Today we are wrapping up our series on resume writing. The past five posts we have discussed common ways resumes can easily work for or against you. We’ve covered everything from formatting, verbiage and keywords, to providing evidence of success and relocation. There is enough covered to ensure that the 15 seconds that a hiring manager spends reading your resume is enough to get you an interview.
Here are the last tips for this series that we have to offer you.
Leave out unnecessary details.
This is a very important part of editing and updating your resume. Focus on professional essentials that pertain to the position for which you are applying. Do not include hobbies, religious affiliation, and other unrelated personal facts on your resume. It’s essential to eliminate potential for pre-interview discrimination as well as maintain a high level of relevancy to the position and the organization.
It’s safe to assume that in applying for a high-level job you do not need to include entry- or low-level skills. A hiring manager would expect that a candidate would have considerable experience with Excel or Outlook, where as proficiency with field-specific software is much more significant and important.
Give enough information.
Your resume is intended to be a summary, not an entire life history. We mentioned in previous posts it should be a good outline for your interview and a marketing tool to promote you and your valuable skills. Allow room for discussion in your interview. Give enough information to qualify you, but not so much that there aren’t any questions when you meet. If your resume reads like a job description and can apply to anyone, it’s important to give more information about your history as it relates to you. Eliminate the generic details.
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Hiring managers want to know that you can successfully lead a team. Simply stating that you were credit manager isn’t enough. What have you done that sets you apart from other credit managers applying for the same position? How does your leadership experience align with the organization’s job description? If the hiring manager can pull useful information like this from your history in a quick scan of your resume, it is highly likely that the company will want to know more about you.
Make sure your contact information is up to date and complete. It’s important that the hiring manager or human resources can reach you. If you are applying for a position out of state or long-distance, provide your current address and note that you’re open to relocating in your resume’s summary.
