The 4 most important resume tips

How many resumes do you need? How long should your resume be? What should you write about? How often should you update your resume?

These are just a few of the issues involved when writing a resume. Even though there are many experts offering opinions, it is hard to find trusted answers. So I’ve decided to compile the 4 best tips about writing resumes I’ve run across from my days at Stanford to my time in consulting. Do read until the end as I have saved the best resume tip for last.

(And if you haven’t already, check out the complementary article on cover letter tips)

But before I get to the tips, here is one small point about resumes.

The purpose of a resume

Why do you write a resume? It is to impress your employer? Is it to show who you are?

There are a lot of perspectives out there. The one I like the most is utilitarian:

The purpose of a resume is self-promotion. It’s a way for you to show why you deserve an interview or second-look from a company. Nothing more, nothing less.

I know this sounds bland. But from a practical standpoint, a resume is mostly a stepping stone. No one wins writing awards or lands a job per se from a resume. The resume is mostly a stepping stone to getting an interview or connecting with a company.

That said, creating a successful resume is an exercise in bottom-line thinking. This philosophy has several implications:

1. Each job position is different and usually merits a personalized resume
2. A resume should be as short as possible, not longer
3. Accomplishments should be quantified to indicate a sense of scale
4. You only need to update a resume when you apply for a job

As some of these tips are debated, let me elaborate and explain some of the specifics and justifications.

1. One job = one resume

It sounds weird to write a separate resume for each job. But think about it another way. It is not really much work to fine-tune your credentials for each job, and doing so can pay dividends.

Remember, a resume is a first impression, a flirt. You are trying to get a company interested in you. Now what’s better: using a generic pick-up line or crafting your pitch to a company’s interests?

Specialization is even more important in this job market. Many companies are flooded with resumes and recruiters may spend 20 seconds to two minutes on a resume. You don’t have much time to impress. You have to stand out and prepare accordingly.

Now this doesn’t mean you have to create a brand new resume for each job. But it does mean you should take a few minutes to personalize your resume for each job. For instance, you can modify the “relevant coursework” section of your resume if you’re a student. Or you can take time to reorder your accomplishments to match company goals. Whatever the case, you can probably find a few natural ways to craft your resume for prospective employers.

2. Resume should be one page, usually

The length of the resume is one of those hot button topics. Many people insist the resume should be one page, but others believe the resume can be longer if there are appropriate accomplishments.

There are valid arguments to both sides, so I don’t want to belabor the point too much. The point is that most college graduates, and even most new workers, do not have enough to merit more than one page.

The people who do have enough, I believe, by and large know it since they are so active in networking and extra-curricular activities that one of their career advisers will advise them accordingly.

If you are still unsure, Bankrate has a good article on the length of the resume.

Among its main points are: it’s okay to be two pages if merited, spend time formatting font and white space to make it look clean, it is becoming more common to customize a resume for each job.

What if you’re having trouble trimming your resume?

In that case, remind yourself that a resume is just the tip of the iceberg. The resume is a way to tell a story, not to recount details for a police record.

I want to offer an example in this regard. Imagine someone describing their past job in accounting. Now consider which of the following two descriptions would make more of an impact:

Example 1: I once found an accounting error, told my manager, worked with Excel, and saved the company thousands of dollars

Example 2: Saved the company $10,000 by fixing an accounting error

It’s clear the latter example is stronger. It offers just enough detail, and causes intrigue among a reader. What type of error did the applicant find? What skills did he have that others before didn’t?

The items on your resume should be specific enough to tell a story. I like to follow the example of Ernest Hemingway who wrote economically and exemplified the idea that words are just the tip of the iceberg of larger ideas. Be direct and concrete, but be leading so readers are curious and will want to find out more.

3. Quantify accomplishments when possible

This advice is almost universally accepted and offered, so I will not belabor the point.

Quantifying examples is about offering concrete numbers. This strategy demonstrates both how much you did and how much you did compared to other applicants.

The only caveat here is to consider how you quantify. Definitely spend some time considering the metric, such as whether to use percent change or absolute change. For example, I was telling a friend how traffic on this blog has changed during the last year. When the blog started it made sense to discuss change in total pageviews, but now that traffic is more stable, it makes sense to discuss percentage change.

I found a nice article from College Recruiter that offers more opinions: how to quantify your resume.

Some of the article’s major points are: companies care about quantifying the bottom line, be creative in how you measure value, and be specific in how many you supervised, etc.

It’s not necessary to fill your resume with numbers, but it is beneficial to quantify your accomplishments to make them stand out.

4. Update only when applying

I’ve saved my best tip for last, so you’re in for a treat if you’re made it this far.

I know some experts say you should update your resume every month. Others say it is fine to update your resume every three to six months. Personally, I think this is nonsense.

I simply write a resume when I am applying for a job. I avoid having to spend time creating a resume “just in case.” And I also get to learn about a prospective employer before crafting a resume.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I do nothing in between jobs. There is a crucial step in making this all work. It is not exactly a resume tip, though it will help both with creating resumes and getting letters of recommendation. The tip is:

Create a grand list of accomplishments and works in progress. Include dates, names of co-workers and bosses, your specific tasks, the project’s overall goal, and any specifics on the company bottom line.

This list is solely for your own eyes. You don’t have to proofread it or even spell-check it. Just keep it handy.

When you have a working list of accomplishments, it is easy to write resumes. You will have a detailed record of the great things you did, the dates of projects, and the bosses that will back you up as references. Plus, if you ever need a letter of recommendation, you will have no trouble supplying details to the writer. You’ll always be able to get strong recommendation letters.

This list is so easy to create and it has been so useful to me that I want you to enjoy its advantages too. Here is a template I used in consulting that you can copy/paste so you can get started:

Projects worked and accomplishments

Project area (ex. energy projects)
Cases: Case 1 (dates), Case 2 (dates), etc.

Managers and Partners: Name (title), Name 2 (title), etc.

Tasks (examples):
1. Researched energy prices
2. Implemented model of energy delivery costs
3. Improved model for predicting energy costs

etc.

Just continue the list with more tasks and more projects as you go on.

Since the list is very details, I usually update it after each project, or at least every couple of months. This way I write the details down while they are fresh in my mind.

Of course, if you have done something noteworthy, don’t wait! Write down your greatness when it happens. This strategy will help immensely in the future, such as during company evaluations.

What are your tips?

I have summarized the 4 most important resume tips for mes. Admittedly, these may be biased toward technical and economics jobs so I’m asking you to balance it out.

What resume tips do you have? What resume tips did I omit? What resume tips did you disagree with? How would you change the resume tips list for start-ups or freelance jobs?