The Résumé 101

The Résumé. 101

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We’ve all heard this and never has it been truer than when it comes to your résumé. Psychologists suggest that we form conclusions about someone within seconds of meeting them for the first time. Recruiters or hiring managers will also come to similarly quick conclusions about you from your résumé: how it is presented, the format, and content. Over the next few columns we’ll be looking at the résumé and offering tips and suggestions to help it get onto the “For Consideration” pile.

So what exactly is a résumé? Wikipedia’s definition suggests; “…The résumé is usually one of the first items... that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants…”

Two things jump out here. It is usually the first item an employer encounters and it is used to screen applicants. Rather than just a laundry list then of what we have done in the past and what qualifications we have; a résumé has a significant purpose and value. It is our first chance to impress and something that makes a hiring manager decide whether or not they want to meet that applicant. It should be a teaser showing off what a great candidate you are. In other words, it is an opportunity not to be wasted.

So how should we present our résumé? How should it look? If you are delivering or mailing a résumé (not so many are mailed today but a significant amount are hand delivered) ensure it is on a fresh, clean piece of paper. You would be surprised by the number I receive that are crumpled, dirty or torn. One received last week even came with a large stain across the list of previous employers! We do not need to stand out and deliver a résumé on neon yellow paper or paper with a flowery border (see a lot of these too). A fresh, clean piece of white 8.5 by 11 crisply folded in a suitable envelope will do nicely. The job that the stained résumé was sent in for requires significant attention to detail. What does that résumé tell me about that person? What kind of attention or seriousness will that candidate apply to the job if the résumé was considered acceptable in that condition?

Résumés should be updated as often as needed to include new details about ourselves or recent accomplishments. This is true for address and contact information. If you have moved since writing your résumé, ensure the new address is typed and not scratched out and updated in pen or pencil. I see this frequently. Again, when hiring for a position that requires attention to detail and presentation how would an applicant be considered if they scratched out old information and quickly wrote updates across the page? A candidate may be perfectly qualified for the position but there is a very good chance he or she will be overlooked. Many of us have personal computers and for those that don’t there are a number of local resources that provide computer and printing facilities.

When preparing a résumé, aside from the content of it, be sure to ask yourself whether the overall condition and presentation of it conveys to the hiring manager the person you want to be seen as. Does the presentation of your résumé show that you have thoughtfully considered the position you are applying for and are a serious candidate? There is no difference between applying for an entry-level position or one that requires years of experience and training. The objective is to get the résumé onto the “For Consideration” pile. Don’t let stains or scribbled updates obscure your suitability for the position and condemn your application to the “Other” pile.

Perhaps an old analogy will help here. A carpenter was looking for an apprentice and called three potential applicants to his workshop. He didn’t say anything to any of them but gave each a handful of nails. He then began to explain what kind of job he was offering and showed them around his shop. At the end of the tour he asked them to hold out their hand holding the nails. The first two opened their fists and presented him with the jumbled pile of nails he had just given them. The third held his arm out and sticking out from his hand were the nails, neatly bundled with the heads all sticking up in the same direction. Guess who he hired to train?

Next week we’ll start looking at the content of the résumé – specifically what to include to really get the point across that we want the job and are qualified for it.