Resume Help... Resume Makeover

Improve Your Resume With A 5-Point Makeover

Got a resume that's a fright? When you run it by friends and family, do women scream and children cry?

Time for a quick make-over. Here are five things you can do to improve the first impression of this most important document, and increase the odds of an interview invitation. Or at least keep the hounds of hell at bay.

Resume Help - The 5-Point Makeover

1 - Trash the self-centered objective statement. If your resume objective sounds like: "Seeking a responsible position with advancement opportunities..." you are dead to every hiring official in the free world. Replace it with something that demonstrates your worth to the company. Something like: "Position as Sales Manager to advance a proven track record for identifying business opportunities and delivering bottom line results."

2 - Scrap the mundane job descriptions. If you're an administrative assistant, we don't need you to reiterate that you type, process data, answer the phones and operate the office machinery. All that is a given. We do need you to tell us the degree of your responsibility ("Provide support for a sales staff of 5 outside representatives and general sales manager"). And we do need to know any achievement of note ("Developed a Disaster Recovery Plan subsequently implement company-wide." "Wrote procedures manual." "Developed improved methods for reconciling inventory and warehouse lines."

4 - Selectively highlight those skills and past job experiences that speak to the position you're seeking. If you're been in sales all your life but are seeking a job in mediation, you'll want to point out not only that you increased sales 150% of quota but that you: "negotiated complex contracts and facilitated buyer financing leading to an increase in sales of 150% of quota").

5 - Jettison the clutter. You don't need to mention high school and grammar school if you've been to college. You don't need dates on college extracurricular activities. Leave off hobbies, sports and interests. Drop-kick professional references to a separate sheet. In fact, if you're pressed for space, you don't really even need the sentence "References Available Upon Request" at the bottom of the resume.

And a photo? If you've got a photo on your resume, first send a copy to your mother. Then feed the rest of them through the shredder. Or pitch ‘em at the hounds of hell.

Where we go from here: A few pages over, you can find out how to craft a resume that avoids the common pitfalls of the screening process. We call it our Top 10 Checklist for a Good Resume. Questions about formatting, like whether to go with a chronological format or a functional? Find help at the page The Resume Format. Help in writing an objective statement can be found at The Resume Objective.

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