The resumé is perhaps the most many-faced of the job application documents we use. This is because we come across so many different sources of advice on how to write it.
It so happens that in the “dos and don’ts” of resumé writing, the “don’ts” are much easier to count and remember. So, we’ll just give everyone some advice on how NOT to write a resumé. Ready? Here we go! This is what a resumé IS NOT supposed to be.
1. It’s not a biography. Much of the things we’ve been taught to include in our resumés are not important to the screening process, such as religion and our parents’ names. The resumé shows professional and academic information because that is what an employer needs. Omit the personal information.
2. It’s not an Instagram post. If we’ll be including a photo at all (the resumé isn’t supposed to have one except when required by a specific company), we owe it to ourselves to make sure it’s a clear, properly-sized photo taken at a studio. Selfies are NOT cool, and improvised photos with a white curtain or tiles in the background are also not acceptable.
3. It’s not a history book. The most effective resumé length is 1 page. That means there are certain parts that must be shortened or even removed. Recruiters don’t really need to know what primary school or high school we graduated from. Likewise, not all jobs we’ve had before will be part of their interest. Try to include only academic background, work experiences, trainings and skills that are relevant to the position being applied for. This is where customizing the resumé per position applied is needed.
4. It’s not an essay. For the love of all that is good, we have to start using bulleted or numbered lists on our resumés! Many times, they don’t fit on 1 page because we write in full paragraphs. For best results, use bulleted summaries of assigned tasks and results achieved for the work experiences portion. An added advantage would be using the same words written in the job advertisement. Most employers use automated resumé searches calibrated to look for resumés with those same words. By using those words in our resumés, we increase our chances of getting noticed.
5. It’s not one big block of jumbled text. Most resumés get rejected because of poor formatting that looks untidy and confusing. With correct spacing, indentation and paragraph alignment, use of sections and subsections, and even placement of visual dividers such as horizontal or vertical lines, we can make our resumés more pleasing to the eye.
6. It’s not a place to carelessly cite reference persons. By careless, we mean including character references whom we have not asked permission from. The professional thing to do is to ask permission from our intended character references to include them on our resumés. In tight situations, it’s best to omit the references section from our resumés if we have not been able to get permission from any of our valid reference persons. We can always ask them later once the recruiter processing our application actually asks for character references. And most importantly, be sure to include their contact information! Always – ALWAYS – include your references’ contact information.
7. It’s not a place to be shy about being digitally savvy. By all means, include email addresses and professional network pages as additional ways of getting in touch. For positions in marketing, social media, web design or other creative teams, even links to portfolios or online projects can provide an additional advantage.
Ready to write (or rewrite) that resumé now? Go for it! And remember, you can leave a comment on our Facebook page in case you want to add something. Cheers!