What Makes a Successful Resume?

What makes a successful resume? The simple answer is, one that gets you an interview. But what goes into that resume to make it stand out in the first place? How do you create a resume that grabs the attention of recruiters and employers?

There is more than one way for a resume to stand out in the pile. In fact, there are 2 categories of standouts: those that stand out for good reasons, and those that stand out for bad reasons. You, of course, want your resume to fall under the first category.

A surefire way to land in the bad pile is to do absolutely nothing toward updating your resume. For example, if you are still using the same resume template that you first used 10 years ago, it will end up in the bad standout pile (read: the round file) for sure.

Nothing’s worse than an outdated, cookie-cutter resume style that says to its readers: “I’m not really all that interested in this job, and even if I were, I’m not the best choice since I clearly lack the ability to keep up with progress.”

This is not the kind of dialogue you want your resume having with prospective employers. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix. Get online and visit some current resume examples at sites like www.samples-resume.com  and Monster. View samples of current resumes in your field and note the styles used and formatting incorporated into the resumes.

For example, one powerful trend you may notice is use of italicized text in a header section right below your name and contact information. This is called a personal statement, or pitch line, and it replaces the OBJECTIVE field. Anything you italicize here will be noticed and read immediately. Think of it as your “value-added” summary.

Using the personal pitch line in your resume is a powerful tool that needs careful consideration because while the words within it need to be powerful as well, you do not want to oversell yourself here, or appear to be exaggerating. Make sure your pitch line is appropriate for the position, and if necessary, change or delete it with each new job to which you apply. 

A personal statement must describe a key accomplishment that you can attribute to yourself in some unique way. For example: Wrote online copy that attracted Fortune 500 company banner ads and received first-position ranking on Google for 14 consecutive months.

Your statement should contain numerical values that help solidify your achievement, and that clearly demonstrate just how valuable you are, as in the link and text examples above.

Another recent trend in resume writing is use of the pronoun “I.” Long thought of as taboo in the resume world, this pronoun is now accepted as a necessary part of telling one’s story. While you don’t want to randomly pepper your resume with the pronoun, you do want to begin a short paragraph with it when necessary.

Example: I scheduled and convened several inter-company meetings during the merger that were key to the development of the new sales program.

Certain resume standards remain unchanged, however, such as the monochromatic rule. Unless you are an artist, such as a photographer or graphic designer, your resume should only be highlighted with one muted color, if at all. Black and white still rules the day.

These are the most important style and formatting conventions to follow in drafting your resume, but aside from form, there is also function to consider. How will your resume be read, and who will be reading it? These questions and more will be answered in the next post. Until then, focus on putting your best foot forward, and as always, good luck!