I was reviewing a resume for a client who works in human resources. It got me thinking, how do recruiters, hiring managers and HR people - who are supposed to know what to look for on a resume - write a resume? I had many other questions I wanted answers for, including:
What struggles do HR people have when getting information across to other HR people? What do HR people look for when reviewing resumes of other HR people? How does the person doing the hiring get hired?
To find out the answers to these questions, I checked in with Carole Arndt of The Human Resource EDGE, Inc. (www.humanresourceedge.com), a Twin Cities-based search firm that specializes in the placement of human resource professionals in regular and contract positions.
Arndt specializes in the placement of HR professionals for full-time and contract positions, and almost 100 percent of the resumes she sees are from HR Professionals or individuals who would like to make their way into the HR field.
“One would think that HR folks know exactly what to do when it comes to resume writing - but that is not the case,” says Arndt. “For some reason, we still struggle when it comes to writing our own resume. But it is important for us to follow the same advice as we give to others. It sounds simple, but it doesn’t come naturally. What we look for in other people’s resumes should be what we think about when developing our own.”
Here is a step-by-step guide to writing the right resume, from Arndt:
Developing Structure and Content
Arndt: I personally prefer resumes that combine a little bit of everything - responsibilities, accomplishments, as well as functionality and chronological information. I know there are many different schools of thought on resume writing - so I’d just like to say that everything I am saying is my personal preference or comes from personal experience.
Arndt: I personally prefer resumes that combine a little bit of everything - responsibilities, accomplishments, as well as functionality and chronological information. I know there are many different schools of thought on resume writing - so I’d just like to say that everything I am saying is my personal preference or comes from personal experience.
A Resume’s Basic Structure
Arndt: Call me old fashion, but I still like to see some form of an objective statement. I’d like to know that the individual whose resume I’m reading is at least interested in HR. I also like to see an abbreviated “profile” of the individual early on in the résumé (which will prove valuable in the “10 Second Test” I reference later on), then their educational background, followed by work history/accomplishments. Then - only if it’s relevant - miscellaneous skills and activities should be placed at the end of the resume. Try to avoid clichés; you need to set yourself apart from others and not be a look-a-like.
When I’m helping people write or revise their resume, this is when I usually “tell my stories” in order to emphasize a few points.
My Resume Content Story:
Arndt: When my niece and nephew each graduated from college, I helped them put together their resumes. They actually had quite a bit of working experience for 20 something-year-olds. They could easily capture dates of employment, titles, and responsibilities, but it didn’t set them apart from other resumes.
They had a hard time coming up with accomplishments as well as laying out their resume in a way that was visually pleasing and easy to read. I had to tell them it was okay to brag because if they didn’t the person reading the resume would never know. It was not just about what they did, but how they did it. I started asking them questions:
- Have you ever worked on a project? What was it? What was your role? What were the results?
- How did it affect the department or the company?
- What feedback have you gotten from your boss…on your performance appraisals…from your co-workers…from your friends?
- Did you receive any promotions or awards?
- Why do you think you were selected over someone else?
- What did you accomplish during the time you were there that you will look back on and remember as a job well done?
- How will you be remembered at that company or in that role?
All of these questions - and their answers - helped them to fill in the gaps on their resumes with proven accomplishments, results, aptitudes, and abilities showing proof of the work they had done and what set them apart from others - not just dates and titles. It doesn’t matter how long you have been in the workforce - asking yourself many of the same questions will help you build your resume with substance.
How Many Pages Should My Resume Be?
Arndt: Sometimes I am asked, “How many pages should my resume be?” My response is “long enough to tell your story.” I’ve talked with some people who think it should be one page.
Arndt: Sometimes I am asked, “How many pages should my resume be?” My response is “long enough to tell your story.” I’ve talked with some people who think it should be one page.
I’m of the belief that most individuals who have been in the workforce more than five years will have a tough time telling their story in one page. Three is probably the maximum length - two is better if possible (again, it has to tell your story). If you’ve been in the workforce for 10 or more years what you did during college is probably not as important as it was when you were applying for jobs right out of college. Keep focused on what is relevant - sometimes that might mean modifying your resume for a specific job - what’s relevant in one situation might not be in the next.
How Do I Avoid Having My Resume Go Into A Black Hole?
Arndt: As a “search firm recruiter” I try to talk to almost every individual who e-mails me a resume by phone at the very least, and often times with a follow-up in-person meeting. I’m not just looking for candidates that match searches on which I am currently working, but I’m also interested in finding out about candidates who might be good matches for search work I may have in the days, weeks, or years to come. That’s a luxury most companies do not have when they are sourcing candidates on their own for a specific position. Their candidate pool often only consists of “actively looking” candidates, and because of time constraints, many corporate recruiters only look at resumes to determine the “final” candidate pool - that pool of candidates might then be phone screened - and an even more abbreviated group of candidates are invited in to interview. In the current job market, a company could easily get 100-200 resumes for any given job they have posted. So if your resume doesn’t get noticed at the beginning, you more than likely will not make it to the final candidate pool.
My Resume Selection Story:
Arndt: The next part of the story I tell is how candidates (resumes) get selected, which really emphasizes how critical the resume can be. While some companies have individuals whose entire job is recruiting, many companies combine it with other responsibilities. When a job is posted, resumes come in all week long and the “pile” expands. While we all have good intentions of looking at the new resumes each day, we get pulled in other directions. At the end of the week, the “pile” is a project in and of itself. We place the stack in our briefcase and promise ourselves we will review them “tonight” or at the very latest Saturday morning. But guess what? Busy lives, things come up, family priorities, and we find ourselves on Sunday evening with an untouched stack of resumes. The big game is now on or we are watching Desperate Housewives with the stack of resumes in front of us and we establish a “yes,” a “maybe,” and a “no” pile. It’s at this point in the story that I get head nods from anyone who has ever done recruiting - and they usually say, “I’ve done that!” It’s also at that point when I ask them to think about how - and how quickly - they made their decision on what stack a resume would be placed.
The key, of course, is to get your resume on the “yes” stack, and at the very least, the “maybe” stack. So how do you get to the “yes” stack? Most recruiters will make an initial decision about a resume in the matter of seconds - so it’s critical that your resume gets the recruiter’s attention immediately. As basic as it may seem - but as hard as it can be to accomplish - it has to be easy to read. The beginning of the resume has to be compelling, crisp and powerful enough to draw attention to the next section, and so on. A solid page of words in story form doesn’t do it - we glaze over, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll put it on the “maybe” stack for follow-up, but if, and only if, we don’t find our person in the “yes” stack.
Passing the “10 Second” Readability Test
Arndt: Sometimes we get so detailed in what we want to say in our resume it’s overwhelming, not only to you, the author, but to the reader as well. My recommendation is to try and “unclutter” your resume so that it can be quickly read and the right things are emphasized. A few simple things you might try:
- Take advantage of the bold and bold italics formatting. If the companies where you worked are recognizable in the community, you might want to emphasize the company name, on the other hand, if the jobs you held are going to be more important to you getting the new job, emphasis your title. The same rationale can be used on whether the college you attended is more important to recognize than the degree you received.
- Use bullets to your advantage. Avoid long, drawn out sentences. Align your resume with what the company is seeking. If they are looking for more of an HR specialist, emphasize your specialist background. If they are looking for an HR generalist, emphasize your generalist background. This gets back to the point about modifying your resume as needed.
- Describe company you work for: If you worked for companies that people might not know, you might want to add a sentence about what the company does. For example, if I have a software development company with an open position, and I didn’t know that XYZ Company who you worked for in another state was also a software development company, I might not put the two together and recognize that you have industry experience.
- Take out detail: Remember, you are not writing a procedures manual. How many of you HR professionals have given that same bit of advice to someone writing a job description?.
- Keep it simple: If your resume is selected, you will have opportunities to fill in the detail as the interview process continues.
To Recap:
Arndt: Writing a good resume can be summed up quite easily - if you received your own resume for a job you were filling, does it provide you - in a matter of seconds - enough information and enough interest to make the “yes” stack?
Are you struggling to write a resume on your own? Then read this article on why you should hire a professional resume writer and find out how you can get a professionally written resume for free.
Coming next: Part II of this series, featuring more resume writing tips for HR professionals – from HR professionals.
For more info: Are you struggling to write a resume on your own? Then read this article on why you should hire a professional resume writer.
For more info: Follow Matt Krumrie on Twitter at Twitter.com/MattKrumrie or email him at mattkrum@yahoo.com
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