St.Louis Business Journal
ASKING YOURSELF "WHAT WOULD AN EMPLOYER WANT?" IS FIRST STEP IN WRITING A GREAT RESUME

By Anna Navarro

October 2007  

Author's note: Client stories in this column are based on actual situations fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.



The best way to create a stellar resume is to start by asking yourself this question: “What do employers want when they hire someone for the type of job I’m looking for? ”.

Then look for evidence in your background that you have what they need. Examine your past work, as well as your education, volunteer efforts and hobbies for anything that will make your case.

This strategic thinking is the foundation of a great resume. Excellent writing is important, but excellent writing by itself can never overcome a failure to understand what employers want and to position yourself as a candidate who can meet their needs.

Here are some other suggestions to make your resume sparkle:

1. Give most attention to your strongest assets. We read from top to bottom and left to right. If your education makes the best case for why you’d be a good hire, put it first. If your avocation, or work history carry the most punch, list that first. Cover your non-relevant background, but give it little visibility or space.

Conversely, de-emphasize anything that detracts. For example, if you've changed jobs often, put dates on the bottom right, after describing what you did in each job. That minimizes their impact.

2. Pick a style for organizing your resume that presents your strengths as powerfully as possible.

There is no universally “best” format for writing a great resume. The key is to understand what employers need and to use the format that showcases your relevant experience most effectively.

Employers generally prefer that you start your work history with your current job and work backward because it gives them a clear picture of where you've been and what you've done. However, if your prior jobs contain the most relevant experience, group positions by category, and lead with the most relevant, such as “Real Estate Experience”.

If you choose a non-chronological style of organization, it’s important to include a separate “Work History” section that briefly lists all titles, organizations and dates to satisfy employers' need for that information.

3. Write a goal that emphasizes what you have to offer employers rather than what you want. Aim at a statement that makes an employer say: "Wow, what she is looking for is exactly what I need!" Never make demands or requirements such as “opportunity for advancement’. That way of writing a goal (or a resume) can eliminate you from consideration.

4. Focus on results. Outcomes are much more effective than descriptions of responsibilities or activities. Quantify whenever possible. This is not the time for humility; it's also not the time for vacuous self-praise. Take full credit for everything you've done that's relevant and describe it concretely and specifically.

5. Be brief. On average, employers spend only about two minutes on a resume before putting it in the "yes" or "no" category. If you have a long, involved resume, people may not read it.

-- Shoot for two pages at most, one is fine
-- Make it easy to scan..
-- Use a telegraphic style, eliminating articles, pronouns, and unnecessary words
-- Leave lots of white space for easy reading.
-- Never write entries that are more than three or four lines long.


6. Be personable. Let your unique self come through. A certain degree of colloquialism is fine; it relays the message that you are "you".

7. Convey quality visually and keep it simple. Avoid distracting fonts, graphics and pictures. Be absolutely meticulous about spelling, grammar and consistency of tenses. Pick a font large enough to be friendly to older eyes. Choose paper that's not white, so that it doesn't get lost on a desk. Grey, beige, and off-white are good. Be sure that the paper is heavy stock to make a non-verbal impression of substance.

8. Be accessible. Include information about how employers can contact you during business hours. If you can't take calls at work, then you need a number where they can leave a message.

9. Never Lie. It is legitimate to emphasize and de-emphasize aspects of your background depending on what is relevant to employers, but everything in your resume must be true.

No matter how hard you work on your resume, it’s usually necessary to revise it as you go along. If you are doing things right, you will learn more about what employers want and how to position yourself for best effect as you proceed with the job hunt, and these insights need to be reflected in your resume.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.