Resume Writing

10 Fast Tips for Improving Your Resume

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  1. Watch your capitalization. Some organizations capitalize words as a style. For people not in those organizations, the capitalization looks awkward. A great example of this is the word “soldiers.” Although I recognize that the US Army capitalizes this word internally, if you are writing for an external audience, please don/t.
  2. Keep your punctuation consistent. If you are using bullets, be consistent in using periods—one way or the other! Inconsistency looks sloppy.
  3. Make sure your font size is readable and your margin sizes allow for printing. No font should be smaller than 10 (and depending on the font itself, sometimes that’s too small) and no margin should be smaller than .5.
  4. Combine jobs to prevent redundancy. If your jobs have basically been the same in the same organization, you can combine positions to save space, focus on the position you’re targeting, and reduce repetition. For example, if you held the positions of: Deputy Chief, Chief, and Division Director, for the same organizations, you can show those jobs as one: Deputy Chief / Chief / Division Director, Contracting Division, Organization, dates. This approach allows you to use the maximum budget, people supervised, etc. and just include one write up for duties. And you can include achievements from all 3 positions.
  5. Use numerals and symbols where appropriate to stand out in the text. You do not have to write out dollars or percent; instead use the symbols $, %. In addition, in resume writing it is acceptable to use numerals—even when talking about numbers under 10. This makes it easier for the reader to find the metrics they are looking for.
  6. Employ only one space after sentences. The modern approach to all writing is one space after a period. The two spaces (which most of us learned) goes back to typewriter days and is now considered old fashioned. This takes practice!
  7. Don’t be afraid of what is called “telegraphic style” writing. Telegraphic writing is a clipped form of composing a message that allows you to say as much as possible with the fewest possible number of words. In the resume world, being concise and to the point is essential. This means eliminating many articles that are traditionally used in more formal writing. For example, instead of saying, “Key role in the daily operations of the ABC Office…” say “Key role in daily operations of office…” This approach makes for punchier reading.
  8. Change up your words. Try not to use the same word to start each sentence. There are many ways to say “managed;” not every sentence needs to start with that word. And please banish “responsible for;” just because you’re responsible for something, doesn’t mean you do / did it; it just means you should do it. Start the sentence with a verb.
  9. Pay attention to your verb tenses. Former work and all achievements should be in past tense; only current duties should be in present tense. Use parallel structure too; this means using the pattern of words. For example, a sentence that states: Engaged in overseeing the purchase card program, maintaining the budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and wrote correspondence, is NOT parallel; it should read: Engaged in overseeing the purchase card program, maintaining the budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and writing
  10. Proof, proof, and proof again. And ask someone else to proof for you. It is hard to proof your own writing.

The above tips are easy ways to improve your resume!

No, I Will Not Guarantee You That Your New Resume Will Result in a Job Offer

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I am often asked whether I will guarantee a job offer if someone uses my services for resume writing. Not only will I not guarantee that you will get a job, I encourage you to question anyone who makes that claim. Why? There are lots of things that go into getting selected for a job—your resume is only a very small part.

What are some of the other factors that go into determining whether you will get a job?

  • Are you actually qualified for the position(s) you’ve applied for? For example, do have the specialized experienced required (and not just time in grade), if you’re applying for federal jobs. Did you answer the questionnaire properly? If you’re applying for private sector positions, do you meet all of the qualifications?
  • Is the hiring manager just going through the motions of posting because he or she has to because of internal policy or some notion of transparency? Does the hiring manager have someone in mind (that isn’t you) but is just posting out of habit or again, internal policy?
  • Did you blow the interview? Perhaps you received an interview or were referred to the hiring manager; was your interview strong? How did you compare to the other candidates referred / interviewed?
  • Was the hiring manager required to hire someone else due to internal politics?
  • How many positions have you actually applied for? While it is certainly possible that you will get the first position you apply for, it isn’t all that likely. In many ways, applying for a new position is a numbers game. And, while I do not endorse applying for “everything”—also known as the “spray and pray” method, I do believe you need to be realistic about your chances. Most job postings result in hundreds, if not thousands of applicants.
  • Was there an actual position to be filled? Or was the posting in anticipation of receiving funding / approval for the position / whatever? Was it one of those federal postings I often see that are open in dozens of locations for all grades? If you read the fine print on those, it clearly says, “There may or may not be actual vacancies at the time you submit your application.”
  • Are you networking? Have you used LinkedIn or another source to identify people on the “inside” who might be able to assist you in learning about the organization, the position, and the hiring manager? Networking is critical to all job searches, federal and private sector.

The above represents just some of factors that go into a hiring manager making a decision. So, no, I will not guarantee you a job offer. I will guarantee you a best practice, competitive resume that is targeted toward your position of choice.

How Long Should I Expect to Spend on My Resume?

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I am often asked how long writing a resume should take. There are several ways to answer this question; the first one depends on whether you are prepared with all of your information before you sit down to write. And whether you are writing a private sector or federal resume—or both!

Here is what you need to have ready to prepare a strong resume before you sit down to write:

• A target job posting. Key words are essential. You’ll need to identify the key words of the postings or kind of job you are pursuing. If you are writing a resume for the private sector, you should assume that your resume will be “read” by Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) which will search for key words. If you are writing a federal resume, you should know that USAJOBS is not an ATS; however, Human Resources (HR) professionals will be reviewing your resume to ensure your experience as outlined in your resume matches the qualifications sought—and the best way to demonstrate that is through the use of key words.

• Your work history for the past 10 or so years. It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not accurately track their titles, employers, and month/year of employment. All employers want to know this and you need this information on hand before you start drafting your resume. Most employers do not need the specific start date (only month and year) but some federal job postings do request actual dates, in addition to month and year.

• Metrics related to your current job (and ideally the ones past too). Metrics give your work context and it is important to use them as often as possible. What is the dollar value of your budget? How many people do you supervise? How long are your projects? Any place you can include a number, you should; this will be a real differentiator in your resume. Again, numbers are something you should track throughout your career—it’s almost impossible to remember them over a long period of time.

• Achievements. It is not enough to include duties in your resume; employers want to know how you have added value / made a difference. Try to track your achievements over the course your career. It’s not enough to list your duties on your resume; you can differentiate yourself by demonstrating that you not only did your duties but that you did them well. Try to have at least 3-5 achievements for your current job (assuming you’ve been in it for a couple of years). Again, having achievements can make you stand out from other candidates who have essentially the same experience.

• Education information, along with professional certifications, awards, professional development, and other details. While all resumes need education (although skip your graduation date if you graduated more than 5 years ago) and professional certifications (CPA, PMP, PE, IT certifications, etc.), in most cases you should only include awards and professional development on a federal resume.

Only after you have gathered all of your relevant information, is it time to start writing. How long should that take? If you are writing a private sector resume, assume it will take you at least 4 to 6 hours (or more); if you are writing a federal resume, assume a minimum of 6 to 8 hours.

These timeframes are minimum and do not include time for editing and revision. Nor are they illustrative of how long it takes to prepare an executive or Senior Executive Service (SES) resume. And I always recommend that you walk away from your draft for at least a day so you can review it with fresh eyes.

Your Resume Should NOT Use the Word “I” … and other tricks of the trade—

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I often receive feedback from clients about the resumes I have prepared for them; one of consistent comments I receive is about the word “I.” While resumes should not be written in third person (who likes the “royal we”?), they should not use the word “I” either. Resumes are appropriately written in first person implied. This means that not only should you not use “I,” you should not use other personal pronouns such as me, my, we, our, etc., either.

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September is International Update Your Resume Month!

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Because you never know when you’ll need to use your resume, September has been designated as International Update Your Resume Month as an annual reminder for job seekers (and those who may, at some point, be job seekers—which is all of us!) to review and update their resume, LinkedIn profile, and other career documents.

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No, You Should Not Have References on Your Resume

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You read that right, references do not belong on your resume! I know that many of us grew up learning to include “References Available Upon Request” on our resumes. Those days, however, are over. Hiring managers know that you will provide references if you are asked. Do not waste your resume “real estate” with this information (unless the job posting specifically requires that you include references—and by the way, this is not a requirement of USAJOBS).

Instead of noting references on your resume, you should have a separate reference page ready to go. Your reference page does not get submitted with your resume when you apply (unless explicitly requested); instead, you should bring your reference page with you to your interview. Then, if the hiring manager asks for references, you’ll have your reference page ready to provide.

Here’s how to put together a reference page:

• Match the formatting of your reference page to the formatting of your resume (and cover letter) in terms of font, color, and any graphics.

• Include your name and contact information (professional-sounding email address—not your work email and phone number) at the top of your reference page. You may want to include your customized LinkedIn URL and any other social media links as well.

• List 3 to 5 professional references. Each reference listing should include the reference name, their title, organization, City, ST, email, phone number, and relationship to you. You may want to consider to consider listing projects or skills that they reference can attest to.

• Make sure the first reference is the most important one. Be sure to ask permission before listing a reference. And, provide your references with a copy of your latest resume so that know what you have been doing.

• If you are including references on USAJOBS (even though they are not typically required), make sure your references are different than the supervisor names you have provided for each of your jobs.

If you are asked to provide references for a particular job, contact everyone on your reference page right away to let them know. Let your references know the name of company / organization that asked for the information, the position you are seeking, and the name, title, email address, and phone number for the person who may be calling. You should also share some of the critical challenges and responsibilities of the position so your references will be prepared to discuss specific skills, experience, and achievements from their work with you.
And, don’t forget to thank your references!