WOW! Resume Tips, Tricks and Tactics

by Billie Sucher, MS, CTMS, CTSB, JCTC

Billie Sucher has an unwavering passion for her life-work as a career transition consultant, outplacement specialist, resume writer, speaker, trainer and poet. Since 1985, she has provided career services to individuals, executive-level to entry-level, coast-tocoast. Billie holds a Master's Degree in Counseling, industry certifications, and her resume / cover letter work is featured in numerous resume and cover letter publications. The author of Between Jobs: Recover, Rethink, Rebuild and Baseball for Life, she invites you to visit her website at www·billiesucher·com or e-mail: billie@billiesucher·com.

There are no etched-in-stone rules when it comes to writing resumes. Everyone has an idea, notion, thought, or expert piece of advice on how to write a resume right. The bottom line is that no one has a crystal ball with magic answers for a WOW resume. The right resume is the one that works! Therefore, to the best of your ability, educate yourself about how to write a resume. Start your research by perusing resume books and talking with people who might know a tidbit or two more than you about this topic. Then, and only then, decide what makes sense for you when it comes to writing a WOW resume. Here’s my take on what constitutes a WOW resume...

Results-driven document that is relevant and essential to proving that you have the requisite credentials to perform the job.

Educational tool that exemplifies the essence of you and enlightens readers about the who, what, when, where, why, how (and how much) of you.

Shares information while selling and supporting your value, benefit, and worth to the organization.

Uniqueness of you, the inimitable individual, captured in print.

Meaningful marketing tool designed to fulfill your goal of getting an interview with your target audience.

Evokes a positive response from the prospective employer… ”we’d like to interview you.”

My Favorite Tips, Tricks and Tactics

Presented below are some of my favorite resume tips, tricks, and tactics for you to contemplate. You may agree with them; you may not. What matters most is that you are actively pursuing knowledge in a subject area relevant to what’s happening in your world, now or in the future. Choose the entries that fit you and your specific resume-writing needs at this time.

1. Devote some quality time to researching opportunities and areas of interest to you before you write your resume. Two outstanding online resources:

O*net OnLine: http://online·ontcenter·org
Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www·bls·gov/oco/home·htm

2. Don’t write your resume until you have thoroughly assessed your product features, functions, and benefits, have a good grasp of self, a clear focus on your career direction, and a specific target market. Common sense suggests that you wouldn’t spend one dime on a brochure for a new business start-up until you first identified what business you’re in – the same holds true for resume writing.

3. If you don’t know how to write a resume, get help. It will be some of the best money you’ll ever invest in yourself. Ask around before you engage services – there are hundreds of talented professional resume writers in America, on-line and in-person. Find one that is credentialed, experienced, and just right for you!

4. Determine the best resume format for you to tell your story – is it chronological, functional, or combination? If you are staying in the same line of work, chronological or combination are good choices. If you are changing careers, retraining, or re-entering the workforce, the functional format is often a good choice. Research resume samples online and in resume books to get ideas of what’s best for you and your goals. A competent resume consultant or career coach can also help you identify the most appropriate format.

5. Your resume is an exemplary body of work that projects a “this is where I’m headed” message versus a “this is where I’ve been” story. Sometimes, where you’ve been has absolutely nothing to do with where you hope to go if, for example, you are changing career direction.

6. When using a chronological format to write your resume, center your thinking on the three R’s – (roles, responsibilities, and results) to educate the reader about your professional experience. Beyond stating the employer’s name, city, state, and dates of employment, focusing on the three R’s will help you filter what’s relevant from what’s not.

7. Choose a font size that is legible and easy to read. Do not use a font size that is smaller than 9 point. In my resume work, I prefer to use a 10, 11, 12 point system (it’s also easy to remember), as follows.

8. Select a typeface that is clear and easy to read. Arial, Bookman Old Style, Garamond, Georgia, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, and Verdana offer a clean, crisp look.

9. Create more than one version of your resume if you are targeting multiple, or unrelated opportunities.

10. If you are a worker looking for a new job, use a resume. If you’re a self-employed professional or business owner engaged in marketing your products, goods, or services, use a brochure. Each document signifies something different to the reader; the resume generally implies a traditional “employer / employee” relationship, while the brochure generally conveys “I’m in business for myself.”

11. Keep the length of your resume as brief as possible without comprising a good story for the sake of brevity. Today, few hiring managers have the time to read four or five pages of text per individual resume, no matter how great it is. A one to two page document is a reasonable rule of thumb. For a seasoned executive, a three to four page resume may be the best option.

12. If your name is a common name such as John Jones or Susan Smith, include your full middle name – John William Jones or Susan Olivia Smith. This small step could save you a hassle or two in the referencechecking process. Also, present your name in bold typeface, all capitals.

13. List one phone number on your resume where someone can contact you without playing phone tag, day after day. If you absolutely must list multiple telephone numbers, label them – (residence, cellular, business). Call yourself at the numbers listed to ensure that your voice mail is active, working properly, and able to receive incoming messages. Make your recorded message professional, succinct, and clear. Nothing cute or inappropriate. “Hey what’s up; you know what to do” is not appropriate. Also, do not have your precious six-year old make the message for you. They’re not looking for a new opportunity; you are!

14. Choose an e-mail address that is appropriate and unrelated to your work. For example, iamso_cool19@aol.com isn’t in your best interests when it comes to resume writing.

15. Avoid using letter or number combinations in your e-mail address that can easily be confused or mistaken. For example, the “l” in “cool” in the above-referenced e-mail address could easily be mistaken for a “1”. Where does that leave you if the employer sends communication to iamso_coo119@aol.com?

16. List your website address, if you have one. If you don’t have an e-mail address, get one.

17. List key section headings (GOAL / QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY / EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION / AFFILIATIONS) in capital letters, bold typeface.

18. Compile a list of relevant keywords aligned with your target goal and weave them into the body of your resume. Tap into keywords that reflect your knowledge, skill, or abilities that address the employer’s needs.

19. Present first whatever it is you have more of to sell regarding your asset base…is it experience or is it education? That said, if you are in a profession where the expectation is that education comes first, obviously, do so. Research and find out; don’t wonder.

20. Include dates of employment; dates can be presented in years only, or both month and year. Be consistent in how you express this information.

21. Take credit for what you know as it pertains to technology – hardware, software, and applications.

22. Use bullets or other symbols of your preference to produce a visuallypleasing document. Large chunks of text take more time to read and decipher. Help your reader gain, within a matter of seconds, a firstrate glimpse of you.

23. Insert your name on each page of your resume, along with the page number.

24. Create a resume that is an enticing, easy-to-browse piece of sales literature that compels the reader to take immediate action.

25. Avoid too much detail and trivia in resume content…that’s what interviews are for.

26. Present the best-of-the-best of you in your resume. In addition to teaching the reader about your key functions and accountabilities, be certain to include the highlights of your greatest:

• accomplishments
• achievements
• contributions
• outcomes
• performance
• results
• successes

27. Quantify content in your resume by using numbers (including dollars) and percentages to create a powerful mental image in the reader’s mind.

28. Choose strong words instead of weak words for your resume. For example, partner sounds stronger than work closely with – charismatic sounds better than bubbly.

29. Keep a Thesaurus handy, or use your computer’s Thesaurus to identify a lively, interesting mix of words instead of the same boring, trite, repetitive words. “Developed, developed, developed” or “increased, increased, increased” soon finds a bored and yawning reader.

30. Be consistent with the usage of periods. If you’re going to use periods at the end of each one-liner, do so throughout your resume.

31. Don’t plagiarize…yup, that means don’t copy your best friend’s resume or some stranger’s resume you’ve downloaded from the Internet. Dare to be original and express your very best unique self. You’re you! Let that originality shine through in your resume!

32. Do not lie about anything on your resume. Somewhere, some way, somehow, someone will discover it!

33. Do not include information regarding salary or compensation.

34. Do not cross-out information and insert handwritten corrections.

35. Do not abbreviate words unless the abbreviation is widely accepted and understood. States can be abbreviated. Statistical process control (SPC) cannot.

36. If you have recently sold your business or lost your job to restructuring, downsizing, acquisition, or company closing, consider including such information on your resume. While there are arguments for and against doing so, contemplate this – if the hiring manager is looking at 25 top-notch candidates and everyone is employed, except for you, what might the employer deduce if they notice you haven’t worked since May 2006? Sometimes it works to your advantage to teach the reader the reason you are “in transition.” Not always. Sometimes.

37. Allow for plenty of white space on your resume – start with the oneinch rule for top/bottom and left/right page set-up. This allows for reduction or expansion, as needed. Leave ample space between key sections of information to achieve an open, attractive, and uncluttered look.

38. Less is more on a resume. If you can say something in five words instead of 10 or 12, do so.

39. Make your resume good and effective. Good, alone, is not enough in today’s competitive market.

40. Sprinkle your resume with a plethora of different verbs and action words to begin short phrases and one-liners. Refrain from using tired, over-worked words….loyal, honest, and hard-working. (The last person who said that didn’t show up, stole stuff, and was really lazy)!

41. If you can’t decide what text to include or exclude, ask yourself this question -- is this piece of information absolutely relevant and essential to support my goal? If so, use it; if not; lose it.

42. Eliminate or minimize the usage of the word responsible. Upon completion of your first resume draft, take a marker and highlight this humdrum resume word, then replace it with a livelier one.

43. Delete the words “I, me, and my” from your resume.

44. Be prepared to back-up what you say in your resume through relevant examples and short stories in the interview.

45. Spice up your resume with a testimonial about your product – you! Your resume is your voice about yourself – adding a powerful testimonial from someone lends credibility to what you are saying about yourself in their words, not yours.

46. Check your resume for the C factor:

• clear, concise content
• credible message
• consistent quality
• compelling story
• call-to-action by the reader

47. Proofread your resume for grammar, spelling, punctuation or other errors. Spell checking your resume won’t catch all of the mistakes 100% of the time. For example, if you intended to say “manager” and you inadvertently typed “manger” (deleting the “a”), spell check would not catch this mistake. Whoops!

48. Does your resume read smoothly and does it sound like you? You may think this is a silly question, however, it is an important one to ask yourself before you send the resume to prospective employers. It doesn’t take long for a hiring manager to figure out that what they’re looking at on paper doesn’t match what’s in front of th em.

49. Read your resume aloud, word-for-word. Go slowly. You may catch another mistake using this method.

50. If you think your resume is terrible, boring and awful, it probably is. Redo it until you are proud to claim it!

51. Does your resume reflect a vibrant, robust, healthy ROI when it comes to:

If not, consider integrating continuous-improvement strategies to your resume!

52. Always keep your resume current – just like your will! In today’s volatile market, be prepared to hit the ground running 24/7. Don’t be caught off guard!

53. Your resume is a constant work in progress. Change it daily, if need be, to best meet your target goals and the employer’s particular needs.

54. Do not send a resume to anyone the same day you finish it. Wait! Undoubtedly, you will catch a mistake the next morning! Whew!

55. If you have one mistake on your resume, in most instances, you will not be considered a viable candidate. While there are exceptions, don’t count on it.

56. Have three to five people review your resume prior to sending it to prospective employers. Preferably, the individuals you select will be decision-makers and hiring managers – people who deal in the people business on a routine basis. Listen carefully to their feedback, and make resume changes accordingly. While Grandma and Aunt Ruth think your resume rocks, run it by a few other people, too!

57. Share a copy of your current resume with your professional references to keep them apprised of you, your credentials, and your plans for the future. Help them help you get what you want!

58. Think like your reader thinks. If you were the hiring manager, would your resume get noticed (and picked) for the yes, no, or maybe pile?

59. Prepare, process, and store your resume on your personal computer, not your employer’s. Save it in multiple storage places, i.e. disk, CD, flash drive.

60. D-e-c-i-d-e (draft; experiment; compress; improve, develop and edit) to write a WOW resume today!

61. Don’t fret about your resume being perfect. Who knows what’s perfect? What’s important is this – does your resume work and is it effective? If so, congratulations – you are the happy owner of a WOW resume!