Your resume should be short, succinct and, most importantly, have "sizzle." What is sizzle? Imagine that you are in a restaurant. The waiter appears with a sizzling steak platter and tells you to prepare for a feast.
Your mouth begins watering, and you can't wait to savor the flavor. That's sizzle. Now that doesn't mean your written presentation of yourself should be corny or cute, but you should strive to make the employer anxious to meet you.
When applied to your experience, the list of action words found at the end of this chapter can give your resume sizzle. Here are some other good tips about resumes:
- If you include an objective at the beginning of your resume, keep it generic enough so that you don't exclude yourself as a candidate for other positions within the company that might interest you.
- Organize your resume carefully. If it's logical and easy to absorb, your audience is more likely to read it.
- Unless you are trying to obtain a position in creative advertising or public relations, stick with white, light beige, bone or gray paper. Don't get too flashy, or you may draw unnecessary and undesirable attention to yourself,
- Resumes should be one page long. Descriptive words will help you keep your resume brief.
- Don't explain why you left each company. If the interviewer asks, be prepared to answer, but there's no need to mention it in the resume.
- Don't give dates such as graduation dates that give away your age. You only want to include information that will encourage a personal interview.
- Don't put salary requirements on your resume. If you are screening companies this way or a company asks for that information, include it in your cover letter.
- You should have at least two resumes emphasizing different areas of expertise. For instance, if you have managerial experience and computer capabilities, you should slant one resume toward your management skills and another toward your technical abilities.
Example A is a typical "easy to read" resume that states everything an employer needs to know about you and your back ground. Do not go back more than 10 years unless it pertains to a particular position. Example B states the pertinent information clearly and succinctly. There are many ways to format your resume, but these two versions have worked well for our candidates over the years. Despite their differences, they are both short, to the point, easy to follow and sizzling.
First Things First
Do introduce your resume with a cover letter. The cover letter is the place to explain why you're sending your resume to them and, if necessary, to discuss salary requirements.
You can write several different cover letters or simply have one that is general enough to meet any company's qualifications. If you have access to a word processor or typewriter, personalize your cover letter by Inserting a specific job title and a sentence or two about the position you are applying for or the company you are applying to.
