Your resume gets all but a few seconds consideration upon first glance. So, do everything you can to build a breif, clear and compelling snapshot of "you" by following these resume tips.
- 1 to 2 pages tops! Doing more is only OK if you are a PHD with 30 yrs of experience and a Nobel peace prize. Bottom line...don't indulge, you'll come off as self-important
- If considering out of state jobs, leave out your address and provide only your cell # and email to avoid being cast as a difficult relocation issue.
- Cover letters should be brief and broad (if you even do one at all - I'm not big on them personally). Also, assume it won't get read. So, don't ever include any important information here that isn't also somewhere on your resume.
- Leave out objectives. You could end up shooting yourself in the foot by being too specific and creating a perceived mismatch. Also, most hiring managers don't put a ton of stock in them anyway. It's a "can't help, might hurt" kinda thing.
- Your skills summary should be at the top of the resume and listed in order of prominence and relevance. Employers want specialists, not generalists! So, leave out the antiquated or obscure stuff and let managers focus on your most valuable and current core skills.
- If you worked for a company that people won't easily recognize, provide a one sentence description right under the company name to include the URL. Many times these Industry specifics can be a selling point to your background.
- Make sure to include actual technology specifics for each role. Many people leave these buzzwords out of their job descriptions assuming they've already been mentioned in their skills summary...big mistake! Don't leave them guessing about the specifics.
- In describing each job, start with a % breakdown of the role and work backwards starting with your most prominent responsibility to cover everything you did.
- Always stick to bullet points (2-3 sentences each) and lead with action verbs that emphasize your overall responsibility. This will keep things easier for the manager to scan/read. No one wants to read long paragraphs!
- NEVER use adjectives "built an amazing piece of software " or pronouns "I" or "me"
- If you've changed jobs a lot, but have defensible reasons for doing so (company relocations, lay offs, contract job, etc..), you may want to think about putting those brief explanations next to your dates of employment so that you don't get stigmatized as a dreaded "job hopper".
- Only provide references upon request. You'll not only save space, but you can cater your choices to that specific company and position when the time comes. This will also allow you to prepare them better for this call from the employer!
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