Your resume is your 15 seconds of fame.

It is a snapshot of your professional experience, which opens the door to beginning the interview process with the companies you want to pursue.  This being said, your resume should be an accurate representation of you and your experience.

Earlier I said 15 seconds of fame because that is an estimate of how long a Recruiter will look at your resume before drawing a conclusion and making a decision.  It’s not that Recruiters don’t want to spend more time with each individual candidate, it’s just that most can’t with so many applicants.

Over the course of my 10+ year recruiting career, I have reviewed thousands upon thousands of resumes.  Some good, some… well, let’s just say less than stellar.

Resume “Dos”

DO provide an honest and accurate representation of your skills and work history.

DO list out your accomplishments in your previous roles.  If you are able, try to quantify your accomplishments.  For example, “Reduced spend by $XXXX.XX on pencils by adjusting XYZ process.”  Another example might be, “by realigning resources we were able to produce X% more units”.

DO tailor your resume to the type of position you are looking for.  By “tailor” I mean bring out your past experience which represents you in the best light possible considering the role you are applying for.

Lastly, DO make it clean and easy to read.  Be professional.  Make sure there aren’t typos.  Use proper grammar and most importantly, have another person proofread your resume.

Resume “Don’ts”

DON’T misrepresent yourself in any way.   Be accurate with your dates of employment.  Be accurate and honest regarding your skills.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen candidates declined because they exaggerated about their experience with a particular technology.  Hiring managers will dig in when you interview.  If you aren’t able to speak to what’s on your resume, you won’t get the job.

DON’T write a book.  Your resume shouldn’t be the sequel to War and Peace.  I personally say three pages max and only go to three pages if you have more than 10 years experience.  I have seen resumes 10 pages plus.  A recruiter is going to get through page one and two and then move on.  We would like to spend more time, but when you have thousands of applicants to review, you just can’t do it.

DON’T just update your resume with your most recent experience when you are looking for a new career.  Go back, revise it – make it better than version 1.5.  You may even want to condense past experience, which could be out of date or irrelevant to the position you are applying for.  The most important experience you have is your most recent experience.

DON’T apply to positions for which you don’t have at least the minimum required skills.   Applying to 50 positions won’t help you get in either – applying to the right positions will.

Thank you for visiting my blog post.  I hope it helps you in your career search.  I know that searching for the right position can be a daunting task.  Just remember your resume is one of your best tools.  Use it wisely and it can open many doors for your future.

What’s your best resume tip for job seekers in technology?

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