In the November 24th, 2009 edition of the Wall Street Journal, I located an editorial I thought exemplifies every aspect of the errors I find most prevalent when reviewing résumés in the Industrial Maintenance and Reliability Engineering field. The article authored by Sarah E. Needleman titled “Creating A Résumé That Sells” has a case study of a woman with some résumé do’s and don’ts. I briefly listed a few I found resonated most with me and I completely agree with….
Some of the highlights you of this editorial include:
- The importance of having a “top-notch” résumé in today’s job market
- “That two pages – or even three – can make sense for someone with [her] level of experience”.
- It is good to use key words – terms
- “Acronyms are fine to use but spelling them out in parenthesis might be smart”.
- Details, non-ambiguous information and proper grammar are essential
- Be very clear about the work you’ve done
- Don’t discount early positions, it can be helpful in explaining how you made it up the ladder
- Don’t omit the education section (they will verify)
- List all technical capabilities – these speak to your experience and credibility
- Software you’re familiar with
- “Employers want someone who can plug and play pretty quickly”.
- More metrics! More metrics! More metrics! (Show the value you’ve added to your employers in real figures and dollars)
- The Summary needs to “cut to the chase” and to be tailored to the specific position for every job you seek
- Check and double check your spelling and grammar
For more on this editorial check it out online at:
Happy Job Hunting!