You Say You Mean What?
Your neatly packaged 2-page resume is finally complete after toiling for days to find just the right words to build the most eloquent of sentences, that describe your most essential core attributes and accomplishments. It may even be worthy of framing.
But does it actually make any sense? I mean, will someone reading it for the first time understand it?
This seems to be a common issue when it comes to writing resumes….. Or at least when it comes to reading them. I know from personal experiences that many resumes are written in a way that the average recruiter or hiring manager may not really understand what the candidate is trying to say. This is a big issue when your resume is supposed to be your ticket in the door for the interview.
Here are a couple of the more notable areas to watch out for when writing your own resume:
The 2-Page Limit is The Golden Rule
With a focus on trying to keep your resume from turning into a run-on novel, candidates tend to shorten up sentences to the point where they may only make sense to the one that wrote them. I would strongly suggest keeping sentences brief and to the point (avoiding adjectives and superfluous words) however; you must ensure that your message is always crystal clear to the reader.
And for the record, it’s old school to think that your resume must fit within 2-pages!
Using Acronyms Proves That I Know What I’m Talking About
I see this way too often. Acronyms should only (and I repeat only) be used in resumes that are being sent to individuals that without a shadow of a doubt will understand the meaning of the acronym. An example might be “ROI”, which is commonly found in the resumes of sales people and clearly understood by most sales managers. But, the recruiter that is screening the resumes may not understand that ROI means Return on Investment, just like the sales manager may not know that HRM stands for Human Resource Management. Other common ones that are used and should be avoided include: QA (Quality Assurance), QC (Quality Control), CSR (Customer Service Representative), and the list goes on and on… My advice, spell it out!
I Can Drop Buzz Words with My Eyes Closed
The reason to avoid using industry terms and buzz words is similar to those mentioned for acronyms. The only exception to this point is when you are sending your resume to someone within your industry that shares in the same vernacular. You need to always ensure that the reader will not miss your point or have to guess at what you are trying to say. Recruiters should not have to refer to Wikipedia to interpret the meaning of words in your resume.
So, my suggestion is to reread your resume and even go the extra step and have it read by a friend, a peer, a colleague or your mother to see if it makes sense to them. The resume you write is generally the first impression that you will make on an employer. Always be sure that your resume represents you effectively.
Tags: Resume Writing, wikipedia
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:54 am
Dear Sir,
Thank you for these advices, which will be helpful for my future proceeding. I have a problem in interpretation concerning your sentence “and for the record, it’s old school to think that your resume must fit within 2-pages”. Does it mean that it is mandatory to summarize the resume on 2 pages? With an existing education and work history of about 28 years with 4 different employers and about 8 different jobs it would force me to suppress important information characterizing my abilities.
In addition, please allow another question: I have been learning that there is a lack concerning skilled workers in dedicated business areas in Canada, e. g. in Engineering and Canadian and provincial governments are advertise all over the world in order to bring skilled workers to Canada. Therefore I have applied for immigration and I wait for approval (announced for the next 6 to 9 months). In preparation of my immigration I have been looking for a job (Quality Assurance/Management) and have applied already several times in Canada. But although that lack is excisting, companies do not intend to employ somebody from overseas to overcome the lack. You need to be in Canada. On the other hand, without having a job offer available, you might not pass the immigration pass mark. It is a circle. Do you have an explanation or advice by which means I might overcome the circle. Thanks in advance for your answer.
Sincerely,
Stefan G.
November 24th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Stefan,
The phrase “old school” refers to it being a thing of the past. So, in other words you should not be overly concerned about writing a resume that extends beyond 2-pages. There was a time when job seekers were advised that recruiters would not read beyond the second page of a resume. That is no longer true today. Be sure to get all relevant details included in your resume without it becoming excessively long. Knowing that a recruiter won’t stop reading at the end of the second page doesn’t mean they have the time or the interest in reading 6-pages!
As for your second point on Canadian immigration, this is a tough situation. Although there certainly is a lack of talent in the Country there is also a lack of “Canadian Oil” experience outside of the Country which seems to be important to many employers. My suggestion is to read the job descriptions well and only apply to jobs where you feel you are qualified. You are bound to run across an employer with interest.
December 26th, 2008 at 5:41 am
oil investment corporation…
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