Tales from the Resume Reef: The Format, Part I: Overview

Simple facts about what your resume needs to be:
• Concise
• Easy to read
• Easy to follow
• Flexible
• Accomplishment Based
• Absent of Useless Extras

We will go over EACH of the above topics in its’ very own article right here on the Job Search Dolphin. The goal, I hope, is to give the reader a very clear idea of what works in a resume and why – and what DOESN’T.

Here are some quick thoughts to ponder about each of these topics.
• Your resume needs to be CONCISE
If your resume is 7 pages, I can pretty much guarantee that it’s too long. Readers are looking for quick information: not a script for the next Spiderman movie! However, the “resume must be one page” methodology of days gone by is not accurate, either. We’re going to help you find a “good” length that doesn’t short change your accomplishments, yet keeps the reader interested.

• Your resume needs to be EASY TO READ
If you’ve bunched ALL of your technical skills together, you may have created an eye chart. No one reads an “eye chart” for fun! Long, detailed descriptions of your past work history shouldn’t be paragraphs waiting to be part of the next 800 page novel, either. Simply, we’ll show you how to showcase your best skills and work history in a way that helps a reader more easily find out the good things about you.

• Your resume needs to be EASY TO FOLLOW
If you have the “functional resume,” we’re going to try and convince you to “toss” it. Simply put, the reader isn’t going to know how what you did where. Further, most won’t guess in your favor. We’ll help you show a clear path that makes sense to the reader: that’s the key, after all!

• Your resume needs to be FLEXIBLE
We’re not discussing “flexible facts” where one could make up accomplishments depending on the job description. Let’s leave that to Jon Lovitz’ classic character Tommy Flanagan, who was rather “creative” with facts the way many politicians can be. Instead, we’ll go over how you can MOVE what is important to different places based on the jobs you apply for.

• Your resume needs to be ACCOMPLISHMENT BASED
If most of your resume is a history of job descriptions, you are selling yourself very short.
How MUCH did you increase sales? How MANY people did you supervise? By WHAT percent did you help increase production? We’ll show you how numbers/quantification can help you sell yourself! Give yourself the awards for success you’ve earned!

• Your resume needs to be ABSENT OF USELESS EXTRAS
If you are wondering how this Greg Lachs person is going to help you with your resume, you may wonder if you have enough space for all you have done. Well, there’s more room than you think if you get rid of such classic and completely wasteful “extras” such as “References Available Upon Request.” Instead, we’ll show you key things you DON’T NEED; they are like that pile of newspapers by the fireplace – something taking up space and generating no heat or interest.

And we are hopeful that in giving you each of these steps in detail, we can help you make certain your resume does you all the favors it can. Each person can offer much; sometimes the resume gets in the way rather than helps. When you consider that 90% of resumes are ignored or set aside for future disposal by employers, keep in mind that getting into the 10% pile isn’t that complicated.

Product counts, and we hope we can give you enough tips and guidelines so that your resume is a product of the finest variety! Just like you!