Resume Basics

Up, Up and a Raise!

In this section I go in-depth on resume basics: what a resume is and what makes for a great resume. From here, you should move on to Resume Style and Resume Preparation to learn to build your resume.

A resume is a kind of superhero you create – one with the power to make piles and piles of money appear.  The stronger the superhero you make, the more piles of money appear.

Believe it or not, superheroes love fat kids.  And fat kids love pie.

Let’s look at the economy as one gigantic pie.

Most people in 2007 received a 50,000 foot slice of that pie.  That is to say, the median household income for 2007 was just over $50,000.  Some careers earned more, others less, but no matter how you cut it – that’s a lot of pie!  The strength of your superhero resume determines how big or small your slice is – or if you get ice cream on top.  It should be your #1 goal to create a really strong, bad-ass superhero resume.

What makes a good resume?

Good? You’re not aiming high enough.  Didn’t you read that second-to-last sentence?  If you make your superhero resume bad-ass enough, you get ice cream.  Don’t you know what ice cream is?  Have you ever seen a rap music video?  Hummer limos, glittering gold chains, and uncannily beautiful people hanging out for no apparent reason.  Aim higher.

Go for the damn ice cream.

Okay, so what makes a great resume?

A great resume is current, specific and effective.

1. Your resume should be current and updated with your most recent job and skills.
2. Your resume should be specific and relate to the job that you’re applying for (and, in general, to just one career path).
3. Your resume should be effective at selling your best assets to the hiring manager as quickly as possible.

The sad truth is that with a kick-ass resume, you won’t always get a call back on every job you apply for.  But, a bad resume will always keep you from getting the job you want.  The hiring manager is literally buried in resumes for the position you applied for – if yours doesn’t stand out, you won’t get hired.  Stand out.  Get hired.

Great resumes are always self-written.  No template or paid service can represent you like you can.  There are plenty of companies willing to sell you a template or make your resume for you.  Guess what?  If they’re selling a “template”, they’ve sold the same one to hundreds of other people.  You’ll be about as unique as a Prius owner at an Al Gore book signing.

It’s vital that yours stands out above the competition.

Ten ways to make your resume stand out

1. Limit yourself to ONE PAGE
   
   • I get a lot of guff on this one: Can’t fit on one page? Fine, make it two. Be as concise as possible.
     
2. Create a “skill summary” and place this as the second section of your resume (under either education or contact info)
   • This is not an objective.  A Skill Summary is just a summation of your professional experience, what you can do
   • Try to answer the question, “What is your superpower?”
3. Name the document: FirstName_LastName_Resume.doc and use a .doc creator like Word or Google Documents
4. Keep the font simple, readable, and professional
   • 12 point Times New Roman, larger font for headers, bold and italicize sparingly on important details
5. Provide the URL to your professional blog, Twitter, or other social media accounts (LinkedIn is great – here’s mine!)
6. Do not include a picture unless you are a waiter/model/actress/outrageously hot (this opens you up to discrimination)
   
   • You should always include a picture on your social media profiles – just not on your resume
7. Put your name on top, centered, on its own line and in large font (not in ridiculous font – you’re not iCarly)
8. Your contact information easily readable just below your name (including cell, email, website, and possibly city/state)
   • List from your most preferred method of contact to your least preferred method of contact
9. List your education as the first section under your contact info if you’re a recent graduate
   • Education should still be near the top as it indicates you are dedicated to learning
10. Remember that the single largest factor in your success is the appearance of prior success.

I’ll spell it out for you again, because it’s very important:the single largest factor in your success is (the appearance of) prior success.

Do you have to have been successful to succeed? No.  Do you have to look like you have been successful to succeed? Yes.  Don’t mistake my point – I don’t mean for you to lie, because that’s wrong and you’ll get caught.  I mean for you to avoid underplaying the things you’ve done.  In general, millennials and gen-x’ers have a hard time accepting credit for a job well done.  Don’t sell yourself short.

Continuing your education

A resume can’t work alone – it is part of a system.  Think of it as the Barbie to your Dream Home and Convertible, or… well, I can’t think of anything else because I wasn’t allowed many toys when I was a kid.

Check out the Cover Letter and Interview sections – these are part of Job Hunt 101, right along with making your Online Portfolio.

These items, in addition to your List of References constitute your “hire-me-now” package.  Click on the links to learn more about those documents or keep learning about resumes with Resume Style.