CREATE A MORE EFFECTIVE RÉSUMÉ BY FOLLOWING THESE TEN RULES
1.
Organize your résumé in a clear format. Choose a format that reflects your position level and make sure it is easy
to read by providing plenty of white space, and limiting bold, italics, and underlining.
2. Focus on your accomplishments and results. Separate job responsibilities from accomplishments. An
accomplishment is anything that demonstrates you excelled in your role- such as helping your company save
money, make money, or improve quality. Bullet accomplishments for emphasis and ensure easy visual scanning.
3. Be concise and factual. State your contact information, work history experience (with accomplishments and
results), and education. Rely on fact-based statements to sell yourself.
4. Avoid gaps in your work history. Hiring managers are looking for reasons to eliminate as many résumés as
possible and extended periods not accounted for are red flags. Consider listing consulting work or professional
training you may have done in the time between jobs.
5. Choose your words very carefully. Select strong action verbs, concrete nouns and positive modifiers for emphasis.
Be concise and limit use of articles (a, an, and the) and adverbs. Verbs should be in the first person, but do not use
personal pronouns/possessives (I, me, my, etc.).
6. Personalize your résumé to suit key jobs you’re pitching. Provide more accomplishments for positions that are
similar to the job you want, and less details for job history that is not relevant. It’s more work for you to have
several resumes, but each will be more effective if it’s customized.
7. Ask a friend to proofread your résumé. They will help catch mistakes and be an objective judge of persuasiveness
of your document.
8. Create a list of references, but make them available only upon request.
9. Name your résumé document effectively. When titling your electronic file to be emailed, make sure the name is
your name, such as Gregory_Smithers_Resume.doc instead of resume.doc. This will ensure the hiring manager
does not have to take time out of his/her day to rename your document.
10. Bring numerous copies of your résumé on the best paper to help it stand out. Printing your resume on premium,
32-pound, 100% cotton résumé paper show you are a discerning candidate. A matching résumé folder and
envelope say that you care about details. Do not staple or fold your résumé. Using a matching résumé folder and
envelope demonstrates you care about details.