Resumes capture the spirit

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Dear Joan:
I have decided to leave my current job and seek employment elsewhere. I really have no serious complaints about the company or my job but I just feel it's time to get some different experience (and more money).

I have worked here for four years and I was promoted once while I was here. My work record is good. This job I got right out of college through a friend of my father so I never had to prepare a resume. So my question is "What is the best way to write a resume?"

Some of my questions are "Should I list my volunteer activities (charity fund drives, program committees, etc.)?" "How important is a 'job objective'?" "How many pages should a resume be?" "Should I have a professional service write it?" "Are there any pitfalls to avoid?"

Answer:
If you ask someone to kick their shoes off and tell you about their job strengths, work results and responsibilities, they usually have no trouble going on for hours. Put a pencil in their hand, though, and they freeze. They know it will be evaluated and how much weight it carries (a veritable prescription for writer's block). They just can't seem to bring the page to life with everything they've just said. All the enthusiasm and pride is siphoned off. In the end, they resort to a "professional," stilted resume that looks like everyone else's and is... well, dull.

If you want to write a resume that captures the spirit of who you are and what you have to offer, focus on the results and accomplishments you've had, rather than on responsibilities alone. Like any good advertisement, you need to tell the potential buyer how you can make their life better by what you have to offer.

Let's say that you are the employer and you have two resumes on your desk, both for a Special Events Coordinator position. One says, "Responsible for coordinating all events, including- out- of- state arrangements, all correspondence, on-site supervision." Now, the other one says virtually the same thing but goes on to say, "Soon after beginning the position, aggressively pursued clients who had dropped their involvement. Succeeded in getting 95% of them to return." "Designed and implemented new customer service procedures which led to long-term contracts." (You'll notice these phrases begin with an action and include the results.) Which one would you be most interested in interviewing?

One way to come up with these phrases is to list your responsibilities and then -line by line-ask yourself, "So what? How can I prove I did that well?" Challenge yourself as if the Job Police was interrogating you. It's curious, but so often a job hunter will underestimate his or her own day-to-day accomplishments until someone says, "What did you do? Why was that important? Were you the only one who ever did that? What difference did that make? What did your boss and your customers think of that?" and so on.

People with poor writing skills can benefit from a professional resume writing service, however, they must still be interviewed extensively to get the information I am talking about. A good resume demands a lot of time and serious thought. If it looks too slick and "professional," it may be passed over. Employers want to know who you are, how you think and what you can offer. The way you organize your thoughts and lay them out in resume form is actually a sample of the kind of work you can do. Don't be tempted by the easy way out. Whether you use a resume service or not, you need to do the bulk of the work yourself.

Now for some of the details on format. Keep in mind that there is no "right" way to write a resume. There are many different versions you could use. I will describe a "standard" resume:

It shouldn't be longer than two pages. Your name, address, home, and work phone (if appropriate) are listed at the top of the page. (Try to save space by keeping this to two lines.)

Many employers like to see a job objective, because it shows that you know what you want. A good job objective can even include an advertisement of a primary skill you have to offer. For example, "A responsible, results- oriented position as an X, in an entrepreneurial organization, where my team leadership skills can be fully utilized." If you are targeting a specific job in a specific industry, by all means state it.

Since you have some solid work experience, list that next using the responsibility/action/results format described above. Start from the most recent experience and work backwards. Treat your job after promotion as a separate position and separate it from your entry-level job. You should be able to read from the bottom to the top of your resume and see examples of increasing experience, authority and responsibility. These should lead logically to the job objective for which you are now ready.

Your educational background comes next but don't take up too much space here; the basics are fine: where you went to school, your degree, when, your grade point (if it was good), and any special awards. Save three quarters of the total space on your resume for your work experience.

If your volunteer experience enhances your candidacy by showing leadership skills, coordinating ability or whatever qualification is desirable for the job, include it. Leave it off if you might look over-extended in non-work activities or if the volunteer activity may be perceived as a negative, such as membership in an activist group. Don't include personal data or list references.