Resume Deconstruction
Resume Deconstruction: As a recruiter, you look at upwards of 100+ resumes a day and you learn very quickly what makes a good resume.
The days of the single page resume–with just the last 4 jobs, references, interests, and a bit flash to set you apart–are in the past. Teachers at universities are still teaching the “old ways”: Keep your resume down to one page, be as brief as possible, and even use an interesting font to show your creativity. That’s fine if you are just graduating and have only had summer internships, part-time jobs, and don’t have many achievements to brag about. The one page standard was a great idea when everyone was printing out paper copies and handing them out in-person or mailing them into companies.
Fortunately, we have evolved and shifted to a primarily paperless process where most people post resumes, email them, and/or electronically apply to most roles online. That being said, there is no need to short change yourself with the one page.
The ideal resume would be:
- 2-3 pages with most of your previous jobs.
- Be clear and concise with contact info, company names, locations,and position titles. Leave the months off of the dates, as you should be in each position for multiple years (if you are job hopping you are doing something wrong).
- Enter bullet points with key responsibilities and highlight your greatest achievements.
- Leave off the references as those can be provided once you start the interview process and, I hate to say it, but most companies do not care about your interests on the resume.
- Make use of bold and underline to differentiate your titles and stick to the classic fonts Arial or Times New Roman. Gothic or Old English won’t help you get that next finance role you want.
- Using interesting colors, templates, pictures, and/or speaking in the third person in a resume will not be beneficial in your search for a new career.
- Keep things tight, to the point, use quantitative data whenever possible, and let your achievements speak for themselves.
Follow these suggestions to create a resume that will be most beneficial in helping you get the job.
About the Author
David DeStefano is a recruiter specializing in Accounting & Finance on a national and international basis. Before coming to hireneXus, David was an accountant with a Chicago-based public accounting firm. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois with a BA in Business and Economics and a minor in Music.