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Make no mistake about it, writing an effective
resume has to be a highly individualized matter,
since no two people are alike. Nevertheless, it is
such a constricted and standardized format, that we
resume writers find ourselves adopting certain
phrases or words that each of us tends to prefer and
that in fact help our clients get jobs. Every resume
writer has his or her own list. Here is mine:
1. "$3,000,000" (vs.
"$3M") -
To a skimmer's eye, "$3M" looks like three dollars.
If you are dealing with big numbers and write out
all the zeros, the reader's eye will find it
anywhere on the page, no matter how fast they are
skimming.
2. "Created a database
for..." (vs. "Developed a database for...")
- "Developed" is an overused and nondescript word.
Often databases, procedures, lists, or whatever
other job activity you are writing about is
something you actually put together (even if you
used a standard software program to do it, for
example). "Created" is closer to the truth and is
certainly much more impressive.
3. "Applied xyz
methods..." (vs. "Learned xyz methods....")
- Many people list important skills or knowledge
that they learned on a job. But that isn't going to
impress a potential employer. The potential employer
wants to know if you actually used those skills. How
and where you learned them is immaterial.
4. "College courses
include..." (vs. "Took courses in...." or "3 years
of college")
- If you went to college years ago and did not
complete your degree, you look like an
underachiever. Starting with "College courses
include..." sends the message that you are a high
school graduate who went to school to take courses
(not just get a degree) or that you have been
motivated to keep your education ongoing.
5. "All..." as in,
"All human resources responsibilities in the
office..." (vs., for example, "Human resources
responsibilities include all functions...")
- Sometimes a key word isn't what you'd think. "All"
is a great key word to start a descriptive item in
your resume. "All" instantly paints a picture of
comprehensive responsibilities and a more rather
than less important role.
6. "References
available upon request" (vs. nothing)
- Now, I know that many experts do not consider this
phrase necessary because they believe that most
readers assume that you will have references. But
I'm not so sure. Unfortunately, there are potential
employers out there (hopefully not too many) who may
conclude that if you do not say anything about
references, it must mean that you don't have any,
and therefore they can throw out your resume and
have one less to read. So, keep it in.
7. "Value to an
organization:"... (vs. "Career Summary")
- Who cares what your career summary is? In my
humble opinion and extensive experience, deep down
inside the first thing a potential employer really
wants to know is if you can help their bottom line.
Otherwise, I don't really think they're that
interested in reading yet another career summary.
Sander Marcus, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical
Psychologist and Certified Professional Resume
Writer. He has over 3 decades of experience in
providing career counseling, aptitude testing, job
search coaching, and resume writing. He is the
co-author of 2 books on academic underachievement,
various tests, and numerous articles. Contacted him
at
marcus@iit.edu, 312-567-3358,
www.center.iit.edu.
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