Tips On Writing A Professional Resume Straight From The Hiring Manager
Your resume must get you an interview. It either works, or it doesn’t. Once you get the interview, a great resume sets the tone for you to elaborate on your skills and actions at past jobs. How do we know? Robin asked over 600 Hiring Managers in her national Hiring Manager Survey. Then she talked to CEOs about the attributes most sought for their companies, in the CEO Survey. Now, Robin has encapsulated it for you.
Employers want to draw conclusions from your resume. They want to learn the results of efforts you’ve spent elsewhere.
The 15 Second Resume
All the effort you put into creating this resume will either succeed or fail in 15 seconds. That’s the amount of time your employer will spend with it before deciding that you are in - or you’re out.
So you better be organized. And you better know what your strongest attributes are. Here are some tips for evaluating your resume (taken from the “Hiring Manager Survey”):
• Content: Show how your Strong Actions = Results
• One Page
• Professional Layout
• Easy to Read
• Quantify skills and actions
Valerie, Human Resources Director, working at a prominent Northwest company said, “I see resumes all the time. Thousands have passed through my hands but when it comes to writing my own I have a difficult time doing it. A resumé is nothing more than a slick piece of advertisement. But an important piece, especially in today’s job market.”
Your resumé is all an employer has when they start the screening process. And employers report that most resumes get only a 15 second glance. If you don’t capture their attention quickly they pass you by and call in someone else for the interview.
There is a good technique that you can use though that employers really like to see on a resume. In her national survey the overwhelming majority said the most important part of your resumé is your Summary of Qualifications section, since employers reported that this was one of the very first areas they read. And if the briefly stated summary demonstrates solid ability to fill the advertised job it catches their attention and they slow down and give the applicant more careful consideration.
Hiring managers also reported only about 5% of resumes contained this key section and Robin never writes a resumé without it. Think of it as mini-outline of you; a highly influential summation of the specifics you bring to the job. This section usually consists of four to six sentences that present an overview of your experience, accomplishments, talents, work habits and skills. Here is a good example:
Summary of Qualifications
Twelve years human resources management experience in fast-paced, rapidly expanding companies. Expertise includes employment law, recruiting, employee and labor relations, and compensation. Analytical decision maker with excellent problem-solving skills, excellent team collaborator. Recognized for ability to develop employee’s professional growth and increase their productivity.
It’s easy to see reading this brief summary how this candidate is qualified to do a human resources job. Indeed, she got several interviews and went on to work at Seattle’s most famous coffee company.
One caution - employers complain that many people lie on their resume. Exaggeration! Misrepresentation! LYING is a deadly error. Don’t do it! Employers ask more questions and do more background checks now than ever before so when you get caught, and sooner or later your lie will get exposed, you’ll likely be fired. Solid facts and verifiable experience should highlight your actions and accomplishments.
© Copyright 2006 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.
America’s top career coach, Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah and Dr. Phil, and is the best-selling author of: What to Do with the Rest of Your Life; 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Winning Resumes; and Winning Cover Letters. Her newest book is Soaring On Your Strengths. Robin has a busy career counseling practice, and is a popular national speaker. Contact her at: 425.226.0414 or email: RobinRyan@aol.com. Visit her website at: www.RobinRyan.com.