crafted” with “wrote” or “polished” instead of “edited”. Never use that hideous cop out verb “responsible for”. Don’t diminish your writing skills or bore the reader by reiterating verbs such as managed, development, wrote, or assisted. Demonstrate that your vocabulary is large, descriptive and varied, and that you write with flair.

Never use personal pronouns or too many self-descriptive adjectives. Don’t tell the reader/interviewer that you are “dynamic”. She should reach her own conclusions. Do not use the words “executive” or “senior executive” to describe yourself unless you earn 200K+. Exaggerated self-descriptions or hyperbole of any kind automatically trigger thoughts of “prima donna” or “high maintenance” or “immature” in the résumé-screener. By the same token, if your name at the top of the résumé is written too large, then HR will think that your ego is too big for their corporate culture.

For junior-level candidates, your “Objective” should be employer centered, not self-centered…what’s in it for the employer, what will/can you do for him and his company? What’s in it for you is obvious and trite.

Example:	To use my education, skills & talents in a challenging position at a growth-oriented company.
Solution:	To positively impact an employer’s bottom line by contributing superior problem solving skills, business acumen and stellar writing to your corporate communications department.

For seasoned professionals, a “Summary” statement is more appropriate and should concisely describe the depth and breadth of your experience in which industries or channels and concisely mention what makes you unique.

Example:

Astute marketing communications professional with global Consumer Packaged Goods Branding/Advertising/Communications experience. MBA/fluent in French and Russian with well-honed strategic planning, analytical and leadership skills.

Your résumé MUST immediately engage the reader, quickly stimulate interest and motivate an invitation to interview. For entry-level or junior candidates one page should suffice. Two or three pages are fine for more seasoned professionals. It should not be pompous nor should it exaggerate anything whatsoever. Most companies run thorough civil, criminal and BMV background checks, and most will do comprehensive reference checks so don’t stretch dates or responsibilities or fake degrees. Lying on an employee application is grounds for immediate dismissal.

Never offer your references up front. When you establish that you are interested in working for a particular company or if you fill out an application form, proffer the references at that point. Do not take advantage of those good-hearted souls who have volunteered to serve as references. They should not receive any calls until you have decided that you want a specific job. Guard their time and privacy and you will be able to use them again. Do not put “references available” at the end of the résumé as it is understood that you will provide them when appropriate.

If your résumé establishes you as a stellar thinker and gifted writer, someone will contact you for an interview. If your résumé is misleading, boring, trite or oozes ego, you will continue to look for a job. Follow these tips for best results. Good Luck.

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