Before you begin to write your resume, you must study, ponder, and decide what should be included, based on your experiences, achievements, and an understanding of what a potential employer wants to read.
YOUR STRENGTHS
Your strengths must shine forth. Do not list these; show them by presenting the results of past performance. This excellent resume material may well be hidden deep down inside you.
This is where thought comes in. Reflect on just what your best areas are. Can you get things done through people? (Never say that you enjoy "working with people"; good managers know that working with people is exasperating, difficult, necessary, frustrating, and not all that enjoyable.) Can you administer efficiently and decisively? Do you have vision? In sales, for example, is it your personality that makes you click? What do you do best? What do you enjoy most?
YOUR WEAKNESSES
Next, bring your weaknesses to the surface. You normally don't think too much about them. It's painful. Whether you talk this over with someone or dig them out yourself doesn't matter. What you want are the facts. Here are a few thought-starters: Do you procrastinate? Work well below your full capacity? Fail to discipline your subordinates correctly? Cover up your errors? Fail to give credit when it is due? Do you try to look important by doing "busy work"?
Think about your weaknesses. Determine to overcome these negatives. There is no need to discuss this soul-searching with anyone; just learn from it. Nobody is right 100 percent of the time. If 90 percent of your decisions prove to be right, you're a genius. (Never list any weaknesses in your resume. Remember, your resume is your sales tool, so it must be positive.)
DRAFT DESIGN AND PREPARATION
Your resume must make a great first impression-not good or average, but great. This has no reference to content but to the reaction of a reader as he or she takes a quick look at your resume for the first time. Here are some of the immediate, unspoken questions he or she will ask:
- Is it neat and well put together?
- Is it easy to read? Is there enough white space around the copy?
- Is it well typed?
- Is the paper of good quality?
Executive and managerial experience shows that the most qualified applicant often does not get the job. Why not? Shouldn't merit prevail? Sure it should, but many other factors have influence, including the quality of your resume, how you handle an interview, and sometimes whom you know. Make the most of it!
As any professional ad writer will tell you, good design involves layout, use of the right type, and-an essential- white space. Since the first impression is vital, the design and layout of your resume is crucial. Here are the rules:
- Use SA-by 1-inch paper.
- Leave plenty of white space; don't crowd the page.
- Typed material should be balanced and orderly.
- Use short paragraphs.
- Use concise, clear sentences.
- Left-hand margins must be even.
- Use emphasis devices (capitals, underlining, dots and asterisks) but not in excess.
- Grammar and spelling must be perfect.
PREPARING YOUR PERSONAL SALES TOOL
As you write your first draft, break with custom. You're selling yourself now, so give your prose some creative life. Let it be you, not a collection of dull, repetitive sentences. You have contributed elsewhere; you are worth considering for that new position. Say so, with honesty, without ego, but with enthusiasm in the words and sentences. Present that "you" in the most favorable light. Caution: Avoid slick language that reads too smoothly. Do you really talk that way?
JUST BEFORE YOU WRITE
If you haven't come to a final conclusion about the type of resume you want, review chapter 5. Which style will best serve you? Your layout will be based on the style you select or modify. Have all your material sorted into the basic areas or parts, so that you can quickly go from your name and address on down. Run through the collected items in each part and choose what you want to use.
NOW WRITE
Remember these key elements: (1) name and address; (2) objective; (3) knowledge and experience highlights (which you may or may not include, depending on the style of your resume); (4) work experience; (5) education; (6) professional status, if applicable.
Other areas of information that will probably appear on many professional/ managerial/executive resumes include availability, present employer contact, relocation, and personal.
Achievements are paramount, as you know. Have you condensed and rephrased them until you are satisfied? Here is where you use "Action-Power" words such as those listed below. You can doubtless come up with additional action verbs, adverbs, and nouns. If a word is truly accurate, use it. Employers and interviewers do not appreciate self-glorification, however, so use Action-Power words with great care:
- Accomplished
- Built
- Competent
- Controlled
- Designed
- Directed
- Eliminated
- Expanded
- Experienced
- Increased
- Introduced
- Managed
- Productive
- Profitably
- Professional
- Qualified
- Reduced
- Thoroughly
Type your first draft or have it typed. How many un-crowded typed pages are there? One, two, or three pages are normal. Two or three easy-to-read pages are better than one or two crowded sheets. Even one page is fine, if you can include all your pertinent data and still have plenty of white space. This can be very difficult to accomplish, of course, if you have ten, twenty, or more years of work experience. Never use more than three pages. Refine this draft. Before you retype your resume, check for these error possibilities:
- Errors in spelling
- Errors in grammar
- Sentences too long
- Paragraphs too long
- Entire resume too long
- Results not stressed enough
- Proofreading not done
- Anything else you can think of
- A second or even a third draft should give you an effective sales tool
HOW MANY VERSIONS?
The number of different resumes you prepare depends on your needs. One universal, all-purpose resume seems to work for many executive and professional positions, but not for all. If you are searching in several fields, or for unrelated position titles, write and print second and third versions. Your employer versions may include one without an objective (which is handled by your cover letter), and one or more with objectives. Employer versions need less detail on such items as vital statistics, and some items, such as Reason for Change and References, should be omitted.
You may want a special version for executive search consultants, who insist on your birthdate, marital status, and other personal items. They also want to know all about your present and past work history.
Multiple versions cost more money, sometimes a lot more. Still, this extra investment can bring more satisfactory returns.
