RESUME

FORMAT

THE PURPOSE OF A RESUME

A resume does not land you the job - it's a tool for getting responses, phone calls, and
interviews. Because of today's highly competitive job market, your resume needs to set you
apart from both your internal and external competition. It should:

Be a brief overview to sell your knowledge, skills and experience in an accomplishment

and metrics- driven way to position yourself as an ideal candidate able to add immediate
value (it's not a biography)
Demonstrate your value and contributions as opposed to just listing your day-to-day
responsibilities
Keep the reader engaged with active language to describe your achievements and
responsibilities
Be free of excessive repetition
Provide scope wherever possible (e.g., budget sizes, team sizes, size of businesses, accounts
managed, etc.) and quantify a much as possible (e.g., percentages or hard dollar values for
growth/savings)

CORE COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

Many of the main components of a resume have changed in recent years to meet today's
brief resume reviews. The average recruiter spends 6 seconds reviewing a resume. Four
seconds are spent looking at only four areas: 1) job titles, 2) companies, 3) start/end dates, and
4) education. Tips for maximizing today's resume sections:

Objective Title
The outdated objective statement (e.g., "Seeking opportunity to utilize my skills and advance
my career with a company") has been replaced with an objective title, which is a title (e.g.,
Senior Project Manager, Operations Executive, Sales Manager, etc.) listed at the top of the
resume to reflect what you are targeting for your job search. This immediately gives your
readers some direction.

[Link]
© 2020 SHEILA BOYSEN-ROTELL,PH.D.,MCC
RESUME
FORMAT

If you are sending the resume to networking contacts, make the objective title more general
or specific based on your goals. An example of a specific objective title could be "Senior
Manager Specializing in Technical Operations & Quality Assurance" while a general title may
be "Senior Operations Manager." If you are responding to job ads, switch out the title to match
the title in the job ad.

Summary Statement
This is your resume's version of a Professional Value Proposition. It can be a brief paragraph or
a list of bullet points that provides a brief overview of what you have to offer. The goal of the
summary is to communicate your value as quickly as possible. This summary typically
covers:
Years of service with your employer, years of experience in a specific area or field
Industry expertise (if your job search is specific to industry/industries)
What you specialize in and what makes you unique
Types of results you deliver consistently and your approach in doing so

Key Skills
A listing of key skills or areas of expertise can be three to five lines that include key words and
terms from your skill set. This can be useful for key word optimization on Applicant Tracking
Systems (ATS), which are used by potential employers to process, track, and filter online
applications. You can modify and reprioritize this section based on the major key words
related to the job you are applying to. Besides being useful for the ATS, it also visually stands
out to readers and provides a quick glimpse.

[Link]
© 2020 SHEILA BOYSEN-ROTELL,PH.D.,MCC
RESUME
FORMAT

Layout
Regardless of which format is used, the professional experience section should be laid out as
clearly as possible, calling attention to the most important points. This can be done by listing
a brief paragraph of day-to- day responsibilities and tasks followed by bullet points
highlighting specific contributions, results, or major projects for each position or can be a list
of concise bullets that are accomplishment focused. Avoid completely functional formats.
Reverse Chronological Format jumps into the professional experience right after the
summary and key skills sections, starting with the most recent position first and moving
backward. This can be useful if you would like all of the information and contributions to
be clearly linked to each previous employer.
Functional format outlines skills and professional experience in a non-chronological
manner. Most frequently used for those looking to change career paths, or people new to
their careers. It can be perceived that the individual is trying to hide gaps in employment
by not listing professional experience in a chronological manner.
Combination format lists a brief section of three to five highlights before the professional
experience section to showcase specific examples that support your current goal. This
section shouldn't take up too much space in the resume. Its main objective is to provide a
snapshot of accomplishments to further back up statements made in the summary. This is
typically useful for job seekers with quantifiable information to highlight, such as revenue
growth, cost savings, or major projects and initiatives. It can also be useful if you have
specific prior experience (i.e., industry-specific or function-specific) you would like to
highlight as part of your current goal.

Additional Sections
Depending upon your experience, current career direction, and goals, you may also decide to
add optional and/or recommended sections.

Education Typically listed at the end of the resume; can be useful to list before the
professional experience section if you are entry level or if it is recent and relevant to your
current direction.

[Link]
© 2020 SHEILA BOYSEN-ROTELL,PH.D.,MCC
RESUME
FORMAT

Affiliations & Community Involvement Professional memberships and volunteer activity can
be listed at the bottom of the resume. Depending on the amount of space available, you can
provide more details or you can list only the role, organization, and length of service.

Technical Skills Software and technical skills that you use on the job can be listed in a
separate section at the bottom of the resume. Make sure to highlight only the most relevant
tools, software, and programs based on the jobs you are applying to. Include professional
development or company sponsored seminars. If the technical skills section doesn't take up
too much space but is central to your job (such as a Software Engineer), you should list it at
the top of the resume, right before the professional experience section.

Patents & Publications Depending on your field, you may have contributed to patent
applications or materials/presentations. You can provide a brief snapshot (preferably the most
recent) in your resume. If you have a lengthy list, you can include them on an addendum,
which can be provided upon request or given to your interviewer once contact has been
made.

Awards & Professional Recognition Itemize corporate awards, honors and endorsements
received for outstanding achievements to confirm your high-standing reputation within the
organization.

Resume Standards & Best Practices

Some general guidelines to follow as you evolve and refine your resume in response
to new opportunities:
The standard and recommended length for a resume is one full page or two full pages
(avoid quarter or half pages). There may be an exception if you are in a highly
scientific/technical field and require a CV. An addendum may be used for additional
experience beyond these recommendations.
Margins of a resume should be no less than 5" all around.

[Link]
© 2020 SHEILA BOYSEN-ROTELL,PH.D.,MCC
RESUME
FORMAT

Use a common font to avoid compatibility issues. Common fonts include Times New
Roman, Arial, Calibri, Tahoma, Verdana, Cambria, Garamond, and Book Antiqua. Font size
should be 10 pt. to 11.5 pt.
Include active language and high-impact words throughout. Keep the tense consistently in
present for current positions and in past for prior positions.
Use implied first person or third person troughout; avoid using personal pronouns (I, me,
my).
Incorporate basic design elements (e.g., bolding and lines to separate section titles), but
never a picture.
List years of experience as 10+, 15+, or a maximum of 20+ in the summary. Avoid listing years
for positions or education that go back more than 15-20 years (use "Prior to XXXX" instead).
It can be acceptable to only list years of experience on resumes (2011-2012).
Use "and" instead of ampersands (&) within content unless it's part of a title or term (e.g.,
M&A).
Avoid using very long lists of bullets or large blocks of text; break them into categories to
provide a visual break.
Don't use text boxes or tables to list information (i.e., summary statements, key skills, etc.) or
put the resume in a PDF format if you are planning to submit the resume online. It won't
be picked up by ATS.

[Link]
© 2020 SHEILA BOYSEN-ROTELL,PH.D.,MCC