Recently I have needed to update my résumé. This is something that one should probably revisit on a yearly basis, or at least every time your job title or role changes. I have neglected to do so for 4 years. I shall hang my head in shame for a few minutes.
Shame-fest over. Let the fun begin! Where to start. Luckily, I was able to dig up my out of date résumé from 4 years ago. If you have to start from scratch, I pity you. Maybe you should take a look at your archiving methods after you tackle recreating your résumé. I know that I need to improve mine. That will potentially be a post in the distant future, as I plan on procrastinating on that one for some time. For my résumé, I have a giant file that contains way more detail than a résumé should have. I call this MASTERAMANDA.docx and MASTERAMANDA.indd. I have a word document and an InDesign document. If you do not use InDesign, that's fine. You can do most of what I do in Word alone. I have an InDesign file so that I can make things prettier with less effort. I can do all the same things in Word, but it takes me ages. AGES and chunks of hair. So in this MASTER file, I have all the detail I can possibly write for each job position that I have had for my career. That way I can tailer it down for the specific job that I am applying for.
Sounds easy, yes? It's not. It's like pulling teeth for me. I wish they could give me anesthesia, but then my résumé would well, be worthless.
I think that résumés' should be as clear and concise as possible while still painting an accurate picture of your abilities. Be honest. If you fudge and get the job, they will figure it out eventually and you will look like a jerk. Let's face it, you probably are. Everyone has things that they are really good at and things that they need to improve upon. Play up the things that are your strengths! Not detail oriented? Well, maybe you shouldn't say you are and then misspell something. Maybe you are detail oriented but not worthy of a spelling bee trophy, then get someone who is to proof-read! Thanks to Spanish and French lessons, my spelling isn't as good as I would like, so I get help! Not just the built in spell checker, as it won't notice that you used there instead of their. Which, by the way, isn't excusable. Neither is messing up the difference between your and you're. But I digress. Find a grammar Nazi and get their help. It will probably cost some cookies or something though. Spell checking is hard work.
To the point of being concise, I like to babble out what I am thinking first:
I journaled on how to successfully navigate through space in time. I made it look all nice and dandy. I didn't kill my co-workers when they asked questions that they should have known the answers to. I sat through conference calls with the leaders of Neptune12 and didn't gag on the local cuisine.
Then make it better. sentence by sentence:
Successfully created a beautiful guide to successfully navigate the universe. Encouraged teamwork and personal growth with colleagues. Exemplified diplomacy and etiquette.
By doing this, it quiets the blank screen's mocking, aka writer's block. Please keep in mind that the above and below examples are not entirely accurate of real events or abilities.
Once you have gone through and exhausted everything that you have done for each position that you have had, SAVE! Well, save in between the beginning and end, not just the end. That is a practice that will inevitably lead to disaster. Now, from that MASTER file, save as a new file. Maybe you are going up for an ambassador role now, instead of a journalist, so we will save it as AMANDAambassador.indd, in my theoretical case. Now to make edits. Go through line by line and remove anything NOT ambassador related. Once you have cleaned it up, then go through and make sure everything is consistent. Typeface, spacing, type size, punctuation, etc. Now, let's look at the length. Two full pages?! Too long. As someone who has looked at a fair number of résumés, they all go gray after awhile. Do the person who may read your's a favor and keep is short and sweet. I try to keep mine to just a page, mind you it's 10pt type, but it's all there. If you have to go over on to the second page, it's not the end of the world, but try as best you can not to.
Next, zoom out so that you can see the whole page without having to scroll up, down or sideways. How does it look? Glorious or Bleh? Probably closer to Bleh. Mine sure was. Now for the fun part. No, wait. Now for the step right before the fun part. Research!
I did some research on résumé design. Nothing too fancy. There are all kinds of awesome designs out there, but most of them I had to cross of the idea list, as it didn't allow for much info. My résumé is detail HEAVY. I don't have the room for fancy graphics that will dilute my list of skills. Now, if you are going up for any position art/design, ignore what I just said. You will set yourself ahead of the stack if your résumé instantly looks pleasing to the eye. Make a list of the features of the résumés' that you like and/or will be suitable for your résumé. Bulleted overview of your skills and or qualification? I like bullets. They are the writer's version of polka-dots. Ok, maybe not, but they draw your eye to an area and they break up text that can make the eyeballs weary.
Areas of Expertise
- Intergalactic Travel
- User Experience Design
- Team Collaboration
- Verbal & Written Communication
If you don't like bullets, maybe consider the good 'ol |. I believe it's called a pipe. It's that nice straight line that is hanging out with the backslash over the Enter key on your keyboard. Example:
Areas of Expertise
Intergalactic Travel | User Experience Design | Team Collaboration | Verbal & Written Communication
There are also many other possibilities. I would also like to mention that you it looks and reads best if you vary your list. What I mean is, don't have: Good at Intergalactic Travel, Good at User Experience Design, etc. Instead, break it up with Synonyms. Try to not bore your reader. Maybe you are exceptional at intergalactic travel, and phenomenal at team collaboration. Back to design. Do some digging and see what stands out to you. List references? Research specific résumés for what you are going to apply for. You may not need references for a design job, as your portfolio speaks for itself, but you might for a sales job. Also, do you like the look of single column, double column design? what about split in half horizontally? Maybe a combination? Make some notes and then start playing with your own résumé to decide. Add some color. Not tons, just a little for interest. I would suggest a muted color. Neon orange might be your favorite color, but on a résumé it says ... I don't know what it says, but not professional. Also, please do not use more than 2 fonts. More, and you might as well commit and write it "ransom note" style. Please note, you should not copy the layout exactly as someone else's. That's not cool. Even if it is a form of flattery.
Now that you have great content and design, it's time for the finishing touches. Depending on the job you are applying for, they may want a .pdf .docx, etc. If they ask for a .jpeg, um, well, that's sad. We will try not to judge. I prefer .pdf files. That way, your design will stay put and when they open it, it won't change to the default typeface, like Word will do. Also, in case you didn't know, you can export to a .pdf from Word. If you are mailing it in the snail way, print it out on slightly thicker paper than copier paper. It says that you take pride in this thing. It's the equivalent to wearing dress shoes instead of tennies to your interview. Also, splurge and get the big manila envelopes so that you don't have to fold it. Not that folding is the end of the world, but it's that extra little step of care. Don't forget a cover letter! And some hundred dollar bills. Just kidding, don't send cash in the mail. But really. Send a cover letter.
That's it! Easy peasy. Or tedious and arduous. Good luck if you venture forth on updating or creating your résumé. I'd love to hear comments, suggestions, or tales of bravery!
Enjoy!
~a
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