Generic Resume and Resume Considerations

by David Marwick for JobAssist.org

[Updated 04.25.13]

Resume Considerations

1. “Your” resume is a misnomer. You should have an array of resumes—one for each job you are applying for. A general resume is a good starting point, but to be considered seriously for any job opening, you should carefully customize your resume to the specifics of that opening. Think of your many and varied experiences like the colors in a painter’s palette. A painter trying to create a specific image carefully selects only those colors that help achieve this goal.

2. Preparing/reviewing a resume is both an art and a science. In science, if you mix 2 atoms of X with 3 atoms of Y, you will always get the same result. With resumes, there is widespread agreement about basic goals, but there can be more than one approach to achieve those goals. Also, different reviewers may react differently to the same resume.

3. Consider the other person. Whether it’s the person quickly screening your resume, an interviewer, or anyone else, think about where they’re coming from. Tailor your vocabulary, etc., to your audience. In the same vein, avoid uncommon abbreviations and acronyms. If you need to use them, define them the first time you use them.

4. Make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors. Spell-check is good, but not enough. You “know” what the resume is supposed to say, so have someone else proof-read it.

5. A resume is not an end in itself. It's a means to getting an interview, to get the second-stage interview, and ultimately get the job.

Generic Resume

Entry / Explanation
Name / Use a distinctive font and bold your name.
Street address LinkedIn address email address
City, state ZIP professional license phone number / Use this format to save space.
Your email address should be neutral. Don’t use , because the person reviewing your resume may be a RedSox fan.
Provide a phone number that (1) only adults will answer, (2) does not have annoying background music, and (3) has a professional message
In almost all fields, you should be in LinkedIn.
In fields where there is national/state licensure, include your license number.
Objective / If you are applying for a specific position, include the job title, position number, etc. Otherwise, note that job title or field of work you are seeking.
Summary: xxxxxx
Xxxxxx
xxxxxx / Especially for 2-page resume and/or to highlight info that might get lost provide 4-6 bullets summarizing your best selling points for your target job. Include
•U.S. citizenship (if required)
•security clearance (if applicable)
•foreign language, if critical
  • critical computer skills
Avoid adjectives (such as self-starter, team player). You should demonstrate such qualities, through examples, in the Work Experience section.
Work Experience
Job title, employer May 2006 to present
City, state or May 2006 to Jan. 2012
•Accomplishments
•Accomplishments
•Awards—when awarded, time period covered, reason for award / This section is not a job description or list of duties. Rather, it is an opportunity to demonstrate what you contributed to your most recent employer(s), in order to show what you can contribute to your next employer—reduced costs, increased revenue, reduced response time to customer inquiries, decreased rework, identified profitable new leads, etc.
See the articles at esp. material under “resume+pitch” tab.
If your employer is not a household name, provide a brief description and/or URL.
Include the scope of your activities—were you responsible for tracking $10K or $1M in monthly revenues? Did you supervise 2 people or 20?
If you worked for the same employer in more than one capacity, combine the jobs. List the employer once (with dates) and list individual jobs under the main heading. You may combine similar jobs.
Normally don’t list any job you held more than 10 years ago, unless it is directly related to your target job.
Use CAR (Challenge/Action/Result) format, starting with Result.
Volunteer work, if substantial, can also be mentioned, along with accomplishments.
Education
•Post-college training, certificates, etc., with dates if recent
•Ph.D., Economics, Iowa State, Ames, IA June 2009
Dissertation: The Effect of City Size on Obesity
Supervised by Professor John Doe Overall GPA: x.x
Academic award(s), if any
•Next highest degree, etc.
Key courses/term papers of interest to target employer
List overall GPA or major GPA (if 3.5+) / For recent graduates and others with little/no work experience, Education should precede Work Experience.
List only the date when you received your degree, not the dates you attended.
If you are not a recent graduate (for example, 50+ years old) you can omit your year of graduation. (Of course, if you omit it, the employer will infer that you are not a recent graduate.)
In addition to formal degrees, list certificates, substantive courses, workshops, etc., in your field, along with course dates. This shows that you keep current in your field.
Computer Skills
  • xxxx
  • xxxxx
  • xxxxxx
/ List critical job-related computers skills. If your target job primarily requires computer skills, list them up front. Otherwise, list them after Education.
Include only latest versions.
Incorporate computer skills into CAR statements under Work Experience. For example, “Using xxx software to analyze $2 million in overdue payments, devised plan to speed up collections, resulting in extra $300,000 in payments in 2012.”
Other
  • Professional associations
  • Volunteer activities
  • Sports, at a high competitive level
  • Foreign travel
/ If applicable, you can include information on activities that demonstrate tenacity, ability to juggle tasks, flexibility, etc.

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