Resume Writing 101Creating a Personal
Marketing Piece
Presented By:
Erica Woods, Apex
Systems
Brandon Berlett,
Experis
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Session Abstract
The importance of an effective, well-written and user-friendly resume
can’t be overstated. Your resume is usually the first thing a potential
employer sees; it’s often the first impression of you as a candidate.
Studies have shown that the average employer scans a resume for 1530 seconds before deciding whether to move forward with a
candidate. Resumes should be written to communicate your brand,
skills, and interests. They should give an immediate indication of
your qualifications, demonstrate your potential as a fit for the
employer, and show you’re a candidate worth strong consideration.
In this session, we’ll provide advice on how to really enhance your
resume and communicate your brand to help grab the attention of
potential employers. Hopefully you’ll walk away with some insight on
how to craft a resume that’s a major personal marketing piece.
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Who are we?
Erica Woods, Apex Systems
Brandon Berlett, Experis
• Manager of Contractor Relations, with 6+ years of
• Sr. Technical Recruiter (Microsoft
Applications Recruiting (focus on Microsoft Tech
(.NET, SP, SQL))
• Supported 30+ clients in the local area with SQL
Server environments across a variety of
industries, and placed hundreds of IT
professionals
• Community Involvement: BSSUG, CMAP,
BaltoMSDN, PMI, GiveCamp, & PARW/CC
• Contact Information:
ewoods@apexsystemsinc.com
Office: 443-539-3320
Technologies)
• Over 6 years with Experis/Comsys
(Recruiting and Business Development)
• Lead National Microsoft Talent
Community
• Lifetime Baltimorean – Go O’s/Ravens
• Community Involvement: BSSUG, IIBA,
CMAP, GiveCamp
• Contact Information:
brandon.berlett@experis.com
Office: 443-703-3840
3
Resumes 101
• Keep in mind that:
• The decision maker will spend 15-30 seconds with each resume
to make a “yes” or “no” decision.
• Design plays a key role in the reader’s first impression, followed
by what key information jumps from the page in that short period
of time, and whether the information matches the company’s
requirements.
• An employer is looking for an indication that the candidate has a
documented track record of success.
• Chronologically organized resumes are preferred
• The goal of your Objective is to get you to the next step of the
hiring process!
Communicate. Strengths. Accomplishments. Brand. Interests.
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Resume Strategy
• Key information should be visible first, to
help capture the attention of the reviewer.
• Industry-specific skills tend to carry more
weight than soft skills.
• Use industry jargon and appropriate
keywords for the type of positions,
companies and industries you’re targeting.
• Ensure all data is accurate, and that
misconception of that data is minimalized.
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Resume Strategy (continued)
• Accomplishments define the uniqueness of the candidate and
their contributions to the bottom line. Make accomplishments
prominent!
• Put data in its proper context. Describe the company in the
context of its industry (EX. a $45 million pharmaceutical
distribution company with 12 offices in 4 states), describe the
scope of responsibilities, use time frames where applicable,
and align word choice with status of client.
• Ensure you’re communicating your ‘Unique Brand’
• Proofread, proofread, proofread!
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Prior to Writing Resume
• Ask yourself:
• What skills/traits do I want to communicate?
• What do I want to emphasis?
• What do I want the resume reviewer to know about
me within 15 seconds?
Do you know your target
reaction from the
resume reviewer?
• Examples:
•
•
•
•
•
Strong career progression/promotions
Supported enterprise level environments
Lead a team
Client interfacing experience
Supported environments with multiple
instances of SQL Server
• Strong SQL BI experience
• Custom Development
• Certifications
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Content to Include
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name, Location and Contact Information
Summary
Highlights
Accomplishments
Experience
Education
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Optional Sections
• Technical Skills
Summary
• Certifications
• Awards
• Clients / Industry
Experience
• Community Service
• Affiliations
• Publications
• Presentations
• Interests
• Keywords
• URL to LinkedIn Profile,
Social Media, Blog,
Portfolio, or Website
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Resume Organization,
Presentation, and Formatting
• Prioritizing content is vital to getting an interview
request.
• Save formatting enhancements for what you want to
emphasize (i.e. achievements).
• Employers prefer resumes that are reader friendly.
• Have a comfortable mix of white space and words.
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Resume Formatting – Consistency
• Ensure consistency in regards to:
• Line spacing, horizontal spacing, and
character spacing
• Past vs. Present tense
• Indentation
• Bolding, Italicizing, Underlining, Font
Type/Size - DON’T OVER DO IT
• Font (Arial 10 or Times New Roman 11 or
12 are most common)
• How content is outlined (paragraphs or
bullet points) – Managers tend to prefer
bullet points.
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Resume Best Practices
• Adopt a sales and marketing mentality when writing your resume to
ensure you’re advertising yourself, skills, the value you can bring to a
team and company, achievements, etc… Your resume should serve
as an advertising channel for you!
• Strengths should be prioritized, well pronounced and woven
throughout the document like a theme!
• Layout is incredibly important. The initial impression must be
inviting, attractive and professional! Avoid a sloppy, crowded, busy
or loud resume.
• If a resume extends to a 2nd or 3rd page by only a few lines, the
writer might want to reformat the document to fit on 1 or 2 pages.
• Use active verbs and phrases to bring resumes and cover letters to
life (EX. “decreased processing time by 22%” is more powerful and
concise than “processing time was decreased by 22%”). Start
accomplishment phrases with active verbs to strengthen the writing.
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Best Practices: QA Your Resume
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Does it answer “Why should this company hire me?”
Does it market skills effectively?
Are achievements and career progression instantly visible?
Does it include any personal experience, non-profit or
technical community involvement,
memberships/associations, or training that might reinforce
my target Brand?
Does it include industry and technical jargon that
demonstrates my knowledge and sophistication?
Is it reader/user friendly?
Does it show my successful track record?
Am I satisfied with the content, layout,
formatting, style, mechanics, and marketing?
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The 7 Deadly Sins
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Lack of Creativity or Individuality
Wrong Tone in Cover Letter
Bad Writing Strategy
Poor Word Processing Skills
Repetition of Verbiage
Regurgitation of Material
Proofreading Errors
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References
• PARW/CC Resume Guide
• CareerBuilder Resource Center
• LinkedIn Articles
• Ere.net – Professional Staffing Resource
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That’s all folks!
Questions?
Comments?
Additional Suggestions?
Contact Information:
Erica Woods: ewoods@apexsystemsinc.com / 443-539-3320
Brandon Berlett: brandon.berlett@experis.com / 443-703-3840
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