Posted By: Cliff Flamer In: Job Seeker - Resume Cliff Flamer, owner of BrightSide Resumes, shares insights he gleaned from an HR panel at the National Resume Writers’ Association annual conference in San Diego, CA. (There were 6 panelists comprised of recruiters and HR reps, representing a broad range of multi-national corporations and small businesses.)
I had the privilege of attending an HR panel who took the time to share what they wanted to see (and did not want to see) on a job candidate's resume. Here's what they had to say (in my own words):
State your objective. You needn't have an "objective" section per se but HR reps agree that they want to know right off the bat that you're well aware of the position for which you're applying. This may seem like common sense to you but to someone with a stack of 100 resumes, it's an important distinction.
Avoid functional resumes. Whenever possible, use a reverse chronological format and make sure to highlight the last five years of your work/life experience. The panel agreed, it's fine if your recent work is irrelevant; you should still discuss it.
Consider combination and hybrid formats. If your most impressive work accomplishments are earlier in your work history, add a highlights section to the front of your resume but make sure to limit it to the top 1/3 of the page at the most. Another option is subtitling your bullet points with headings that are relevant to the reviewers' needs.
Don't stress over job titles. Titles mean different things at different companies, depending on size, industry, and location. For this reason, resume screeners pay less attention to job titles and more attention to job responsibilities and even morese to job accomplishments.
Compensate for a missing degree. Not having a degree is NOT a deal breaker. Some advice to those without degrees is to play up personality traits and soft skills. Degrees denote commitment, follow-through, and organizational ability. If you illustrate your talents in these areas, you'll hit an emotional chord with your reader, and they'll want to interview you.
Keep fonts traditional. Unless you're in an unconventional field, use Georgia, Times, Courier, or Arial (10-12 point) font.
Remain sincere. Verbosity, excessive confidence, hyperbole, and over-inflated language were all greatly looked down upon. Stick to the point and you'll win every time. Better to explain a shortcoming than try to cover it up.
Lose the keyword section. Running lists of keywords are so 1990s. A successful resume will integrate keywords throughout all of the sections, not try to lump them all together in a desperate attempt to attract as many different job opportunities as possible.
Include links to your online profile. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other networking sites provide valuable information to complement your resume. Panelists agreed that recommendations and comments from these sites prove helpful in evaluating candidates.
Keep links "hot". Some resume reviewers enjoy moving from the resume to your online profile to your employer's bio. Supply these links to make surfing easier for them. The more time they spend learning about you and your work history, the better off your are.
Cliff Flamer, owner of BrightSide Resumes and people's choice award winner of the first-ever World's Best Resume Writer competition by Career Director's International, has been building resumes that win interviews since 1998. Before shifting into resume-writing and career counseling, Cliff served as an in-house recruiter where he worked with countless HR directors much like the ones on this talented panel.
Comments
Posted by: Ron Koster
This article is a big help, and are not asking aunemployed person for money. I wish there were more people out there wanting to help someone ina bad spot.
Posted by: karthick
very useful
Posted by: Anastasia Lawrence
This article has given me a lot of insight on myself and the way I arranged my resume. It let me know that I can network myself a little better with a few udates, kinda put a polish on things by using my facebook family. Thanks a lot.
Posted by: Dorothy Passarella
Thank you for this article. we need this information, however, networking is the best when so many resumes are sent over the internet to HR directors. NO?
Posted by: Gino Rodeghiero
The above subject was very useful but what about someone that is retired and trying to get back into the work force?
Posted by: John Longtin
Thank you for a very valuable article on resume writing. It was simple and to the point.
Posted by: Howie Appel
Another pet peeve I have is when people put dates in the left side. As a recruiter, I'm "tuned in" to seeing dates on the right side. If you worked from 2007 to 2008 it would be intelligent to put months in there. Could it be Dec 2007 to Jan 2008 or Jan 2007 to Dec 2008? Big difference.
Posted by: Gaurang Pandya
This article does touch the core of the matter but still cannot guarantee that these expectations shall not change or that these are all. These may be 10 very important out of 100 most important ones. Anyway everybody must and will compliment this information. Finally... THANKS A LOT.
Posted by: Lee Savage
Some excellent advice on resume's that I will pass on to my classes. I am a job coach and have over 30 years experience in H.R. and Job Placement, so it was natural that I began a ministry in our church to help people find jobs and put a job search plan together.The little bit of advice I have is to write your resume in the eyes of the reader. Remember, it what the job candidate can do for them, not what the employer can do for the candidate. The resume is a sales tool, not a document of history.Again, thank you for the article and advice.Lee SavageJob Coach &Director of Community Ministries
Posted by: Patricia Powell
I do appreciate the helpful advise that was given for free. As an newly unemployed person who just recently recieved a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, I am finding it difficult to move from clerical positions to administrative. I would love to see other articles the assist people in career changing.
Posted by: Jay Anstett
Helpful informaiton. As an executive/administrative assistant with over 20 years experience, I find it very annoying when you do send a resume to a company and get no reply. Also annoying to me is when you are asked, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?". Hello, I'm an administrative assistant, not a executive with a masters or phd. I've always enjoyed working as an assistant and really don't see anyother way to answer that question, but honestly, "I enjoy the work that I have excelled at for the past 20 plus years and don't feel the need to seek a higher position." Now if anyone has another answer to that question, please let me know. Thanks.
Posted by: Jamie Grandy
During an interview when asked what is your weakness, what are the employers wanting to hear? Is there any that should be totally avoided? Biggest strength? Are some better than others? I understand that for each individual it will be different, but should you be totally honest?
Posted by: Joni Moreno
This article is extremely helpful. I had been unemployed for a little over a year and up until now I had not seen anything on a job website like this other than money making scheme's. This advice beats paying someone $100.00 to re-do your resume.
Posted by: Bob Henson
I thought I had everything I needed in a resume. But, the idea of having Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter, etc. is good.
Posted by: Northbridge01
I disagree with the statement "Panelists agreed that recommendations and comments from these sites (Linked-In and other networking site) prove helpful in evaluating candidates."I have witnessed exaggerated recommendations of coworkers on these sites. I have been approached by incompetent and mediocre coworkers to write up a recommendation for them. To avoid an awkward situation at work, I have gone ahead and reluctantly wrote the recommendations.
Posted by: Mark Harris
what is the best format to use when you have had about 4 temp jobs in the last 4 years. I have seen many jobs say that if you have more than 3 jobs in the past 5 years don't bother to apply. Also I was looking to get back into sales, but all of my consumer sales experience is over 12 years old?
Posted by: Teresa Wilder
Thank you for the helpful information. I agree with the comments regarding the question about where do you see yourself 5 yrs from now and also the comment about listing your strengths and weaknesses. I also have 20 yrs experience as an Exec Admin Asst and feel that some of the questions we get during interviews should be more geared toward exec management positions. There has been a couple of times in my career that I chose to work through temp agencies while looking for a good/solid permanent position. During interviews, I get questioned as to whether or not I really want to work a full time position. I feel that perhaps working through temp agencies has been held against me in my job search.
Posted by: Mary
Great article with great advice. You advice about LinkedIn and Facebook highlights 2 things: keeping up with the times and with technology is crucial, regardless of one's age or career choice; only post on Face Book, LinkedIn and other on-line sites what you would want your employer to know about you! Your future boss doesn't need to know who you got drunk with last weekend:-) Not smart:-)
Posted by: Cynthia Fox-giddens
Very helpful information. It's always good to get insight on improving your resume. I like the idea of including links to your social network sites. Thanks.
Posted by: Shelia Burnett
My big problem is I am an RN from a 3 year diploma program. I have 22+ years experience in several fields of nursing but no on wishes to hire without a diploma now. I feel I am too old to try for a degree, by the time I get the degree it will be time for me to retire. I really need a way to "get into the door". Due to my age, I cannot hold out for 8-10 hrs a day hospital floor work. I wish I could get some advice.
Posted by: Melissa Morse
I agree with Jay.... The question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" isn't one of my favorite questions to answer during an interview either. I'm pretty focused on right now, trying to find a job so I can pay my bills. I'll worry about 5 years from now after I can sucessfully get through this year.I went on an interview last week and was asked the 5 years question. I thought for a brief second and then answered "Hopefully working for you!" :) The HR rep did laugh and said that he liked that answer. ???
Posted by: Mary Norman
I found the information here very usefule and will use it to update my resume as I am unemployed and not getting much attention with my current resume. Also, we have a business on the side that we run out of our house, can I use that on my resume as well and how?Thanks alot for the free info.Mary Norman
Posted by: Charles Stackpole
I find it a Horrible turn of Our Society today that Facebook links mean more to an employer than hard work and a solid knowledge of one's Profession. If I wanted to "Twitter" My way thru Life, I would. It is Not any way to determine whether someone is worth Hiring as a Member of one's Firm. I have 16 years Experience in My Field and All I Hear any more is that Companies feel that I am Over Qualified. American Business needs to get back to Face to Face Meetings and Stop Relying on Electronic Data to figure out if a Person is the right fit for any given position. Any Moron can Tweet but, How many young Men & Women can actually do mathematical calculations without an advanced calculator or computer??? 1 in 2,000...Maybe.
Posted by: Kathy Bryant
As another admin/exec assistant in the field for twenty years plus I want to thank the writer for supplying the answer to the "where do you see yourself in five years" question. If we were to put our skills and work experience on a resume it would run more pages more than the acceptable two. Are two pages acceptable?
Posted by: Guenther Strunk
It is always refreshing to get new input about resume formats and content, specially from HR folks. They are the ones to work thru and determine the right talents quick.
Posted by: Ronald Anderson
There sure are a lot of opinions out there. I think a good HR person will be able to find the diamonds in the pile of resumes, eventually.
Posted by: Crystal ONeal
Thank you very much for this information. I've been looking for some (free) tips to update my resume. I know the job hunting game has changed and it's vital to keep up with the times in order to get noticed by employers. To Jay Ansett, another way to answer that question (or you may want to combine the two answers) is by indicating the type of company you will be working for (large, fast paced, growing, etc) or highlights of the responsibility that will have increased over the years (from just answering phones to accompaning the CEO to business meetings to take dicertations). I hope this helps
Posted by: Diana Lambert
Reference to Jamie Grandy's question about the naming your weakness question. When I was in HR years ago, I asked that question too. What I was looking for was to see if their weakness was in an area that the position had a strong need for. For example if someone said their weakness was in math and the position required a lot of complicated math, I would not consider them the best match. If very little math was needed in the position, it wouldn't have any bearing.
