Today will be the first article in a three part series that details what needs to be on your resume and how to word it so that an individual is inclined to seek more information from you in the form of an interview. We’ll look at how the top third of your resume is key in making sure a potential employer reads the whole thing and at least gives you a chance to be considered.
We begin at the top. If you’ve heard any statistics as to how long it takes an employer on average to read a resume, you may have felt insulted that so few seconds would be spent on something that took you so long. Most articles cite a Ladders study that states recruiters spend an average of six seconds before they make a decision on a resume. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Decision. That is what you are building here. What are they looking at in six seconds that helps them make that decision? In order: Your name. Your current job (and the dates). Your last job (and the dates). Education. Decision. If this information is not easily found, they are on to the next. If this information does not match with what they told you they are looking for, they are on to the next. How long do you think someone needs to look at your resume to get a good idea of your career?
Formatting matters on your resume for those reasons. Perhaps you believe your application will stand out with its colorful resume with bars and charts, but the reality is that recruiters and employers are used to seeing resumes follow a certain format. Moving too far away from that format will make it more difficult to read than others. Following the format will allow readers to find the information they need and find it fast.
Get It Out FAST
The very first thing on your resume should be your contact information: name, email, phone number, address. The name should be larger than the others. For your address, you should include at least the city and the state. If you are applying to a larger company, include a street address as some ATS (applicant tracking systems) kick out resumes without street addresses. Include relevant social media such as Github for programmers or LinkedIn for most other professions.
After this, you want to include as many items in the six-second checklist as you can. The simplest way to do this in a way resume readers are used to is by including a summary section right after your contact information. Summary sections can be titled Executive Summary, Career Profile, Highlights of Qualifications, etc. These sections all state that they will give you the sparknotes of someone’s professional life. It’s your job, in 3-5 bullet points or one small paragraph, to tell readers what they told you they want to hear. If you can squeeze in your last job two jobs, how long you were there, a cool thing you did, and what education you have, you are making it incredibly easy for someone to decide you fit.
It also helps to include a title. Whether the title is one you have had in the past, or one you would like in the future, is up to you.
In this example, you can see from the top third of the resume that a resume reader can tell that this individual was an instructor for 3 years or so, did curriculum development long enough for 100 lessons, and has a reliable ol’ bachelor’s degree. Name. Current job, dates. Previous job, dates. Education. Decision. I might even read this whole resume just ‘cause its so well formatted! I might buy this guy a beer! Is he single? Let’s bring him in!
Summarize, For the Love of God, Summarize
This is just one example of the many ways you can do this, but the concept is simple: give them what they came for. They came to see if someone else has paid you to do something similar and to see how long you lasted there, also where you went to school. Give them what they want and don’t make them wait. If you make them wait, they’ll just go to someone else (Ladies: AMIRITE?) You want the top third to say everything to those who aren’t going to read the whole thing. Think of the end of a romantic comedy set in the late 90s where remorseful lovers could easily make it past airport security to set up an emotional confrontation with their lover just as they board a plane. You are not going to bore them with details in the “Baby, come back!” speech. You are going to hit them with the highlights. Why do they need you? What do you bring? How do I know you won’t be like the last one? Why should I believe you this time? Is the dress black and blue or gold and white? The more of those questions you can answer in the top third, the better.
The next article in the series, part 2 of our resume block, is going to show you how to make your work history shine. We are going to dive into the nitty-gritty of how to describe your time at a company in terms of accomplishments, not duties. This gives employers an actual glimpse of the impact you can have at their company and goes far beyond just listing what tasks you have done for others.