The reverse will be true on that version of the resume you will send to employers looking for microprocessor programmers.
- Do not include a photograph of yourself, your salary requirements and history, or names of references. If you feel it necessary to discuss salary prior to an interview, you can do it most effectively in a cover letter. It does not belong on the resume. Naming references doesn't accomplish very much, because employers know that you'll put down the names only of those people who'll say nice things about you. Besides, no one is interested in checking references unless you have gone through the initial interview process and are closer to being offered a job. As for photographs, they'll see what you look like if they decide to call you in for an interview.
Another no-no is being too candid about negative aspects of your background. There is no perfect candidate for a job. Employers understand this and assume that there are negatives in each person's background. Think of your resume as an ad for you that presents you in the best possible light. Never lie but, by the same token, don't destroy your chances by highlighting the reasons you shouldn't be hired. Some people who have been fired will go on for a page or more explaining the reasons for the dismissal. Don't bother; no one will read it anyway, and it simply highlights the fact that you have been fired. (By the way, just about everyone has been fired from a job at some time, from a fast-food operation during high school to losing a vice-presidency at a major corporation. There's nothing to be ashamed of, so long as it doesn't represent a pattern and didn't result from illegal or unethical actions on your part.)
Don't attempt to be witty or cute in a resume. It is not an exercise in creative writing. Rather, it is where short, factual, and grammatically correct sentences, utilizing just the right words to say what you mean, are called for.
- Stick to the basics. Use standard-size paper (8.2 x 11), avoid colors other than white or off-white, and follow a basic format. Avoid the temptation to make it look like a telegram announcing your availability, or a news release heralding your emergence onto the employment scene. Simple and basic. If you can't sell yourself through a straightforward presentation of your business life, fancy colors and oversize paper won't help-and could hurt.
- Once you are satisfied with the contents of your resume (and that means after numerous readings and revisions, and passing it by others who can look at it from a more detached point of view), carefully proof that version, too, and have someone else proof it before you invest in having it duplicated.
- About duplicating: after all the work you have put into your resume, it would be a shame to make inferior copies. Avoid library or bank copying machines. Go to a printer and have it reproduced professionally. Be fair-don't use your company's photocopying or offset equipment. Besides contributing to what has become an incredible waste in American business (a survey of mine shows that 130 billion photocopies each year are unnecessary, and that 8 percent of them are for personal use), I know of several incidents where a jam occurred in the office copying machine, the service door was locked, and a page from an employee's resume was later recovered by the boss.
