Be the Best Resume in the Bunch!

A few years ago I walked into my supervisor's office and accidentally brushed against a large pile of papers on the desk.  Papers of all shades came cascading on the floor and I rushed to scoop them up.  "What are these?", I asked.  "Resumes" she dryly replied and went back to her work.

We had one position open in the department and probably about 150 resumes sitting patiently on the desk.  Is your resume quietly sitting on a desk somewhere? Maybe it's languishing away in the dreaded "circular file" or fading into obscurity in the spam box? Here are a few tips to get your resume out of the background and in the front of the line.

Send a customized resume for each job position

Sending the same, generic resume to every employer is like opening a Baskin Robbin's 31 Flavors and only serving vanilla.  Your resume should reflect the job description as closely as possible.  Of  course, you want to be honest about it.  Flubbing on a resume is a big NO, NO. Google George O'Leary and Notre Dame Football Coach if you need more convincing.

Make it  easy to read.

It's true.  Most resumes get a first glance of about 30 seconds.  Employers are looking for key skills, qualifications and experience.  If they can't find it in 30 seconds or less they simply move on to the next.  Have a good balance of white space and text.  Use easy to read font like Times New Roman or Courier.  Double check for spelling, grammar and typo's and use a font size between 10 and 12.

No more than 2 pages

Debate continues about the one page versus two page resume.  From an employer perspective one page is easier to read and less paper to loose.  However, if you can't fit your resume on one page two pages might be justified.  

Use a cover letter

A cover letter is a great way to introduce your self and "warm" up your reader for the carefully crafted masterpiece of a resume they are about to read.  It's also a great place to name drop and include additional information about skills and abilities you didn't include in your resume.  

Get it into the right hands

Human Resources, administrative assistants, giant "Do Not Call Us" banners scrolling across employer websites intimidate even the bravest job seeker.  Your job is to find a way around these filters.  Research and networking are the best ways to do this. Find out who does the hiring and give them your resume.