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Resume Writing 101: Guidelines For Completing, Revising and Using Your Resume

By Louise Tincher

July 11, 2003

--For one-on-one help writing your resume, contact Louise at jtarpoff@tarpoff.com. For $40/page either she or others by request can help you develop and write a more effective resume.

 

 

 

Organization and Content

 

Full Name and Address

• Include a phone number, email address, and (if possible) local mailing address.
• This should always be the first section in your resume.

JOHN DOE 110 Main Street Somewherein, Ohio 45200 513- 000-0000 john.doe@mypersonalemail.com

 

Objective

• A one sentence description of what you are looking for in a position.
• Be as specific and focused as possible.
• Include job titles, responsibilities, and geographic areas, if appropriate.
• If you are actively job hunting, this should be the second section in your resume.
• If you are not job hunting, delete this section.

Unfocused Objectives	Focused Objectives
Challenging position that uses my skills and experience. Engineering job with potential for growth.	Mechanical project engineering position. Aeronautical engineering management position. Senior software developer, Cincinnati area.

 

Skills

• Highlight key skills for hiring managers.
• Place this section next in your resume.
• Consider showing your expertise level in years or hours.

Business Skills	Technical Skills	Software
Budget Development Risk Analysis ISO 9000 Implementation	Finite Element Analysis 3D Design and Modeling Network Design / Implementation	AutoCAD 2000 SolidWorks (500 hrs) Oracle (3 yrs)

 

Experience / Work History

• Include company names, locations, dates of employment, job titles, responsibilities, and achievements.
• Include internships, fellowships, self employment, etc.

Project Engineer, contract Tarpoff Moore, Lebanon, OH                                    January 2001 – present §         Installed mechanical and electrical equipment for new process system §         Optimized layout for customer facility §         Researched required permits, standards, and requirements

 

Education

• Include applicable college level courses, professional training, degrees, licenses, and honors awarded.
• If you are a recent graduate, place this section near the beginning of your resume, otherwise move it down.

Six Sigma Blackbelt, 2000 Master of Business Administration, University of Cincinnati, 1995 MS (nearly) in Computer Science, Wright State University, completed coursework 1990 BS in Mechanical Engineering, Purdue, 1980, graduated on Dean’s List

 

Optional

• Professional memberships
• Security clearances
• Service club memberships and volunteer work

 

 

Layout and Design

Desktop publishing and electronic distribution have changed employer’s expectations for a professional resume. Use design elements to create a user-friendly document. Keep your resume style classic but up to date.

 

Fonts

• Stick to one font to create a coherent look for your resume.
• Classic font styles create a professional image; avoid trendy fonts
• Courier, Georgia, Helvetica, and Times New Roman are popular serif fonts.
• Arial, Microsoft San Serif, and Verdana are popular san serif fonts.
• Unusual fonts may be difficult to view on screen, print, and/or read.

Trendy Fonts	Classic Fonts
Monotype Corsiva font is too trendy for a resume. Some fonts, like Impact, may be difficult to view and print.	Serif fonts like Courier are the most common and easier to read in print. San serif fonts like Arial squeeze more text on a page and are easier to read on screen.

 

Font Styles

• 10-12 point font size is large enough to read without straining.
• Emphasize section and job titles by boldfacing, CAPITALIZING, underlining, and/or slightly larger font sizes.
• Strive for a clean look; use emphasis only when needed for clarity.

Fonts That Are Too Small	Fonts That Are The Right Size
Many 9 point fonts are hard to read. 8 point fonts are really too small.	12 point fonts are easy on the eyes. 10 point fonts squeeze more text on a page.

 

Layout

• Provide wide margins with room for notes and punching holes.
• Set off section and subsection breaks with extra white space (line spaces and/or feeds)
• Use bulleted lists of skills and accomplishments to grab attention
• Align columns of short lists with hidden tables.

To create a hidden table in Microsoft Word Highlight the table. Pull down the Format Menu. Choose Borders and Shading. Change the setting to None. Choose OK.

 

Colors

• Electronic -- Black text on a white background is easy to print and read.
• Printed -- Black text on a white, cream, or light gray background is easy to read. Use a good quality, heavy paper.

 

 

Mechanics of Writing

Write for screeners (automated or human) who are not familiar with your profession, and managers who scan dozens of resumes at a time.

 

Keyword Usage

• Include industry buzzwords for search engines (Windows NT, Sigma Six).
• Echo the words and phrases that appear in job ads (self-starter, team player, proactive)
• Spell out acronyms and abbreviations the first time you use them.

Unclear Acronym	Clear Acronym
FMEA ASME MCNE	Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Microsoft Certified Network Engineer (MCNE)

 

Engage Your Readers With Strong Clear Writing

• Short words and sentences are easy to read and understand.
• Active verbs (analyzed, developed, evaluated, managed, solved) create excitement.
• Avoid adjectives and adverbs, they create weak flabby sentences.

Weak Sentence	Strong Sentences
Development life cycle having been significantly impacted by major process improvements.	Shortened development time. Improved processes.

 

Review And Revise Your Resume Early And Often

• Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and proper names.
• Look for missing or extra spaces and line feeds.
• Look for inconsistent use of font styles, spacing, and formatting.
• Ask a friend or family member to provide a second set of eyes.
• Update your resume to reflect new skills and achievements when you complete a major training program or project.
• Respond to changes in the marketplace demand for specific skills.
• Review the resumes of others in your field; compare the style and content to your own.

 

Attitude

Your resume should pique the employer’s interest, leading them to schedule an interview.

• Be upbeat, this is a sales presentation.
• Put a positive spin on your history, but stay factual and honest.
• Tell what you accomplished in previous positions (cut costs, shortened development time, met deadlines, completed projects under budget).
• Concentrate on the benefits to your employer.
• Paint a picture of yourself as a dynamic productive employee.
• Include relevant school, volunteer, and non-work accomplishments.

 

Formats

You will need more than one version of your resume.

• A complete “Kitchen Sink” resume
• An abridged “Swiss Army Knife” resume
• Targeted “One Shot” opportunity resume

 

The “Kitchen Sink” Resume:

• Length: 3-4 pages at most.
• This is the foundation for all of your resumes.
• Start with full a chronological history of your work experience and education.
• Review your first draft in light of your career goals.
• Focus on personal characteristics, skills, and achievements that employers value.
• Delete boring, repetitive, or unflattering information – be ruthless.
• Polish the layout and writing.
• Keep this resume handy for reference during interviews.

 

The “Swiss Army Knife” Resume:

• Length: 1-2 pages.
• This is the generic version of your resume to hand out or post for general consumption.
• Start with your kitchen sink resume.
• Delete all material that is not relevant to your immediate career goals.
• Focus, focus, focus!
• Finish with “Additional work history on request.”

 

“One Shot” Resumes:

• Length: 1-2 pages.
• These resumes are targeted to specific markets, employers, or job opportunities.
• Analyze the job, employer, or industry.
• Browse relevant employer and industry web sites.
• Start with your Swiss army knife resume.
• Add or delete material to address the specific opportunity.
• Use industry buzz words and company jargon to hit the hiring manager’s hot buttons
• Strategy: Set up a table with two columns listing their requirements and your relevant skills or experience.

 

Special Considerations

• If you are a new graduate, keep your resume short (1 page) and highlight your educational experience (seminars, internships, honors).
• If you are very experienced, abbreviate your job history in the initial resume and offer the full history on request.
• If you are changing careers, use a functional (skill based) resume to highlight your capabilities and offer a chronological resume on request.
• Maintain copies of your resume on hand in multiple software formats (Microsoft Word, ASCII, HTML). Proofread each version separately.

 

Using Your Resume

Keep an updated copy of your resume on hand at all times and hand it out freely:

• As an introduction to new managers and team leaders who aren’t aware of your background.
• As a starting point for mentors and counselors who can suggest career growth paths.
• As source material for introductions to speaking engagements or published articles.
• As a foundation block of your job hunting strategy.

About the author:

Ms. Tincher graduated with a BA in History from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and works currently as a documentation specialist. Over the years, she has held various marketing positions within the computer, defense, and employment industries.