by Julie Desmond

Resumes are here to stay. Most job postings instruct applicants to send a resume and cover letter as a first step in the hiring process. What most people don’t realize, however, is that a resume is a marketing tool, an advertisement for what you can do, not a procedural manual on how you will do it. No one expects a resume to include every activity ever explored, any more than a menu includes every recipe or a clothing tag lists the procedure involved in sewing the garment together. A good resume has five sections: identification, objective, experience, education and technical skills. By eliminating unnecessary information, candidates look better and get hired more easily.

Section 1: Who are you?

The name on the top of the resume should be the one you use commonly. It is okay to write Nick Jones, for example, instead of Nicholas Alexander Jones, if Nick is what you go by at work. That said, wait until you’ve been on the job a while before telling people that friends call you Sticky Fingers, Big Red or Snake.

Section 2: What do you want?

State your objective briefly and include only a quick snapshot of your past along with a sentence about the job you are applying for. Try something like this: Versatile, experienced caregiver seeking Certified Nursing Assistant position within a clinic or hospital. That’s it. If you are tempted to mention your ability to multi-task and work well with others, remember, so is everyone else. Stand apart by making your point in a sentence or two and then getting on with the application.

Section 3: What have you done lately?

The Experience section is the heart of your resume and should combine both paid and volunteer positions, but only those related to the job you are applying for.

However rich your background, avoid writing a novel that no one will read. An experience section that sells will include three bullet points under each job title. First, provide the primary responsibilities of that job. If someone is a CFO, her primary responsibility is not Accounts Payable, although it is assumed she understands that function. Second, list any leadership responsibilities in that position. Leadership can be defined in all kinds of ways. It could be that you had several direct reports, or you led a committee or headed up a project. Third, give a measurable accomplishment. This is your hook. Offer one true success story, backed by numbers. For example, you increased sales by 110% or you were responsible for adding a three story addition to your facility or you saved the lives of thirty schoolchildren as a city firefighter.

Section 4, Education, encompasses college, training programs, conferences and seminars.

Remember that PeopleSoft training everyone in your company had to sit through? Admit it, you learned a lot from that class and then went back and used it in your work. Include certifications and software training you have completed so employers will know what you know.

Section 5, Technical Skills, is set up as a series of bullet points or words separated by commas.

Lift words from the job description to ensure your resume comes up in electronic searches.

Following this format, your resume will begin to look more like a full page ad for a desirable product and less like the warning sheet from a prescription medication. Extra information is like background noise; let your relevant experience be heard by reducing the noise around it.

Julie Desmond is an experienced recruiter and career counselor. She currently leads job search and career planning workshops in Edina, MN. Write to julie@helpwantedworkshop.com.