I Know The Guy Who Owns This Place

A couple more good thoughts on how to write a resume that doesn’t get dismissed immediately from Divine Caroline (via Lifehacker). They’re pretty accurate.

A couple more resume tips I’ll add to my previous list:

• Spend as much time on the resume as you would your favorite work project. It should be perfect, not just good. Errors in your resume will tell the hiring manager that you don’t pay attention to detail. Make it succinct and to the point. To quote T.S. Eliot: “If I had more time, I’d have written a shorter letter.” Take the time to make your key accomplishments pop.
• No TLAs (“three-letter acronyms”) or codenames! The reader will have no idea what it is even though you might have thought it was clear when you wrote it.
• Focus on what you personally delivered or accomplished. The manager is hiring you, not your former team.
• Make sure your cover letter calls out why you’re a fit or what you can bring to the table. I love getting business and product ideas or improvement suggestions. It shows that you understand the business and it’s goals (unless it’s a horrible idea, then it causes the opposite effect.)
• Start keeping track of your key accomplishments/metrics now, even if you aren’t job searching. In 2 years, it’ll be hard to remember what greatness you did right now.

Good luck in your job search!

~ by bryan on September 5, 2009.