There are very few words in the English language that can really and truly strike fear into the heart of millions. Like "tax audit." Or "in-laws." Or even (gasp) "Tickle-Me Elmo." But there is only one word that can send even the most word-savvy individual running for the hills. Are you ready for it? RESUME.
Resume writing often seems a daunting task because we tend to think of it as "my life" on a single page, as if we can somehow encapsulate the very essence of who we are in 500 words or less. Instead, a great resume should include only relevant information about yourself that a particular employer or client would want to see.
As your career goals shift or the job market changes — as you grow personally and professionally — chances are you will need to re-write your resume or at least create new versions.
Whether you’re a teenager who needs a summer job, a recent college graduate, an industry professional with twenty years of experience, or own your own business, everybody should have a resume.
In the first of this two-column series, I would like to first address those who are new to the resume-writing game. What follows are answers to the questions I most commonly receive about how to start drafting a resume.
Q.
Which sections should I include on my resume?
A.
Quick answer? It depends. The most common sections used on resumes include: objective, education, work experience (paid and unpaid), skills and abilities summary, awards and honors, and organizational or professional affiliations. Tailor the sections in your resume to fit your skills. If you find yourself a little light on work experience, mention your past jobs, even the seemingly irrelevant ones, but focus on the responsibilities you had and the skills you learned. A more seasoned professional should stick to the basic chronological work experience format, placing the most recent job first. Remember that anytime you add a new job entry to your list, the oldest job entry should be deleted.
Q.
How long should my resume be?
A.
One page is best and two pages are okay, but one-and-a-half pages will not do and more than two is completely out of the question.
In my opinion, a single-sided page is still the "industry standard." For an individual who has had a lengthy, experience-filled career however, two pages are permissible and often necessary. In this case, be sure that both pages are full; if you’re struggling to complete your second page, it is best to go back to a one-page resume.
Q.
Should I use a "resume wizard?"
A.
Many desktop publishing programs offer helpful "wizards;" pre-designed templates that allow you to "fill in the blanks" with your personal information. I generally recommend steering clear of these so-called wizards for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the resume boilerplates that wizards use are heavy on style and lean on content.If you have only one page to make an impact on an employer or client, you’ll want to maximize your space with content, not with overly fanciful design elements. You’re much better off using a very simple design with clear margins and basic, readable fonts.
Q.
Is it okay to, ahem, embellish?
A.
A resume is all about how you can sell a very important product; you! So by all means, paint yourself in the best light you possibly can. Resist the urge, however, to stretch the truth too far. Don’t, for example, mention that you can proficiently use a certain computer program if you’ve really only used it once or twice. Avoid using cliché, hype-filled resume speak,like "motivated self-starter," "team player," "detail oriented," and "people person." In short, don’t hide behind your vocabulary; just be honest and clear.
Be sure to tune in next month when we’ll tackle resume questions and answers for the experienced business professional.
Carole Karnofski owns The Wordsmith Technical Writing Services and can be reached at (503) 880-1743, or visit her Web site www.wordsmithontheweb.com.