Candidates frequently ask for our feedback regarding the format and content of their resumes.  Here are some tips based on our experience.

Resume length – For an experienced resource, 3-5 page resumes are very common.  Resumes beyond 5 pages can be overwhelming for a customer to properly review.

 

Layout and organization – Consider your resume to be reviewed similar to how most people read newspaper articles.  They start at the beginning, but typically do not read completely to the end.  So it’s critical that you appropriately summarize the experience you want to highlight on the first page.  Something buried on page 5 may never be read.

Therefore, lead with your strongest skills that you want to highlight.  As an experienced resource, your educational history and other professional credentials are less interesting to a potential customer.  Put those items at or near the end.

Your resume serves two purposes to a customer.  First it is a document that the customer will review somewhat thoroughly to understand your background and experience.  The second purpose is after they have completed their initial review, and may want to quickly revisit a job experience or skill they recall they saw on your resume.  In this respect it is more of a reference document.  For reference purposes, it becomes important to include “mini” summaries within each experience you have.  Use indentation, bold text, etc. to help those summaries stand out, and allow the customer to quickly relocate to those items in your resume.

Media – most resumes are first, and perhaps only presented to a customer in an electronic format.  Think in terms of how your resume will appear to a customer in this manner.  Beware of overly creative, elaborate formatting within a document.  It may not look the same way to a customer who may be running a different version of Word, or after it passes through firewalls and filters that may be in place at a customer site.  Various documents can be used, (Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.) but keep in mind that Microsoft Word is the dominant product customers will use to review and process electronic documents.

ACP’s recruiters are experts in resume creation and modification.  Contact us for specific feedback.