In short, your resume should be long enough to tell the prospective employer all that he should know, and short enough to avoid trivia. The generally accepted average is one page for applicants with little experience-such as recent college graduates-two pages for applicants with up to ten years' experience, and three pages for professional people and executives, who usually have long years of experience.
General Notes for on Effective Resume
- The samples of resumes for various job areas included in this chapter are for your guidance. Study them carefully and follow the format in preparing your own. They are all samples of four leading resumes, the type used by better placement and personnel services. Include all functions related to your experience and the job areas in which you are interested.
- Always use good quality paper for resumes, at least 50 percent rag bond, preferably the standard inch size. Odd sizes-legal paper, for instance-are difficult to handle and file. Send a good mimeograph copy to prospective employers, references, friends or other business contacts.
- Place your full name, in capitals, at the top center of each page. Omit your present status, since this can be included in any covering letter you may send out.
- If your resume is more than one page long, type "Page 1 of 2 (or 3)" at the bottom of the first page. At the bottom of page 2, type "Page 2 of 2 (or 3)." Do the same for page 3. The employer can then know the length of your resume at a glance. If the pages should become separated, he will know how many he should have.
- Use underlining and dividing lines to help the prospective employer refer to specific material at a glance. Also follow the samples for the setting of margins.
- After you have entered the type of work desired, explain your experience and past performance of this work in detail. Omit any reference to occupational levels, such as "manager" or "assistant to the president," until the time of the personal interview. If the prospective employer has no upper managerial positions at the time, he may discard your resume. If, however, you leave yourself open for possible positions at any managerial level, he could have something else for you.
- Choose carefully the general areas of experience to be placed in the wide margin of your resume. The specific positions you have held in this area are then detailed in reverse chronological order. This is the accepted setup, but you can also place experience that bears most directly on your field at the top, regardless of chronological order.
- Normally, you do not furnish a photograph of yourself. In some states, the law forbids employers to request a picture. However, if you wish, it is best to furnish a good passport-type photo to the employer.
- When you have completed your resume, check it carefully against the samples, and then recheck your own information. If your resume deviates from the form of the sample, be certain that you have good, strong reasons for that deviation.
- Never send carbon copies of your resume to an employer.
- Never use abbreviations, especially the term ''etc." Anything important enough to be stated should be written out.
- Do not go into much detail about work below your top level of employment.
- Some authorities suggest you find out about the company's level of salary before your interview. Save discussion of salary for the personal interview. A high salary asked on your resume may harm your chances of getting an interview at all; bear in mind that high-paying jobs are not too plentiful.
- Do not limit yourself to area, salary or position desired without considering which of these is most important to you, or if any are more important than a chance for advancement. Be sure you know which of these you would be most willing to sacrifice.
- Know beforehand whether you will accept a step-down in authority and responsibility. Do not expect to start at or near the top. In business, time is needed to prove your ability unless you belong in the executive echelon. You cannot start at the top, no matter how good you are, or think you are. Remember that a business firm will pay you only for what you can contribute.
The four most favored resumes in use today are the basic, the chronologically the functional and the modern analytical resumes. The following pages present a sample of each type of resume for a mechanical engineer. The profession is a random choice. The samples could apply to, or be adapted for, any other profession.
