Beyond the Resume

by Dara Golden
DMV Contributing Editor

Dara Golden is a former technical writer, now homeschooling her five-year-old.

What is a resume's primary purpose? To get you a job interview.

Managers form their first impression of you from the resume. A resume is your marketing tool, and the product you are marketing is yourself. This article will help get your resume noticed in a more positive manner.

Approach

• Spend time on your resume.

  Recent surveys show that hiring managers spend an average of 30 seconds reviewing a resume. That is not a lot of time to get your resume into the "keep" pile. Approach your resume like writing a technical document. Don't rush through it. Make sure it is inviting and easy to read—with good font and layout choices. Check spelling and sentence structure—is everything correctly spelled and in proper English? "Budge" is a proper English word, but not when used in the phrase "Brought costs in under budge." If acronyms aren't familiar, define them on the first use.

• Write tightly.

  Remove extraneous words; change "in addition to" to "also."

• Read the resume aloud to ensure it sounds right.

  If it sounds "wrong," there's a good chance it is "wrong." Better yet, read it aloud to someone else, so they can also review and critique it.

Content

• Include an objective statement.

The objective statement is simply the position that you are seeking: what job would you like to have? Make it concrete and relate to the job description. Noting that you want to be a department manager in five years may not get you an interview if the position is for an entry-level position.

• Include a "keywords" section.

  List different platforms you've worked on [UNIX, Solaris, Linux, Windows, Mac] in addition to different programs [FrameMaker, MS Word, MS Excel, RoboHELP] and technologies [XML, SGML, Java, Python]. Many companies now do "keyword" searches and having that section makes it easier for them to associate your resume with additional jobs.

• Ensure your contact information is correct.

  Make sure your name, address, telephone numbers, and email addresses are correct and up-to-date. If managers cannot contact you, they will probably pass on you.

• Omit unrelated personal information.

  Do not include hobbies or interests unrelated to the job. These detract from the point of the resume—to get you the interview.

• Include related volunteer or organization memberships.

  Wrote an article for the STC Newsletter? Been editor of the school newsletter? Include it on the resume as it shows that you are doing writing-related activities outside of work.
  

Presentation

• Make your resume scannable.

This refers to both scanning by humans and by computers. Is white space used pleasingly? Is the font readable in both size and style?

• Have your resume available in different formats.

General formats to include are text, HTML, and PDF. Ensure your resume is readable in these different formats and that the highlights are still highlighted. For companies preferring Microsoft Word format, ensure that you scan the file for viruses before sending it and that it is in the requested version of Microsoft Word. Also, give your resume a unique identifier - "Resume" may be lost, while "Resume_FredJones_TechWriter_Oct06" will be easier to find.

• Does your resume show off your achievements, or does it read like a series of job descriptions?

Many people put in too much detail about the job description, rather than details about their accomplishments. Skip the job description given for the job; instead, state what you accomplished and how you did it. Additionally, focus on the skills and accomplishments that pertain to the job you are applying for.

• Quantify.

Numbers speak volumes. "Wrote a document from scratch" may be interesting, but not as compelling as "In one week, wrote a 100-page document, from scratch."

• Make your resume interesting.

Use proper tenses for the positions - past for previous jobs, present for current job. Use action verbs, such as "assisted" opposed to "worked with."

Some Final Thoughts

• Modify your resume for different jobs. Highlight the skills from your past that are requested in each particular job description. Change the objective statement or the slant of the jobs you performed, as necessary.

• With search engines available on the Internet, managers are now doing searches on potential employees. There are many ways to do the searches, including email lookups. Do your own search engine search to see what information is out there about you.

• The technical writing community is a lot smaller than you may think, so expect someone to know someone at a company you've worked for or even for a check to be done at a company's website.

• The cover sheet is often removed by the time the manager receives the resume. Do not count on the manager reading it.

Remember, your resume is the way to get your foot in the door. Having a resume that gets positive attention is one way to ensure a better chance of getting an interview.