Energize your job search by re-sculpting your résumé

Dear Sam: I read your column and think it is great. I have been struggling with my résumé for a few months and have been out of work for 6 months. I have tried to look at other résumés and somehow use them to form my own; therefore, I have 5 or 6 versions using bits and pieces from each. I feel that I have wasted a lot of time with this and still do not have a "winning résumé.” Can you look at my résumé and tell me what I am doing wrong? – Lea

Dear Lea: The good news is that there are a number of ways you can revamp your résumé. Let me touch on some of the key ways you can increase the effectiveness of your résumé. First, remove your objective statement! Objective statements are so self-serving they do nothing but waste valuable space. Most of the objective statements I read essentially say the same thing, which means they do nothing to differentiate one candidate from another and only serve to tell the hiring manger what the candidate wants, not what the candidate can do for the employer.

Next, you have the beginnings of a qualifications summary, but when reading it I am confused as to what type and level of position you are seeking. Let me tell you what I think when reading the first sentence in your summary: You wrote, “A versatile and skilled professional with 17 years of progressive leadership qualities and excellent hands-on experience in management, executive secretarial and administrative positions. “ My questions would be, “What type of job does she want - management, administrative, or support?” and “If she has 17 years of experience is she going to want to take a support role when she is stating she is a leader?” This opening statement doesn’t define who you are - it only tells what you have done, and does little to tell a hiring manager that you are a perfect fit for the position. Your summary goes on to include so many skills and experiences that I’m left wondering if you know what you want to do at this juncture in your career. Perhaps this is really the problem. Do you know what you are targeting? I fear you have been put in a situation where you haven’t received the interest you wanted from your résumé so you have kept making changes to make it appeal to more and more people. Unfortunately however, making your résumé so broad actually does the opposite. It will make your candidacy appeal to fewer and fewer hiring mangers as the content is diluted and doesn’t speak the language of any one audience. To revamp this section spend some time defining what positions you really want, then craft a summary that markets you well for that type and level of opportunity.

Next, in the professional experience section you have done a good job of exploring your positions, but the formatting, or lack thereof, will cause the reader to be turned off immediately. For example, your most recent position is described in 217 words over 15 lines of text without one single note of an achievement or any formatting to draw the eye to the most important pieces of information. This is sure to lose the reader’s interest as they will have to wade through a significant amount of information in order to get an idea of whether you possess experience transferable into their organization. Instead, present your responsibilities in this paragraph form, and then break formatting and present achievements in bullet points, bolding the result you drove by the actions you took. Doing this lets the reader glance at your résumé and get an idea of where you contributed value to past employers.

The last note I will make regarding your résumé is related to the education section. There is no need to include your high school diploma, it is assumed one has a diploma and including this only focuses the reader’s attention on the fact that you do not have a college degree. Omit the education section entirely unless you have professional development, training, or seminars to highlight.

The key to success in creating an interview-winning résumé is understanding your objective and writing a compelling, targeted marketing piece that promotes you based on what you want to do, not what you have done. I have a feeling that this is what is causing the lack of focus in your résumé, so once you have determined your goal, recreate your résumé with that goal in mind and you will emerge with a much stronger, targeted résumé.

Dear Sam: I am a 29 year old female, mother of one, who has a Master's degree in Athletic Administration (2006). I have been diligently searching for work in athletics but have had no luck! As a former collegiate women's basketball player, my job experience is limited but quite diverse. How can I tailor my résumé to land a job? – Lisa

Dear Lisa: The key to getting your foot in the door is to infuse your résumé with personality, position your related experience up front, and highlight your lifelong commitment and passion for the field. Your current résumé opens with an objective statement that you seem to be tailoring to each position. It essentially says your objective is to work in the position and for the company to which you are applying…isn’t this assumed? By doing this you might lose the interest of the reader and have wasted two lines on your résumé, valuable space when you consider you should have a one-page résumé at this stage in your career. Instead, why not open your résumé with a summary stating you are a, “Master of Science in Physical Education graduate with two years of hands-on experience in athletics administration with Central State University.” You could then go on to highlight key aspects of your time in athletics administration with the university. Then you could introduce you were a, “Two-year Mid-American Conference Champion who demonstrated teamwork, commitment, and passion for athletics as a women’s basketball team member for ABC University and XYZ University.” Pique the reader’s interest through the qualifications summary and use it to present what you have done that most relates to your current objective. Doing this will minimize the impact of having been out of the field since mid-2006. Lastly, you could have a lot of fun with the formatting of your résumé, in your field you are allowed to be creative and demonstrate your passion through the design of your résumé, possibly even incorporating stylish imagery (not clip art!). Take a look at some of the samples on my website for ideas of how to format résumés, or look at any recently written résumé book for ideas to spark your creativity. You have the skills and education, and once you present is correctly, you’ll get your foot in the door.