A Good Resume

Let's begin by discussing what constitutes a good resume/CV. I have created a memorable 5 elements of a good resume that will be relevant to you no matter who you are or what employment you're looking for.

(1) Be current - Don't include everything you have ever achieved on your resume. If you are a postsecondary graduate, don't bother listing your high school details. If you have at least 3 to 5 years of work experience, don't be listing your summer jobs unless the skills used there were truly relevant to the job you desire now.

(2) Less is often More - Recruiters and hiring managers only have a limited time with each resume. Think about it... if they spent 5 minutes with each resume, and they received 60 resumes, it would take them five hours to pore over the candidates' details. The reality is that each application package (including cover letter) often has only 1 minute to impress. Make the best of your minute by including only your most relevant experience you have. If you have more than 5 bullet points beneath a particular job role, that's too many. I recommend keeping your best 3 bullet points under each job, stretching to 5 bullet points for your previous role with the most relevance to the desired job.

(3) Be Clear - Say what you mean and say it briefly. Try not to use lots of industry jargon on your resume, especially if you are changing job function or industry. Even within the same industry and function, it may not be a hiring manager reading your resume, but an HR rep with no knowledge of your job. Also try to limit the use of acronyms that are not widely used. If the audience doesn't know what TPS reports are, they cannot give you any credit for writing them.

(4) Use Results - Many job seekers describe their experience by the actions they performed but not by the results they achieved. Don't be afraid to brag a little bit on your resume by telling the employer that you were successful in your efforts. "Responsible for selling industrial ink cartridges to print businesses" could be re-written as "Sold over 50,000 units of industrial ink cartridges, and added over 50 new accounts". Results can come from a variety of sources - did you meet any personal or corporate goals? did you impress managers or clients? did you contribute to growing the business or making money for the business?

(5) Be Well Rounded - I can't say that being well rounded is a make-or-break quality for your resume, but I can say that most professionals (especially the most successful ones) desire this quality in their employees and in themselves. Make sure to fill out your resume with at least a couple of volunteer or extra curricular activities - preferrably charitable - and anything you do outside of your work that is related to work. If you're a journalist and you keep a blog about pet care, share it. If you sit on a charity's board of directors, share it. Don't however, tell the employer that your interests are "watching movies. mountain biking, and computer programming" unless you are going to be a web developer for a studio that makes cycling movies. Don't let your extra curriculars sound like they came from your Facebook profile.