Not a day goes by when a newly unemployed individual asks the same question: what format should my resume follow? Before answering this and other, equally important questions about resume structure, let us revisit the main purpose of the resume. As a matter of fact, it’s only purpose.
Repeat after me: resume’s sole purpose in life is to get an interview. Period. Do not repeat “period”. Now that we have established that (admit, it was not difficult!), let’s review the questions again.
Q: What format should the resume follow?
A: It does not matter, as long as it will get you an interview.
Q: How many pages should my resume have?
A: It does not matter, as long as it will get you an interview.
Q: ….
You get the general idea. Well, expert resume writers will fringe and say: “a resume should not take more than two pages”, and will, most likely, be correct. This is about as much information as a hiring manager is willing to devour, before making a decision on whether to invite a candidate for an interview. In reality, it is the first page that makes it or breaks it.
Before going any further, please review the Start With A Blank Page. Think about the process from the perspective of a hiring manager. You have a vacancy to fill. You have a stack of resumes to choose from. Which one would you pick? The answer is simple: the one that can do the job. But aren’t all candidates qualified? You bet! So, how do you compete with qualified candidates – and hundreds of them? By offering an employer something over others.
Easier said than done. Keep in mind, a lot of it is about perception. Can you absolutely guarantee that you are better than everyone in doing the job? Unless you have an ego of the size of Texas, the answer is, probably, “no”. But then again, it is about perception, and so, an employer needs to see something in your resume to want to talk to you. Once you get to the interview part, you will worry about your charisma, personal charms, knowing the subject, wooing them with all the right answers, etc. But for now, the focus is on your resume only.
You have about 30 seconds to make an impression that connects your potential employer and you. Boring, redundant, “templatized”, messy, poorly written resumes get thrown out, regardless of how good and qualified candidates are. Yours needs to be captivating, interesting and unique. With this said, let’s review the list of questions your resume needs to address, to make you stand out from the crowd:
- What skills do you bring to the table?
- Why are these skills a fit for the vacancy?
- What can you deliver going forward? (it is not about the past, it is about the future)
- Why and how will you do this?
- What do you offer that other qualified candidates don’t?
Be sure to skip the boring “ambitious”, “motivated”, “aggressive”, “dedicated”, etc. Bring something of your own – something unique to you. This is what you have that others do not. This is what you want your future employer to notice – and remember. It goes a long way – from getting you an interview, to making you recognized when you show up, because it had the unique, personal touch of you.
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great post as usual!