Posted By Amanda Collins on November 10, 2010

One of the big issues I see on résumés is that they are essentially vomit on a page, if you get my meaning. People are afraid that if they don’t tell everything, they will be overlooked. Back in the day, that was the way it was. You wrote everything you did at previous jobs—in chronological order—and the employer determined where you would best fit. Now, however, it’s a bit more competitive.

It starts with a title. If you remember, résumés used to lead with an objective: “To obtain a position in which I can utilize my experience for the best needs of the company.” Really, does that say anything? Instead, tell the employer who you are for them. Be super clear. If you want to racket it up a bit, add a subtitle or branding statement.

The rest of the résumé should follow the lead of the title. If you say you’re an HR expert, don’t clutter the page with information about your time in logistics. It only serves to confuse the reader. There are many tricks and marketing strategies to highlight your talents while still getting all of the pertinent information on there—without lying (no, never lie on your résumé). I’ve written a number of different types of résumés depending on the goals of the client, which is where strategy comes into play.

And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The idea behind being clear on your résumé is that you have a strategy. Without it, you’re back to over-sharing and making the reader try to figure out where you fit in the organization. I guarantee you, they don’t have time to do that. So make your résumé crystal clear and you’ll improve your chances of being invited for an interview.

Category: Resumes
Tags: how to write a resume