Do I Have a Good Resume’?
I have indicated many times in these written posts, during the job search webinars I do, and in verbal conversation, that the job search methodologies that I use in work with my clients and those with whom I come into contact, were learned through the methodology of the Five O’Clock Club, a boutique outplacement firm from New York City. While the Five O’Clock Club is no longer a stand-alone entity, and has been part of the ever-evolving merger and acquisition process that is the world of 2024, just about all its principles still hold through even 13 years after I have learned them. As my clients often hear from me is that while the technologies and tools may change and evolve, the methodologies very much still hold through.
One place is where this is very much through is with one’s resume. During April, I had the privilege of doing resume review for several project managers who were part of a Carer Fair I support for the New Jersey chapter of the Project Management Institute. Fortunately, just about all the resumes I had to review were well written. As such, I was not necessarily helping to develop them from scratch. However, one question the founder of the Five O’Clock Club, Kate Wendelton, often received, (and was the essence of the main question I was receiving by those whose resume I reviewed), is “Do I have a good resume or not?” Kate would say to others, (and it was a mantra I adapted in preparing for the reviews), is “It depends! Whom are you looking to attract with the resume?”
Several people, (and today electronic tools), are going to see your resume.’ Each of those “readers” may be looking for a different aspect of your career background. For the computer screening software, it will look to judge the resume by the keywords that they have been programmed to look for against the words of a job description. It will see how high a match percentage you have of what is being sought in terms of the jobs for which you apply, and from there determine whether to reject your resume or accept it and pass it on the human being who may want to look at it next. For recruiter or talent acquisition individuals, they may be looking for certain key skills that you have or at a summary that explains who you are and what you have done. Often these individuals are looking to find candidates for multiple job roles and often will give a resume at most an 8 to 10 second glance, before making a decision of whether they want to pursue it further or turn the resume down.
If past this initial screening, once a resume gets to a hiring manager, each person that is part of the interview process, (and in 2024 that can be a hiring manager, other departmental managers impacted by the candidate in the position, the hiring manager’s boss, etc.). may have specific things they are seeking from the candidate they look to hire and offer the position. With so many ways of viewing the resume, and not knowing which one will be important depending on which stage of the process the resume is at, what is a candidate to do?
While there is no one formula that is 100% sure to work, here are some things to keep in mind. First, even though you will often go through several iterations to get your resume where you want it to be, never consider it 100% complete. By that I mean, be willing to “tweak” it, for each position to which you apply if you need to do so. Tweaking means, reviewing the job description, and seeing the language used by the hiring company for the position. While you may have what they are looking for, are you expressing it in “their language” not yours. All throughout the job search process I preach to my clients, as much as you feel this job search process is all about you, it is about the company doing the hiring, and if the candidate meets for what they are searching.
Does your resume introduce you with a short summary, (say 3 to 5 sentences or so), that indicate who you are, what you have accomplished, and what may make you unique compared to other candidates. How does that summary reflect on the needs of the job for which you are applying? Are you prepared to follow that summary with a few key skills and attributes that indicate what you bring to the table, (these are the business skills that show what you excel at that makes you a candidate for the position). Are you prepared in each of your past job experiences to highlight those items you have accomplished and bullet those statements. Do they show the reader a result you provided, from a challenging situation and an action that you took to solve the problem.
After the professional experience, include your education, your certifications, perhaps if relative recent classes you have successfully completed if they are relevant for the job. If there are any associations and affiliations that you have that show you are an active member of the discipline you are a part, consider including them.
Often the question comes, what should I NOT include. Make sure the professional experience you share is relevant to this job role. Normally that would be found over the past 10 to 15 years of your career, so you may not want to include jobs from more than that may years back, UNLESS THEY ARE RELEVANT TO THIS POSITION! You may not want to include graduation dates on your education, unless they are relatively recent, (within the last 20 years or so). Above all, while you may have a lot to say about yourself, can you get it down to 2 to 3 pages. While some may say to you to fit it all on 1 page, if you have had a substantial career, 2 to 3 pages will be acceptable, if it is easy to read, flows well, and is not written like a novel (think bulleted highlights, not paragraphs).
Finally ask yourself the following. Does this resume represent me well as a professional? (If not, how do you want to update it?) Is it easily readable, (think can someone in 8 to 10 seconds get an idea about what I offer). Think of it this way, they will read the summary, perhaps the top key skill sets and summaries and then will skim the experience. What do I want to stand out to them? Have I made it easy for their eye to catch, (hint: bold what you want to draw their eye to). And, do my items on the resume sound like tasks or job duties I have had, (which is not what you want), but accomplishments, (where I show the value I bring).
There is no such thing as a perfect resume. You never know who will read it and what attracts them. However, if from it, you are beginning to get asked to come in for interviews to discuss a position, the resume has done its job. (Now it is on to the interview, but that conversation is for another day).
