Praxis Speaks

Review these tips to keep your resume or CV from winding up in the trash:

1.        Keep the length down to 2-3 pages.  Though I will say this, as a professional career coach I often tell my clients that it is the first page of a resume that counts.  IF you can catch their attention on the first page, they may very well read a longer resume.  The main idea is to keep the resume or CV succinct and above all pertinent to the job to which you’re applying.  That being said…

2.       Keep it visually appealing.  Keep your fonts consistent and at least at 12 point fonts.  Don’t play around with this too much.  Times New Roman or Arial.  Keep tables and charts to a minimum on the resume.  The idea is to think of your resume as a collective work of art, that when viewed from a distance looks smooth and polished.  A trick I tell my clients to use it to view it in the “Print Preview” section of Word to see it as others will see it.  Does it look fluid or choppy?

3.       Hybrids for higher level pro’s. In terms of style, I’d recommend what’s known as a hybrid CV, a cross between a functional and chronological (Google this if you’ve never heard of it) for those who have impressive academic and career credentials.  Graduate degrees such as MBAs, MDs, PhDs, JDs, etc stand out.  If you’ve been in the job force for more than 10 years, consider yourself a fairly seasoned professional.  Try to dedicate your first page to education, transferrable competencies, licenses/certs/, and additional skills.  The remaining pages should focus on your job progression.

4.       What can you do for me? Consider turning the classic “Profile” section into a “Transferrable Competencies” section to show employers what you can bring from one company to the next.  I’ve found that it helps to spell things out as simplistically as possible. 

5.       Take off any personal information that does not pertain to the job.  A professional executive should have way more than a CV and cover letter.  You should have additional pieces such as a Benchmarks Summary, Resu-Letters, Supplemental Pieces, Individualized Competencies, projects/presentations, etc.  By having a portfolio of different specialized pieces, you can shorten your CV down to a respectable 2-3 pages of raw, impressive information.  Plus, you can gradually WOW your prospects throughout the interview process rather than simply dumping everything in their laps at once. 

6.       No cookie cutters please! Always individualize your CV to some extent based on the job to which you are applying.  No cookie cutters at the higher levels.

7.       Focus on features vs. benefits.  Employers want to see more in the way of measurable stats including percentages.  These really jump out at employers.  Mix a healthy dose of both qualitative and quantitative information.

8.       Lastly, have two sections under each job position: “Major Responsibilities” should list your functions and “Major Accomplishments” should list your benefits what you did to make a company better.  Most important, they need to understand how you can do the same for them.

                                                                                                                                       Brooks Barton