Resumes Best Practices

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Tue., Jan. 06, 2009

With content assistance from Seacoast Partners, Getronics has put together the tools you need to prepare the most essential tool in a job search, the resume. The primary purpose of the resume is not actually to secure a job for you, but to serve as a means of getting you to a first interview. An offer of employment will be made based upon a successful interview, not necessarily on your resume. The art of selling yourself during this process will be discussed later.

Table of Contents

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What is a resume?
Foundation Of Building A Solid Resume
Listing Your Accomplishments And Skills
Accomplishment Checklist
Action Verbs For Impact
Resume Formats
Chronological Resume
Functional Resume
Combination Resume
Using References
Call Your References

What is a resume?

A resume is a short, professional account of your career and qualifications. It is important to your marketing campaign for the following reasons:

Writing a resume helps you to organize your thinking around your experiences and accomplishments. It also helps you express yourself more effectively during interviews.
It will introduce new people to your skills and abilities. Some people are uncomfortable without a written introduction or guide to who you are.
It may open doors as you build a network of contacts.
It provides a good document to leave behind after a meeting, or attached to a follow-up note. It can also be distributed to others in the company who might be looking for someone with your qualifications.

The most important step in preparing an effective resume is to develop a list of accomplishments. You will use this information not only in developing your resume, but throughout your internal job search efforts. Take your time; several days may be required to do a thorough job. Your accomplishments point out your skills and abilities, providing the Getronics hiring manager with a real measure by which to determine your potential ability to contribute to his or her company. Just as importantly, you will be made more aware of your own accomplishments.

As you assimilate this information, you should consider two categories--direct and indirect accomplishments. Direct accomplishments are those that were directly related to your past jobs, performance, responsibilities, and accomplishments that you personally achieved. Indirect accomplishments are those specific projects that were achieved by others while under your direction. Whether Direct or Indirect, if they were achieved by you or by those who reported to you while under your direction, they are still accomplishments that should be listed.

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Foundation Of Building A Solid Resume

You must be certain that your resume is appropriate for each job target within Getronics. Consider the job targets within the company and decide how many resumes you intend to write. Most people develop only one resume. A single resume will be sufficient if your target positions are similar. If a second resume is needed for a different job target, only your career highlights should be altered. Never falsify your resume, but it is perfectly acceptable to write a resume that might relate to a specific internal Getronics position you are seeking.

You are now ready to begin drafting your resume layout. Each of the following sections should be included:

Identification

Your name, address, and telephone number should be in bold and centered at the top of the page, regardless of the format selected. Do not refer to yourself by titles such as Miss or Mr. You should also list your mobile and fax numbers if you have them, as well as your e-mail address. Some people have a personal web site. It is only appropriate to list your personal web site if it is work-related.

Education

List all degrees that you have earned in reverse time order--i.e., the most recent listed first. Include institution attended, location, year of graduation (if you desire), and degree awarded. Education can be listed first or last on your resume. Generally, you should lead with your strong suit: If you are a Harvard MBA and worked last for a small company, you should list education first. Likewise, if you worked for IBM and received a BA from a small, relatively unknown college, list your work experience first and education last.

Experience Summary (optional)

You may wish to provide for your reader a general summary of your qualifications and experience. Highlight your experience or the type of job you are seeking. This section should consist of one paragraph, no more than five lines in length. Make it relevant to the job that you are seeking. Inexperienced people may speak of educational accomplishments here. By all means, don't be frivolous or say something like you are seeking a position that would contribute to the goals and objectives of a growth department. Of course you are!! An Experience Summary should only be included if you can be brief and to the point.

Experience

Include the following for any general or professional experience listed: job titles, names and locations of employers, years of employment, and a brief description of the company, the service and or products produced. Be very specific and brief with actual experience, providing a concise summary of your responsibilities and major accomplishments. Anything that can be quantified with numbers is of particular value.

In order to stay within the guideline of a one- or two-page total resume length, you may want to get a bit less specific as you move further back into your employment history. Remember to begin with your most recent job and proceed backwards in time. Be sure to use the "Buzz Words" and "Action Words" which relate to your occupation and/or experience level. Please note, it is important to use “Buzz Words” which will be understood by your reader.

Do not use “Buzz Words” or terminology which only relates to and would only be understood by persons directly working with you or only by persons in your current department.

Additional Information (optional)

List membership in organizations, positions held, awards won, etc., in areas that may relate to your targeted position. Information here would not ordinarily be found in any other section of your resume. Be sure to list any certifications such as MCSE, CCIE, A+, etc.

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Listing Your Accomplishments And Skills

An accomplishment is an activity that gives you a sense of fulfillment and a feeling of pride and success. These accomplishments represent you functioning at your best, when you believed in yourself and your ideas. Knowing, and expressing, what you can do well will help you to: build self-confidence, seek out the position that fits you best, and communicate effectively in interviews and meetings.

Some people feel uncomfortable about completing this exercise, even though they understand how important it is. They don't want to "blow their own horn" or know how to do it without sounding egotistical. There is, however, a difference between empty bragging and displaying a confidence that comes from knowing your skills and being optimistic about your future. After reviewing your accomplishments you will probably feel a natural sense of your own worth, and have a positive outlook toward your ability to contribute in the future.

Take your time here: Really give this some thought. Companies today want to know more than that you spent five years in a particular job. They also want to know what you did during those five years, and most importantly what impact it had on their business. These accomplishments will help to differentiate your experiences from those of others. Hiring managers are looking for people to contribute and add value to their department and the way that they judge this is through accomplishments.

You will later use these accomplishments in your resume, your cover letter, and your internet profile, and you will feel more comfortable in an interview knowing that you can articulate what you have accomplished.

The following checklist will help you to think about the types of accomplishments you have had. The accompanying list of verbs will help your accomplishment statements have added impact.

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Accomplishment Checklist

Have you:

Accomplished more with the same or fewer resources? (How? Results?)
Received awards or special recognition? (What? When?)
Increased efficiency? (How? Results?)
Solved difficult problems? (How? Results?)
Accomplished something for the first time? (What? Results?)
Developed, created, designed or invented something? (What? Why important?)
Wrote a paper or article? (What? Why important?)
Increased sales? (How? By how much?)
Been promoted or upgraded? (When? Why important?)
Managed employees or a team? (Where? How many? Results?)
Developed a new system or procedure? (What? Results?)
Managed a budget? (How much? Results?)
Saved the company money? (How much? How?)
Reduced down time? (How? How much?)

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Action Verbs For Impact

Verbs - Which words will have the most impact? Here's a list of skills as verbs:

Accelerated
Accomplished
Achieved
Acquired
Acted
Activated
Adapted
Addressed
Administered
Advanced
Advised
Allocated
Analyzed
Anticipated
Applied
Appointed
Appraised
Approved
Arranged
Assessed
Assigned
Assisted
Attained
Began
Bought
Brainstormed
Broadened
Brought
Budgeted
Built
Calculated
Captured
Centralized
Clarified
Collaborated
Combined
Compiled
Completed
Composed
Conceived
Concluded
Condensed
Conducted
Consolidated

Constructed
Consulted
Contributed
Controlled
Convened
Coordinated
Corrected
Created
Cultivated
Cut
Defined
Delegated
Delivered
Demonstrated
Designated
Designed
Determined
Developed
Devised
Devoted
Directed
Discharged
Discovered
Distributed
Documented
Doubled
Earned
Edited
Effected
Eliminated
Employed
Encouraged
Energized
Enforced
Engineered
Established
Estimated
Evaluated
Examined
Exceeded
Executed
Exercised
Expanded
Expedited

Extended
Extracted
Filled
Financed
Forecasted
Formed
Formulated
Found
Founded
Framed
Fulfilled
Gathered
Generated
Grew
Grouped
Guided
Handled
Headed
Helped
Hired
Identified
Implemented
Improved
Improvised
Increased
Influenced
Initiated
Inspected
Inspired
Installed
Instigated
Instituted
Instructed
Insured
Integrated
Interpreted
Interviewed
Introduced
Invented
Investigated
Launched
Led
Lightened
Localized

Located
Made
Maintained
Managed
Marketed
Mediated
Mobilized
Modernized
Modified
Monitored
Motivated
Negotiated
Observed
Obtained
Operated
Ordered
Organized
Originated
Overhauled
Oversaw
Participated
Performed
Persuaded
Pinpointed
Pioneered
Planned
Prepared
Presented
Prevented
Processed
Procured
Produced
Programmed
Projected
Promoted
Proposed
Proved
Provided
Published
Purchased
Raided
Realized
Recommended
Reconciled

Recruited
Redesigned
Reduced
Reengineered
Regulated
Reinforced
Related
Renegotiated
Reorganized
Reported
Represented
Researched
Reshaped
Resolved
Restored
Reviewed
Revised
Revitalized
Revived
Saved
Scheduled
Screened
Secured
Selected
Served
Serviced
Set Up
Settled
Shaped
Showed
Simplified
Sold
Solved
Sparked
Specialized
Specified
Sponsored
Staffed
Started
Stimulated
Streamlined
Strengthened
Stressed
Stretched

Structured
Studied
Succeeded
Summarized
Superseded
Supervised
Supported
Surpassed
Surveyed
Sustained
Systematized
Tailored
Targeted
Taught
Terminated
Tested
Tightened
Traced
Tracked
Traded
Trained
Transacted
Transferred
Transformed
Translated
Trimmed
Tripled
Uncovered
Undertook
Unearthed
Unified
Unraveled
Updated
Used
Utilized
Vacated
Validated
Verified
Vitalized
Widened
Withdrew
Won
Worked
Wrote

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Resume Formats

With so many different employment experiences possible, there is no single resume template that works for everyone. There are, however, generally accepted ways to arrange the information on your resume to present it in the best light.

The two styles that are discussed most often are the chronological format and the functional format. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to presenting your information. A third style, the combination format, is a compromise between the two and has become more popular in recent years.

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Chronological Resume

This is the most common resume style, and the one that employers prefer. In the chronological format, the emphasis is placed on employment experience. The applicant's job history is presented in reverse chronological order, with the most recent jobs placed at the top of the list.

The chronological resume is good if your recent job experience is relevant to the job you are applying for, and you want to stay on a similar career path. Potential employers can easily see what you have done, and how you have progressed and garnered experience.

Despite its popularity, there are some reasons why the chronological format may not be right for you. If you are just entering the workforce from school, a resume like this may actually highlight your lack of experience. You may have held jobs recently that have no relevance to the position you're applying for. If you are re-entering the workforce after a substantial absence, this resume will highlight your recent inactivity. Any large gaps in your recent employment history will be evident, and you may be asked about them.

Likewise, a job history full of briefly held jobs might lead a potential employer to question your ability to remain employed. A long employment history at a single company will reveal your age to some extent, something you may not feel comfortable doing.

Key Elements in Standard Chronological Resume

Heading

Your identifying information, name, address, home, office and/or cell telephone numbers, and email address should head the first page in a balanced layout.

Background Summary

This can also be called Career Summary or Summary of Qualifications. It is a brief summary of your work experience and strengths. This emphasizes your knowledge, skills and qualifications for the job you are seeking. This summary can be organized in several ways.

Narrative with three or four sentences
Short introductory narrative followed by bullets
Bullet statements alone with a one-sentence introduction

Professional Experience

This can also be called Employment History or Work History. Remember, however, that the resume is a promotional and marketing piece, not an autobiography. It should emphasize your strengths. A word of caution. You should never falsify or distort information in a resume. It could seriously jeopardize others' perception of your integrity.

The experience section should first state your job title in your most recent position, followed by the name of the company, its location and the years your were employed. Use only whole years, not months. For example, 1997-1999. Under that, give a brief description of the job and a bulleted list of accomplishments. Continue in reverse order.

Education

Educational background should be simply stated. List your highest degree first, followed by the subject and the university or college. You may, or may not want to include the date of graduation. You should include any other training, certificates or educational achievements if they are relevant to the job you are applying for. These should be included in a separate section entitled Professional Development or Training and Development.

Technical Skills

A listing of your technical and/or computer skills can be placed here or immediately following the Background Summary. This will depend on how important these are in you specific field. Remember, the person reading your resume is going to give it a quick scan from top to bottom. If it's important, put it up front right away.

Personal Interests/Memberships/Affiliations

These sections are optional, but may include memberships, language skills, special achievements, military experience, etc., but only include them if they are relevant. If you are in management, show affiliations and memberships in professional organizations related to your profession. If you are active in community life, this may be a plus. You may include these activities, but be very selective. Do not include religious or political activities.

A resume, no matter how good, will not get you a job by itself. However, a good resume will attract the attention of the hiring manager or human resources manager and secure a job interview. The purpose of a resume is to disclose your accomplishments and qualifications to a potential employer. If the employer likes what they see, they will contact you for a face-to-face meeting.

Think of your resume as a promotional brochure about you. You need to show a potential employer what you have accomplished and where your experience lies. Your strategy should be to emphasize the experience and skills that a particular employer is looking for.

Your resume is also an example of your communication and organizational skills. A well-done resume is itself another reminder of what kind of valuable employee you would be. Likewise, a sloppily-produced resume is a horrific way to get yourself taken out of the running before it even starts.

There is a lot of information available on resumes and resume writing. We have provided you a basic overview of the different types of resumes and their functions. For more information, we suggest you find a good book on resume writing. Most libraries have a good career section and you can usually find one there. A caution: check the date of publication. Resume advice tends to follow trends and you should try to stay current.

If you have access to the internet, most of the career and job sites have good, up to date information on resume writing with many sample documents. Print one or two samples out that catch your eye and use them as models when you build your resume.

Sample Chronological Resumes

You can download samples of Chronological Resumes in Microsoft Word file by clicking on the links below:

Chronological Resume Example #1

Chronological Resume Example #2

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Functional Resume

In this non-linear format, your skills and achievements are emphasized. Your employment history is summarized or avoided all together. Your skills and previous relevant experience (including educational experience) are presented at the beginning of your resume. They are organized so the employer can see how your skills relate to the job position you are applying for. (In a chronological resume, employers may simply be looking at the jobs you have held previously to see if you have the experience they are looking for.) It may take more effort to write a functional resume, but you are free to highlight your talents instead of your recent job experience.

The functional resume can be particularly effective if you've held a number of similar positions; it will allow you to highlight your skills rather than itemize what might be a redundant looking job history.

But the functional resume may also raise concerns in some employers' minds as to whether you are withholding information. This doesn't mean that functional resumes are ignored or that they can't be effective. But an employer looking for a clear job history may be put off by the functional format, especially if you've used a functional resume to hide your inexperience or a long gap in your employment history.

If you don't have any problems with the reverse chronological format, use it instead. If you still like the idea of the functional format, you may want to make it more acceptable by combining it with the chronological format and creating a combination resume.

Sample Functional Resumes

You can download a sample Functional Resume in Microsoft Word file by clicking on the link below:

Functional Resume Example #1

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Combination Resume

The combination resume is simply a functional resume with a brief employment history added. Skills and accomplishments are still listed first; the employment history follows. You need to reveal where you worked, when you worked, and what your job position was. This will allay an employer's worries about your experience, and it still allows you to emphasize your talents and how you would use them for the job you are applying for. While most employers might still prefer a chronological resume, this is a good alternative to the functional resume. Here is a sample of a Combination resume:

Combination Resume Example #1

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Using References

It is not necessary to list names. It is appropriate simply to indicate at the bottom of your resume that references are available upon request. Be sure to list any credentials such as MCSE, CCIE, A+, etc., for each reference. It is appropriate at this time to discuss the subject of references. You should prepare a list of potential references that can make a strong, positive statement about you. You should have a good idea what your references are going to say. We suggest sending them a blank form that they could complete and prepare ahead of time.

Some slightly negative comments may add credibility to a source that is making overwhelmingly positive statements about you, as long as such comments do not undermine your suitability for the job. Therefore, your references should know you well enough to be familiar with both your strengths and your weaknesses, but savvy enough to present any weaknesses in a positive way.

An excellent choice is always someone to whom you have reported in a previous position. Choose people who in some way relate to the position that you seek. If you cannot provide references from former employers, be prepared to say why. Family members and casual friends are not good choices; for business references, use business associates.

Once your choices have been made, you should contact each person to ask permission to use him or her as a reference. You may want to conduct a mini interview in order to determine what a person may say about you. Be sure that permission has been granted before sending out the information. Explain your objectives and ask for assistance in your search. Send each reference a copy of your resume when it is completed and a list of questions they may be asked. Doing so will help him/her be prepared. Without becoming a nuisance, keep each person up-to-date on your search. Once you accept an offer, thank each reference for his contribution to your success.

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Call Your References

So you've got your list of references, and they're all super. They're people you've worked with, who know how well you've performed and are willing to talk to prospective employers. But when was the last time you talked to them?

The worst thing that can happen to you is to lose track of good references. Stay in touch with them, not just for selfish reasons, but also to keep in touch with old friends. Make it a point to call -- not email -- your references about every three months. This will not only solidify your friendships, but it will also reconfirm that they are still willing to serve as references for you.
Keep a good, up-to-date email and telephone directory of your references. It's important to note that keeping a company email address or office telephone number may not be enough. Back it up with a list of home emails and home telephone numbers.
If one of your references should leave or change jobs between calls, the chances are excellent that someone will know where he or she went. By the same token, it's also likely your references will tell you about pending job changes during one of your quarterly calls.
Ask your references to keep you informed about where they are. This is an obvious recommendation, but it's often overlooked. Most of the time, people who know you and have worked with you are happy to serve as references. If you're keeping in touch with them on a quarterly basis, it's not inappropriate to ask them to let you know if they're planning a career change.
Keep your list of references current. References should be people with whom you've worked on a daily basis within the last five to seven years. Why? Because people change over time. They grow, gain experience, learn new skills, have different responsibilities and improve in areas that were weak five years ago but are strong now. References that span the 5-7 year timeframe can demonstrate how you've changed and grown during that time.

The other reason to keep your list of references updated is because a reference from a decade ago may have a tough time remembering the details about your performance that a prospective employer wants. So, over time, keep adding to your list of references to insure that a prospective employer can get the best picture of not only where you've been in your career, but also where you are now.

Failing to keep in touch with your references can make it difficult or impossible to find them. If you let too much time pass, it's entirely possible that the people who could have told you where a reference went will have moved on themselves.

Now you can take your resume and submit it to the Getronics job board.

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