Resume Writing Service
Consider having an HR pro to update or critique your existing resume!
Why? Who better to guide your career aspirations than someone who has screened thousands of resumes, hired as many candidates from both the public and private sector, profit and nonprofit environments, from labor to executive level positions?
When producing a resume it’s very important to follow “resume etiquette.” In this regard, here are some absolutes:
RESUME ETIQUETTE
1. The single most important thing on your resume is your NAME. It should never be hard to find or in a font that is too small or too difficult to read. Many recruiters will immediately eliminate resumes that force them to search for your name.
2. The second most important thing on your resume is your PHONE NUMBER. It should never be hard to find or in a font that is too small or too difficult to read. Many recruiters will immediately eliminate resumes that force them to search for your phone number.
3. The third most important thing on your resume is your EMAIL ADDRESS. It should never be hard to find or in a font that is too small or too difficult to read. Many recruiters will immediately eliminate resumes that force them to search for your email address. Plus, to make it “easy” for recruiters (employers) to identify and remember you, create or use an email address that only contains your first and last name (with or without a “period” for separation) BUT NO OTHER DATA. For example:
johndoe@gmail.com is better (simpler) than mrjohndoe12318@gmail.com
4. Your home address is NOT necessary, and you stand a great chance of having your candidacy eliminated if the recruiter or hiring manager dislike where you live!!! Most importantly, in the absence of a valid offer of employment the company has absolutely NO NEED for your address; and legally, if hired, in the absence of company-paid-housing that defines where the employee will live, the employee’s only obligation is to report to work as scheduled - period. Plus, given the theft of company databases and concerns about protecting your “personal information,” it’s ridiculous to give someone YOU DON’T KNOW information about you that will potentially put you at risk (identify theft, home robbery, personal assault, etc.).
5. Employers don’t care about your objective. FACT: Your “real” objective is to get hired (and employers know that), so don’t lead with your so-called “career" objective, instead “lead” by telling the recruiter “what” you're damn good at doing, which frankly, is truly the best thing going for you!
6. Never “lead” with education over work history. The only people who truly give a crap about education are K-12 schools districts, colleges and universities, because they are blatantly incestuous in their hiring practices to place greater value of academic credentials than on actual job performance. Educators are typically paid more for doing less (their work-day is shorter, their work-year is shorter, etc.), which is why pushing your “education” over your “performance” is counterproductive to presenting your prowess as a high-performing candidate/employee. Get it?
7. Never include the date of graduation from high school or college. Many recruiters (employers) can easily calculate the candidate’s age and therefore discriminate against the candidate.
8. Never include participation in any political or religious organization. Many recruiters (employers) can and do discriminate against candidates who appear to promote a political or religious organization they dislike or like, particularly when such participation potentially conflicts with revenue streams, contracts, clients, media relations, etc.
9. Always, again, always list the actual MONTH and YEAR of your employment. FACT: Nearly all applicant tracking systems or HRIS data bases REQUIRE the actual MONTH and YEAR of your employment. FAILURE to provide this data will suggest to employers the candidate is:
a. non-compliant with usual and customary recruitment protocols;
b. negligent;
c. not professional (an “air head” or just “lazy” and therefore, not a good “fit” for our team); or d. hiding something (unemployment, involuntary termination, criminal record, etc.)
10. The candidate’s current job duties (essential job functions) should be described in the "present tense." All previous jobs must be described in the past-tense, ending with “ed,” such as worked, processed, performed, etc. The personal pronoun “I” should not appear on a resume, because the function of a resume is to tell “what” you’ve done. The fact that your resume has the candidate's name on it establishes “who" did what; therefore, the “I” is totally unnecessary and can be negatively perceived as arrogant, conceited, etc.
11. It’s not bragging to take credit for your success, particularly when your “accomplishment” is recognized and awarded by others. Accordingly, it's to the candidate's advantage to present tangible, measurable, fact-based examples of exceptional performance. So, when the recruiter (employer) does a "keyword" search for “accomplished” or “achieved,” make sure your resume showcases the character and scope of your on-going record of career achievements. For example:
• Saved $3.5 million in operating expenses by creating database tracking system.
• Reduced customer complaints by 47% by installing CRM protocols.
• Increased retail sales revenue by 75% in less than six-(6) months.
Plus, testimonials from customers, clients, or vendors thanking the candidate for doing an “excellent” job can be used to further validate proficiencies.
“(Candidate's name goes here) resolved my complaint before I knew I had one! She’s the absolute best!” Thomas Perrison
"I wish I had contacted (Candidate's name goes here) first, because she knew exactly how to promptly fix my problem!" Donald Wilson
12. Candidates should never use the term “expert” unless they can prove it - before hire. For example, candidates should never convey "expertise" in Microsoft Office unless they can prove - before hire - advanced level proficiencies in every "core" component of Microsoft Office which includes no less than Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Publisher. Additionally, candidates with truly advanced level proficiencies will possess expertise in Microsoft Project, Microsoft Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Visio, and various Microsoft Mobile Apps, Microsoft Server Applications, Microsoft Web Services, etc. Keep in mind, one of the easiest ways to eliminate the overwhelming majority of candidates is to require the candidate to set-up a mail merge in Microsoft Word, to produce a database in Access from data input from Microsoft Excel, to design or edit a poster or newsletter in Publisher, or to calculate data using V-Lookup or H-Lookup in Excel and then converting the data to a ASCII or .CSV file.
Finally, never waste a recruiters time by spreading a sparse work history over two or more pages. If a candidate's work history is limited, a true “expert” in Microsoft Word would NOT need or use two-(2) pages for a resume.
