≡

Tips on Customizing Your Résumé

A résumé is a MARKETING PIECE--not a “career obituary!” (Yana Parker, “Two Dozen”). In a changing business world, one thing has not changed: résumés should be customized to the position you are applying for. One out of one hundred generic résumés submitted will result in an interview. (Wall Street Journal)

Understand the Hiring Climate
Scrutinize the Job Description
Know Your Audience
Customize Your Résumé
Use Power Statements
Decide on Résumé Length
Create an Entry-Level Résumé
Enhance Job Titles
Group Related Items Together
Format Your Résumé
Know the Types of Résumés
Network

Understand the Hiring Climate

People in charge of hiring are under pressure. They need to fill the position, but they need to find the best and most qualified person for the job. Scenarios that employers face when hiring include the following:

  1. No personnel manager or department, so the division, manager, or department has to do the hiring themselves. This means that
    • people with deadlines now have an additional responsibility. They must do all their standard duties plus find a new hire—an important decision.
    • they need a new employee now.
  2. Personnel department exists and does all of the hiring. Personnel manager does not have the intimate knowledge needed for screening every employee

Some companies receive 100 résumés a day! The majority of résumés received are from people not qualified for the position. Targeting your résumé to a specific job, deleting items that are not relevant to that job, and explicitly stating you have the requested qualifications are the most important things you can do to help the selection committee.

Scrutinize the Job Description

  1. Underline key words from the description—read between the lines

    Senior editor: If you are entry level, do not bother applying for the job. You’re wasting the person’s time.
    Professional: Paid experience or job, not a student job
    Wide range of documents: A variety of types of content or document
    Must: They mean it; this is serious. Do not apply for the position unless you have the skills or experience they are looking for. Make sure the “must” term or skill is specified in your résumé.
  2. Look for transferable skills gained in past experience—paid or unpaid. Transferable skills are those learned in another position that you will also need for the job you are applying for. Often transferable skills are a subset of major duties in an otherwise unrelated job.
  3. Know the key terms for the industry. Also, be familiar with skills and professional organizations associated with the industry.
  4. Use standard terminology.

    Source checking: Fact checking, verifying the accuracy of research
  5. Look at the description. What words do they use? Implement these words in your résumé.
  6. Try to find out more about the job and company than what is listed in the description, especially if the job description is sparse. Most companies have a web site. Go to it. What are the company’s products and types of documents? Who are its customers? Read between the lines: what does the site imply about the company’s culture, ethics, and priorities—all of which you can address in your résumé? Annual reports from a publicly traded company are also an excellent source of information on the image the company wishes to project. You will want to show you fit that image. Annual reports are located in the Tanner Building library.

Know Your Audience

  • Omit needless items. Leave all these things off your résumé : social security number, marital status, health, citizenship, age, scholarships, irrelevant awards, irrelevant associations and memberships, irrelevant publications, irrelevant recreational activities, a second mailing address (“permanent address” is confusing and never used), references, reference of references (“available upon request”), travel history, previous pay rates, previous supervisor names, and components of your name which you really never use (i.e. middle names). (“Top Ten Technical Writing Tips”)
  • Network to find out more about the company (family, extended family, spouse’s employer, friends, ward members, web site, and business magazines).
  • Web sites can indicate the culture of the company (fiscally—conservative, goals; presentation—creative, leading edge, conservative). Call the personnel department and ask about the qualifications of recent hires or why others were laid off. Visit the company offices and ask questions. In sum, put in EXTRA effort!
  • The Wall Street Journal uses the following analogy when discussing résumés. Sales men try to match a product to a customer and then “close” the sale. When working on a résumé, you must match the résumé to the job and then use extra effort to close the sale (obtain an interview). You also need to network in order to find the “sale” or job.

Customize Your Résumé

  1. Indicate that you have the qualifications the company is seeking for the specific position. Many résumés neglect this essential feature.
  2. Analyze the job description. Pull out and include the qualifications listed in the description.
  3. Be honest in what you have to offer. This may take a bit of self-analysis. Don’t downplay what you have, a problem most BYU students have. Look for relevant transferable skills.
  4. With employers receiving hundreds of résumés, you must make sure that your résumé hooks an employer's attention within a five-second glance. A great way to do this is to use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs you want. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)
  5. Learning how to analyze the key words that employers provide in help wanted ads and job descriptions is a key element in creating powerful résumés. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)
  6. Be specific enough that your résumé does not sound like everybody else’s. The potential employer must get a clear sense of you as an individual.

Use Power Statements

Remove everything that starts with “responsibilities included...” and replace it with on-the-job ACCOMPLISHMENTS. (Yana Parker, “Two Dozen”)

Organize with PAR Statements

  • Fill your résumé with PAR statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results. In other words, first you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what YOU did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results. (Yana Parker, “Two Dozen”) Here are two examples:
    “Transformed a disorganized, inefficient warehouse into a smooth-running operation by totally redesigning the layout; this saved the company $250,000 in recovered stock.”
    “Improved the system for tracking graphics—their acquisition, credits, captions, and editing. This saved time and money by preventing delays and the loss of photos.”
    Résumé design should get attention but it’s really the content of your résumé, the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate—as well as the level of salary offers you receive. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)
  • “It’s important not only to just express what you’ve done, but also describe the results of your actions. The best résumés I see do this,” says Amy Driscoll, the director of human resources at NextDoor Networks. “Creating a context will make your efforts more powerful to the person reading your résumé.”

Quantify Accomplishments: Four Ways of Thinking about Numbers

  • Using numbers to describe your achievements and responsibilities can greatly expand and elevate your image. Using numbers and quantifying creates vivid images in our mind when we read them, whereas general statements like “did copyediting” are easy to skip over or forget. Typically the more specific you can be in describing your duties the better. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)
  • Quantify your experience wherever possible. Cite numerical figures, such as monetary budgets/funds saved, time periods/efficiency improved, articles edited, numbers of inaccurate sources, etc. which demonstrate progress or accomplishments due directly to your work. (“Top Ten Technical Writing Tips”)
  • Answering the questions “How much?” and “How many?” will also distinguish you from the pack. For example, if you implemented a project management system at a previous job, don’t merely reference the accomplishment, explain the amount of time and money your actions saved the company.
  • Use #’s, $’s and %’s. Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a résumé. Use them. (Ann Hackett, “15 Tips”)

Use Words Effectively

Another strategy that is extremely important in controlling the image that employers develop about you—is to use power words or verbs that match the level of position you want. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”) Begin sentences with action verbs to portray yourself as someone who is active, uses their brain, and gets things done.

Highlight Anticipated Benefits to Employer

  • In addition to the skills or needs listed in the ad, the employer will have many more needs that you should identify and address in your résumé and cover letter. For example, an employer may need someone who can edit but also deal effectively with other designers, research the market, and write cover copy. To beat today’s heavy competition for jobs, it’s important that you identify and anticipate the full range of needs each employer faces and show how you can solve those needs. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)
  • Most résumés provide a list of duties that each applicant has been responsible for—without explaining the benefit of those skills to employers. For example, an editor’s résumé might state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely accurate. This statement lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit an employer’s bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce more work and ultimately save the employer money. A better statement for this person's résumé would be:
    · Achieved top production volume by maintaining high degree of accuracy with typing speed at 80 wpm.
    · Cut labor expense by over $10,000 annually by eliminating the need for part-time word production staff. (“Résumé Writing—10 Tips”)

Supply Keywords

  • As more and more employers are using résumé tracking systems and online career tools such as Monster to find employees, your résumé must contain keywords that can be found in a database search. Keywords include specific job titles (production assistant, managing editor, acquisitions editor, marketing assistant, typesetter) and required job skills (fact checking, copy editing, proofreading, layout, design). Other keywords that might be used include skills or technology (such as specific computer programs), degrees (such as BA or MBA) and personal qualities (such as highly motivated). (Kim Isaacs, “Winning retail résumé”)
  • The best keywords for your résumé depend on your job target and experience. Specific programs and applications are often used as keywords, which is another reason why a technical summary is a good idea. To determine the best keywords for your industry, use Monster's Search Jobs feature to find jobs that interest you. Examine the job descriptions and see which credentials, skills, and jargon are used frequently—these are potential keywords that should be incorporated into your résumé. (Kim Isaacs, “Tips for technology professionals”)
  • Use buzzwords. If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your résumé. (Ann Hackett, “15 Tips”) For editors, buzzwords for “audience analysis” are “personas” and “localization.”

Show, Don’t Tell

  • Make your résumé more convincing not by telling the readers, but showing them. For example, instead of stating that you have “excellent interpersonal skills,” prove your skills through achievements such as receiving a service award or successfully negotiating a reorganization with an author. (Kim Isaacs, “Show Your Stuff”)
  • Show who you know. If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your résumé. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important. (Ann Hackett, “15 Tips”)

Use Superlatives

Whenever possible (be truthful), use a superlative in reporting your accomplishments, as in “Achieved the highest gross sales in the history of the store, a 17% increase over prior manager.” Anytime you can use words like first, only, most, best, and highest, your reader will be more impressed. But make sure the superlative has substance. (Don Asher, “Making Your Résumé a Winner”) Here are some more examples using superlatives:

Youngest member of the production staff.
Only student intern on the copy editing staff.
Selected out of 50 candidates.
First intern ever selected to be hired full time.
Editing assistant in the fastest growing book division.
Editor of a prize-winning book.

Decide on Résumé Length

You will see from what follows that experts differ. In my experience, 1–2 pages are appropriate as long as the information is concise and relevant. However, large companies may have very strict policies on length. If in doubt, ask the human resource department or the listed contact.

  • Limit the length of your résumé to 1–2 pages. Remember, résumés are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your résumé efficiently and effectively. (Ann Hackett, “15 Tips”)
  • “Your résumé should be as long as needed [in order] to get your concise message across with zip and punch,” says Joyce Lain Kennedy, careers columnist and author of Résumé s for Dummies. If your experience and background justifies two or more pages, so be it. Recent grads shouldn't go beyond one page, but senior executives with decades of experience will probably need at least two pages. (Allyson Quibell “Debunking common résumé myths”)
  • The rules are slightly different for résumé s sent via e-mail. Laura Dominguez Chan, a Stanford University career counselor, says that in that instance, shorter is better for both cover letters and résumés. (Allyson Quibell “Debunking common résumé myths”)
  • The average length of most résumés today is 2 pages; however, a longer or shorter document may be appropriate depending upon your background and circumstances.

    There have been two popular myths regarding the length of a résumé:
    A résumé must be 1 page or it will not be read by busy HR professionals and managers.
    A lengthy résumé (more than 3 pages) is a must to adequately describe a candidate's background.
    Interestingly, these two myths represent opposite points of view; however, like many myths, they contain partial truths. There are two different stages to résumé screening for companies that do not first use an automated applicant tracking system for screening and ranking.
    A brief 10-second scan in which it is determined if the candidate appears to meet the majority of the requirements
    A more careful scrutiny—sometimes up to several minutes—of those résumés passing the brief scan to ensure the candidate meets the requirements and warrants investing an even greater amount of time required in an interview.
    The key is balancing brevity with relevant depth and detail — both are important. (“How Long Should a Résumé Be?”)

Create an Entry-Level Résumé (first four taken from Jeana Zelan “Writing an Entry-Level Résumé ”)

Internships

Internships are the prize gem of the entry-level résumé. If you interned while in college, list your experience prominently at the top of your résumé —unless you have other, more relevant experiences to place ahead of it. Although many internships involve less-than challenging work, the key is to spin the mundane tasks to emphasize your transferable skills. For example, if you answered the phone all summer, you can say: “Assisted clients by responding to daily inquiries and directing calls.”

Volunteer Work

Relevant “work” experience is in no way limited to paid employment. Consider including nonpaid work, volunteer work, part-time and temporary positions, internships, unstructured work, self-employment, odd jobs, and miscellaneous informal services you may have provided to your academic department or a favored professor. It’s perfectly legitimate to list unpaid positions, as long as the titles are accurate. If a position title doesn’t suggest the nature of the work, consider adding the word “volunteer” in parentheses after it. For example, if your title was “Fundraiser,” say “Fundraiser (volunteer).”

Contract Work

For contract work, provide a bulleted list of your top projects, indicating the company (or type of company if confidential), reason for hiring you, scope of your project, your specific approach to the project, challenges/obstacles faced, work performed and benefits to the company. (Kim Isaacs, “Tips for Technology Professionals”)

Extracurricular Activities

Undergraduate extracurricular experiences can be valuable, particularly if you occupied a leadership position. If you list such activities, be sure to illustrate how your past responsibilities correspond to the skills the current job requires. Consider the talents the following activities require:

Athletics: teamwork skills
Performing or fine arts: communication skills, creativity, and the ability to meet deadlines
Philanthropic work: leadership, organizational, and self-management skills

Education, Including Courses and Academic Projects

  • List basic academic information—your college, major, and expected date of graduation—separate from your work experience.
  • To get maximum mileage out of your education, describe honors, awards, scholarships, special projects, and coursework. Use the heading “coursework” [better: “relevant courses”}and you can describe the contents of the curriculum without worrying about the actual name of each class. (Don Asher “Making Your Résumé a Winner”)
  • [From a college recruiter giving a college senior’s résumé a 15-second scan] She doesn’t include her grade-point average and recruiters will likely assume it’s not that good—3.0 or below. (Brad Karsh, “A Recruiter Reads a Senior’s Résumé”)

Professional organizations and presentations

You indicate professionalism by joining and listing at least one professional organization. Listing relevant presentations indicates some expertise.

Enhance Job Titles

When you list a job title on the résumé, either REPLACE it with a more appropriate job title (say "Office Manager" instead of “Administrative Assistant” if that's more realistic) OR use “their” job title AND your fairer one together “Administrative Assistant (Office Manager).” (Yana Parker, “Two Dozen”)

Group Related Items Together

Odd Items

  • Be sure to thoroughly “sell” yourself by highlighting all of your strengths. If you've got a valuable asset which doesn't seem to fit into any existing components of your résumé, list it anyway as its own résumé segment. (“Top Ten Technical Writing Tips”)

Work Experience

  • To minimize the job-hopper image, combine several similar jobs into one “chunk,” for example:
    1993-1995 Secretary/receptionist - Jones Bakery; Micro Corp.; Carter Jewelers.
    OR
    1993-95 Waiter/Busboy – McDougal’s Restaurant; Burger-King; Traders Coffee Shop.
    ALSO you can just DROP some of the less-important or briefest jobs. But DON’T drop a job, even when it lasted a short time, if that was where you acquired important skills or experience. (Yana Parker, “Two Dozen”).

Format Your Résumé

  • Left is a position of prominence. Important information (dates, skills, etc., if important for the specified position) should be on the left. Don’t highlight information that will hang you. Be honest, but don’t call attention to negatives.
  • Edit your résumé. Have someone else edit your résumé. Don’t undersell yourself with a faulty reading [especially when seeking an editing position].
  • Beware of density. Do not put too much information in a sentence. Too much info = employer who does not want to read.
  • Leave white space. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. (Ann Hackett, “15 Tips”)

Know the Types of Résumés

Find out what kind of résumé the company wants. In addition to the regular résumé, companies are now requiring scannable and/or web site résumés. Good information on how to write such résumés can be found on the Internet.

Scannable and web site résumés MUST have the key words listed in the job description because those words are what the computer is looking for. Each applicant is given a score for later human viewing. If you don’t use the key words, you will be out of consideration before a human even looks at your résumé.

Network

Networking is your best bet to find a job in a competitive market. Eighty percent of the job market is hidden—the jobs are not advertised. Seek references through family, extended family, friends, and acquaintances.