7 Planning your Resume

When you apply for a job, there are probably many more applications for the same job.  Hundreds or thousands of resumes will be sent in for the same job you want your future employer to know you are perfect for you – and just you.

Resumes are meant to give potential employers a “snapshot” of your qualifications (but not the whole picture).  A resume is meant to get you an interview where you can expand and explain your abilities more thoroughly.  Because of this, your resume should be a relatively short document.  It should contain only the information that is relevant to the job and it must be eye catching.

Like any other document, your resume starts with audience analysis.

Audience Analysis

Who is the audience for your resume?  Well, you can start off my researching the company you are applying to.  Find out what their goals and mission is, what they look for in a candidate, ….

Planning Your Document

Begin by reading the advertisement for the job.  What is the employer looking for?  Is experience more important than education level or vice versa?  Are they looking for people skills or computer skills?  Are they looking for someone who is bilingual and if so, which language other than English?   Which of your previous job positions or skills are applicable to this job you are applying for and which can you leave out?    Will it help you get an interview if you volunteer for an organization that is supported by the company you are applying for?  Will it help your potential employer to know of the awards you received (for example, do your awards indicate success in any of the responsibilities they are asking for?

You also need to consider the design of your document.  Large chunks of dense text are not going to help you.  Why? Because as mentioned before, your potential employer is looking at many resumes, he/she doesn’t want to have to read a novel to get to what he/she wants to know.  Concise, clear (and perfectly spelled) documents are more likely to get read.

If you are applying to an edgy company, your design elements should also be edgy, super creative and innovative.  Design elements may include color,  side bars, vertical formatting or columns and even visuals. If you are applying to a conservative company, a standard, clean, elegant design is best with one font throughout the document.

Regardless of the design, a good paper stock is important.  You should proofread your document or have someone else proofread it to catch any typos or misspellings.  If you are submitting your resume online, please take the time to proofread it before you submit it and make sure you used a clear font that will translate to well to different online platforms.  Good old Times Roman, or Arial work.  A Sans Serif font may work better for a technical job whereas a serif font may work best for other types of jobs – you be the judge.

Some people will research a company’s website and use the same colors and fonts on their resume as the company uses.  It’s a subtle message that you know something about the company and want to be part of it.