When I got laid off in 2009 I panicked. What was I going to do? Joe was my resume writer. How dare God take away my resume writer. However, with God’s help, I learned how to write a resume. (Thanks J.T. O’Donnell!) He put the right person in my path who showed me how easy it is to write one. Oh what joy!
50 Ways To Do A Resume
However, what I quickly discovered was no two people agree on the format. If I give my resume to J.T. she will give me feedback and I will make corrections. Then if I give the J.T. approved resume to Jeff, he will do a Jack the Ripper number on it and tell me to do something else. If I make changes and give the Jeff approved resume to Paul Simon, he will do a Jack the Ripper number on it and want me to do something else…and so on, and so on, and so on.
I could give my resume to 50 different people and get 50 different ways to do a resume. At some point I need to stop and say, “That’s the way (Uh huh huh) I like it – (Uh huh huh).”
Six Degrees of Separation From the Shredder
The top third of my resume is the most important section. If it does not catch a recruiter or hiring manager’s eye within 6 seconds, into the shredder it goes. Seriously, 6 seconds is all the time my resume is given. So why waste that valuable real estate on fluffy, foo-foo words with no real meat behind them?
Summary vs Objective
Some resume writers want a summary, some want an objective and some want a list of skills at the top.
Summary – A summary is a backward looking paragraph that summarizes your experience. It is usually filled with fluffy words such as
- hard working
- team player
- strong communication skills
They do not tell an employer anything solid. They just waste valuable real estate.
Objective – An objective is a forward looking statement of what you want to be when you grow up. However, if I am applying for a position as a Collections Manager – guess what my objective is – to get the position as Collections Manager.
Suppose I apply for a position as Career Counselor, again what is my objective – to get the Career Counselor position.
My objective is to get the position for which I applied.
Skills
So you will not find an summary or objective on my resume. Instead there are a list of skills that are applicable to the position for which I am applying.
Besides, nothing screams 1980’s like Objective and Summary. When resume screams 1980’s it is also saying the applicant is “old” and unable to adjust to the changing times.
Thankful
Thankful for God giving me an open mind about what goes on a resume, how it is formatted, and words to use.
JoyReturns 