Resumes Done Right!
Resumes, like people, stand out when they are polished. To have a resume that makes its way through a stack from the bottom to the top, it needs three basics items to be carefully considered. Turning the keys of precision, clarity and white space sets a resume apart from the competition.
The first way to make a resume noticeable is precision. Take a current resume and cross out every single word, phrase, or clause not absolutely necessary to fulfill the position’s requirements. Eliminate technical jargon, extraneous adjectives and adverbs, and any detail that does not heighten the candidate’s credentials or credibility.
The second thing a winning resume will have is exact dates of previous employment, internships and educational references. While many argue in favor of the months or years on a job, there is a whole new level of integrity when a potential hire knows the exact dates of when work and internships began and ended, scholarships or awards were earned, and degrees were issued. Managers can readily note potential hires are honest and operating from a high level of integrity if their credentials are tailored by date.
Finally, our society is shifting from using words to icons, like the Twitter bird or the Instragram camera. The text becomes more iconic when negative space is strictly observed. While the resume has been edited to use exact language and exact dates, make sure there is an abundance of white space on all four margins and between sections to make for quick reading. Many applicants choose narrow margins to elaborate on their work. Leave the expanded description of the research project for the interview. Think of the resume as a synopsis of one’s work rather than giving a detailed story.
By using editorial precision, detail to dates, and liberal white space in the margins, a resume is polished. And a polished resume is what gets an interview!
