1. Do not count on a personal review of resume. Managers are busier, and more often these days they let systems narrow the field of candidates for them.

2. Find and use key words. Key words are vital and will help applicants get past the initial screening to a live person. To determine what the key words are for a position you are applying, do an Internet search of online ads or job descriptions for similar positions (e.g., by job title: “Chemical Engineer” or “High School Math Teacher.” Scan the ads, and make a list of descriptive words you see repeated (note: expect from 3-4 key words to as many as 10 or more for complex jobs).

3. Salt resume with key words sensibly. Use the key words in ways that make sense and provide a natural, even flow. Use of key words should not be obvious and get in the way of your message.

4. Win the “space race.” Remember, the resume is basically an advertisement. You want it to gain attention, picque interest, and get you to the next stage of the hiring process. Therefore, resist the need to tell your life story. Keep your resume from 1-2 pages in length, with a readable font and some white space. Save the rest of your story for the interviews.

5. Use resume to highlight areas not covered on a job application. Some organizations fail to ask about such things as language skills, technical skills, volunteer work, and professional organization involvement. Including brief mention of these items in a resume can help set you apart.

Designing your resume for the digital age puts you a step ahead.  It’s essential in some places to even have your resume read in the first place and can help you land an interview as well.

1. Do not give reasons for termination or leaving a job on the resume. The reader can invariably find negative connotations to even the best reason. Rather than including this in your professional resume, it is much better to discuss it in person.

2. Do not include items like hobbies, sports and social activities. They rarely help in getting the job, and may bias readers against a candidate (e.g., membership in a hunting or gun club could be viewed negatively by someone who is against guns or in favor of animal rights).

3. Do not include social security number, spouse’s occupation and/or personal philosophies toward religion, politics and related topics (i.e., unless germane to the position applied for).

4. Do not list references on the resume. They can easily be provided separately if requested. There is nothing to be gained for candidate or referencing individuals by exposing names of references to prospective employer.

5. Do not use exact dates (e.g., 10/23/07). Month and year are sufficient.

6. Do not include the date your resume was prepared (i.e., this is auto-formatted in some word processing templates). If your search takes longer than a few months, the professional resumes will appear outdated.

7. Do not include height, weight or remarks about physical appearance or health unless somehow germane to the position applied for.

8. Do not list high school or elementary school if a college graduate.

9. Do not state job objectives on resume unless resume is targeted to a particular job or occupation.

10. Do not use professional jargon unless absolutely sure resume will be read by someone who understands those terms.

11. Do not provide salary information on the resume, but save it for the interview. If required to provide that information, do so in cover letter.

12. Do not lie. If it is discovered before a job offer it can prevent an offer. If it is discovered after being hired, it can result in loss of job.

Avoiding these twelve “Do Not’s” can help you create a better resume and land the job.

Remember Your Audience
When writing your best resume, remember to always think about your audience. Consider your readers based on their: expectations, characteristics (who is the reader?), goals (what are your readers planning to accomplish?), and context.  For what type of situation do readers need this information?.  Be sure to identify information your readers will need and make that information easily accessible and understandable.

Be Persuasive
Writing effective professional resumes involves always being persuasive.  The job candidate who is developing their best resume must have a persuasive goal that shines through in various ways, which is to get a job interview.  A good resume almost always persuades someone to take action.  Since resume writing must be persuasive, candidates must keep in mind:

• Purpose - why the document is being written, the goals of the document
• Audience - who will read the document
• Stakeholders - those who may be affected by the document
• Context - the background in which the document is created

Online Resumes
Professional resumes must be written to be compatible with online recruiting tools and websites.  Online recruiting has revolutionized the way companies recruit employees and job seekers search and apply for jobs.  In a 2008 survey, 73 percent of job seekers used the Internet, compared to 66 percent of job seekers during the same period in 2005.  Initiating contact with prospective employers by telephone or through the U.S. Postal Service has fast become an outmoded technique for candidates looking for a job.  Recruitment is typically defined as the process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers, with appropriate qualifications, to apply for jobs with an organization.  Timely with respect to online recruiting ranges from within a few days to almost immediately.

Online – An Ever-Changing Landscape
Online recruiting continues to change at a blistering pace.  New Web sites are constantly being created, sites are merging, expanding, and/or being dissolved.  The growth of Internet recruiters, use of virtual job fairs, corporate career Websites, job boards (i.e., Monster.com, HotJobs.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc.), as well as corporate career websites are all areas of focus to stay current on online recruiting trends.  To be effective in this new digital environment, your resume must make use of key words related to the position of interest, and be written in a series of easily readable “sound bites.”  This means information is conveyed almost exclusively using bullets in short bursts, versus full sentences in paragraph form.

Conclusion
When creating your next resume, keep these three things in mind:

• Be persuasive
• Remember your audience
• Have online resumes as well as traditional resumes

Follow these three guidelines and you’re well on your way to success.

Steps in building this word picture include:

• Study job objective and ask yourself “what are the 4-5 most important skills required?”
• Create a series of columns on a spreadsheet for each of those skills or special know-how areas and label each column.
• Ask yourself, “When did I use those same skills in the past?”  Under each of the skills write action-oriented, simple statements that clearly and concisely describe how you used or developed those skills in the past.
• Assemble the Relevant Skills and Experience section of your resume by putting the contents of those 4-5 skill columns together on one page.

The primary message your professional resumes communicate should be:

• You are generally qualified
• You have the experience
• Credentials
• Basic skills needed for the job
• You are uniquely qualified
• You own unique qualifications in the areas that really matter for this particular job

Examples of what to include are:

• Relevant experience
• Formal training and credentials
• At least one significant accomplishment
• One or two outstanding skills or abilities
• A reference to your values, commitment, or philosophy if appropriate.

A career is a general course that a person chooses to pursue throughout his or her working life.  Historically, a career was a sequence of work-related positions an individual occupied during a lifetime, although not always with the same company.  However, today there are few relatively static jobs.  Career planning must be an ongoing process where an individual sets career goals and identifies the means to achieve them.

Individuals in today’s job market must truly manage their careers.  You should not concentrate only on advancement opportunities, since the present work environment has reduced many of these opportunities.  You need to conduct a realistic self-assessment, which can be as simple as a list of strengths and areas needing development.  Such a list becomes an excellent source around which your resume is built.  Since perception is often reality, it is desirable to write the list of strengths as you perceive them, and not what you think others would say.

A second exercise to help you target the right skills to highlight is to develop a list of career likes and dislikes.  This will help you to recognize restrictions you place on yourself.  The size of firm desired, willingness to travel, geographic preference, can all play a part in which skills and knowledge to emphasize.

When done correctly, your resume presents a wonderful word picture of you, captures the attention of hiring managers, and results in you getting the job.

Tip 1:  One goal of a well-written resume is for it to be easy reading.  When formatting your resume, one way to make it readable is by: 

• Write primary points without use of conjunctions.  Not appropriate to use in all formats, but in some industries it is fine.  Example:  “Maintained effective, regular communications with all parties involved.”
• The KIS approach (Keep It Simple) certainly applies when it comes to most resumes.  Keeping resumes visually simple; spacing the points so they can be easily read; using a commonly accepted business-oriented font; and making selective use of “bold” or italics to highlight only very important points.

Tip 2:  Be careful in using words that sound alike but have different meanings.  Examples include:

• “Elicit,” meaning to draw or bring out, versus “illicit;” which means illegal;
• “Cite,” meaning to quote, versus “sight,” which means vision; or “site,” meaning a position or place;
• “Taught,” meaning past tense of teach, versus “taut,” which means tight;
• “Capital,” meaning a seat of government, versus “capitol,” which means a building in which a legislative body meets.

Colloquial or conversational word usage refers to types of speech or to usages that are not on a formal level.  Words that are used in easy conversation, without strict attention to set forms, describe ordinary, everyday language.  It is common to see advertising signage with words purposely spelled differently to attract attention.  No matter how trendy or common the usage, please resist the temptation to use words in their misspelled forms.  Examples include:

• “Kleen” instead of “clean;”
• “Boyz” instead of “boys;”
• “Rite” instead of “right;”
• “Nite” instead of “night;”
• “Quik,” or “kwik,” instead of “quick.”

Even when spelled correctly, it is inappropriate to use slang in any form.  “Whatever” and “you know” are easy examples. 

Tip 3:  Do not use abbreviations.  It is better form to spell out words instead of their commonly accepted short versions.  For example, write “Saint Louis” instead of “St. Louis.”    An exception to this occurs within legal circles, when referencing court cases, it is acceptable to write “v.” instead of “versus.”

In this competitive job market, many people are making use of professional resume writers.  Professionally written resumes guarantee freedom from technical issues, and are rich in words that set you apart from others applying for the same position.

Do not let such easily correctable items stand between you and your next career assignment.  If word tense, grammar or the turn of a phrase is not your forte’, consider hiring a professional resume writer.  Such people write resumes daily and the good ones guarantee their work.  Landing the job makes such a move well worth it.

Tip 1: When two numbers are used back-to-back to identify a person, place or thing, write one as a number and the other as a word. Example: “There are 4 two-lane highways in this county.”

Tip 2: When writing a resume or cover letter, do not refer to mysterious sources such as: “Leading experts agree….,” “A search of current literature indicates…,” “Several professors questioned from major universities said they believe…..” If footnotes are in order, as with some technical or scientific references, it is acceptable to include them separately.

Tip 3: Write your resume in response to these common problems:

• Lack of simplicity;
• Use of passive voice;
• Use of faulty grammar and punctuation;
• Failure to accurately proofread text.

Tip 4: When preparing to send a digital resume and cover letter via email or to a website:

• Ensure use of a consistent objective statement;
• Tailor your text to employer’s stated objectives;
• Be creative; your resume should be interesting to read;
• Write in an “active” voice with a friendly style;
• Use a bulleted format to highlight important points;
• Again, proofreading cannot be stressed enough.

Tip 5:  When writing your resume and cover letter, think in terms of “sound bites.” Rule of thumb: 80% of your content can be read and retained within 30 seconds.

Tip 6: Be sure your resume and cover letter:

• Present the “right” message;
• Are coherent; and easy to read;
• Have variety;
• Are upbeat and positive;
• Are concise;
• Use well-placed emphasis on important points.

Tip 7:  Use only “clean” language. Even if you personally know the person to whom you are sending the resume, always, always, always presume that e-mail messages containing your attached cover letter and resume will be forwarded. Do not use any off-color, sexist, profane, or otherwise objectionable language or reference. I cannot think of a good reason why such language should appear in any business communication.

Tip 8: When formatting your resume, make it readable by:

• Writing the main points with bullets;
• Keeping your text visually simple;
• Spacing the points so they can be easily read;
• Using a commonly accepted business-oriented font (e.g., New Times Roman, Ariel, etc);
• Making selective use of “bold” or italics to highlight only very important points. Many people are tempted to squeeze words into every available space. Thoughtful use of white space on a page is an excellent way to draw attention to important points.

In this competitive job market, many people are making use of professional resume writers. Professionally written resumes guarantee freedom from technical issues, and are rich in words that set you apart from others applying for the same position.

You are tasked with interviewing new college graduates for work in a “fast-track” manager training program.  The job requires participants to work in each functional area of the company then be assigned to a position in operations.  Most candidates are the “cream of the crop” with impressive academic credentials from top business schools.  Each of them spent time abroad studying or traveling.  They have excellent grades, a fine resume, speak intelligently, and present themselves with aplomb.

But one of the candidates is different from the others.  He had “B” –level grades in college, went to a well-known but smaller university, and was employed full-time as a parking lot supervisor for a downtown professional sports stadium while attending school.  He worked many nights and weekends, and had responsibility for hiring/managing as many as sixty people.  On the strength of the information in this true story, should he be considered for the job?

Education Is Good, But What About Experience?
These days, most graduates from top business schools come with a great education, are well-versed in management theory and are current on business best practices.  But one thing they sometimes do not to have is experience leading/managing people.  Being able to exercise judgment and accomplish results through others is key.  John Maxwell, noted management consultant and expert on leadership said,

“Most people who want to get ahead do it backward.  They think, ‘I’ll get a bigger job, then I’ll learn how to be a leader.’ But showing leadership skill is how you get the bigger job in the first place. Leadership isn’t a position, it’s a process.”

Learning The Hard Way:
Organizations formerly offered entry-level positions with career tracks to higher management.  However, many “flattened” organizations of today have removed these foundational entry level positions.  New graduates are hired directly into management or supervisory positions and must learn leadership skills the hard way.  Such learning may come at the expense of their direct reports and/or organization in which they work. 

Highlight Experience:
Job candidates with leadership skills would do well to repeatedly bring such experience to light on their resume.  If they do lack some knowledge of theory but are steeped in real world management experience coupled with the ability to learn, they offer a valuable commodity.  A good result achieved through the excellent organizing, managing and leading of people provides the candidate something to talk about and be proud of.  When properly done, highlighting of these skills can provide a competitive tipping point over other candidates.  Whether from job history, military service or volunteerism, leadership skill and ability are worth tasteful emphasis on resumes and in job interviews. 

So, What Happened?
What happened with the job candidate mentioned at the top of this article?  After much discussion, the organization decided to take a chance and hire him into the management program.  He thrived.  Later, he became a valued leader in the supply chain and said that his people “made me look good.”  In reality, he already knew how to manage and motivate people, while the rest he learned.

Short And To The Point:
Executive resumes, like all resumes, should be short and to the point, only containing the most important and pertinent information to your rise to the executive level. The one page rule still exists. If you can possibly get your resume to one page then you are doing well. Two pages are acceptable if absolutely necessary but staying away from multiple pages will always be the best bet. Your potential employer is looking through a lot of resumes and if your resume looks like work to read then there’s a good chance its next home is in the circular file. No one wants a laborious resume read. The smart executive will make his resume short but replete with the right information.

Be Job Specific:
With all that said, it’s not just about how short your resume is, but what information is included.  Consider the job for which you are applying.  What skills and experience do you have that specifically applies to that job.  If the skill or experience doesn’t directly apply to the position, it probably doesn’t need to be included.  This means that your resume needs to be different for each job to which you apply.

Sell Yourself:
It is still important to remember that this is the ultimate sell job. You are a product and that may be the best way to think about it. Pick out your best product attributes and add those to your resume. That will ensure that only the very best of your skill and achievements make it onto the resume. It’s good to include skills and experience that have that are common to most executives to show that you are as capable as everyone else, but it’s even more important to make yourself stand out.  Why should the employer remember you?  Why should they call you and not the next person?  You may want to talk to former bosses or friends and see what they think stands out about you. That can be very helpful as well as enlightening.

To sum it up, brevity will always be appreciated and keeping a resume short may be the difference between the resume being read or not.  After you have created your resume, read through it and look for places where you can shorten phrases by using more precise terms.  Look for information that on review seems superfluous.  A little extra effort to shorten your resume with precision and by removing excess information can help you get the interview and get the job.