Business Word

Résumés: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

by Peter Zvalo

As a manager, I receive many résumés throughout the year. And what is normally a trickle of resumes turns into a waterfall whenever our firm places a recruitment ad. Inevitably, reading resumes gets squeezed into whatever available time I have on a given day.

According to a recent study conducted for Accountemps, a leading international temporary staffing service, 60 percent of employers spend less than five minutes looking at the résumés of prospective employees, while 32 percent reported spending less than two minutes. Only three percent reported spending an hour or more reading a résumé.

For job seekers, the implications of this study is clear: keep your résumé short and get to the point. Typically, I peruse a résumé for about one to two minutes. On those that escape the "reject" pile, I spend another three or four minutes reading the finer details before determining whether to call the candidate in for an interview.

For technical writers, it is arguable that a well-presented résumé is even more critical than it is for other types of job applicants. The style, tone, and overall quality of a writing candidate’s résumé is often an excellent indicator of his or her writing ability and approach to writing.

We have all read advice on how to write an effective résumé. Many have even attended a seminar about the subject. Yet, despite the number of resources available on this subject, it is surprising how many people — even those who call themselves professional writers — put too little effort into producing effective résumés.

The following refresher pointers may help you improve your résumé:

• List your skills up front. When describing past experience, avoid a long chronology of project work. Instead, group projects according to types: technical user manuals, online help, proposals, Web sites, training, and so on. For each project, indicate what your involvement was (e.g., writing, editing, research, designing, proofreading). At our firm, we tend to prefer people with a good mix of skills and past experience. Include a list of software that you have used, accompanied by your level of proficiency in each one.
• Proofread. A résumé that has spelling or grammar mistakes shows that you may not pay close attention to detail, or that you are just plain sloppy.
• Use a simple but professional-looking layout. Don’t try to cram too much information on a page and avoid fancy fonts that clutter. A good-looking résumé shows that you know a thing or two about document design, as well as how to use a word processor.
• Include a covering letter. A covering letter introduces you and your résumé; a personalized covering letter indicates that you have researched the firm. The letter also provides another sample of your writing and can enhance your prospects with the firm — if it’s done well. I recently received a covering letter that, despite the applicant’s impressive array of experience, automatically disqualified him. The letter consisted of the following: "I am currently having the status as foreigner but soon planning to immigrate to canada. In that what are the chances of getting a job with u people. Secondly, a person like me with an experience of more than 6 years should expect how much minimum salary. Please let me know. Awaiting ur reply." Better luck next time.
• Keep it short. Résumés generally need not be longer than three or four pages. People with a lot of experience tend to list every job title they ever had; however, this is often unnecessary to get an interview. A representative sample of your projects is sufficient. I recently received a résumé of eight tightly packed pages of detailed information. Giving the applicant the benefit of the doubt, I called him in for an interview. Unfortunately, he was as long winded in person as he was on paper.

A perfect résumé is, of course, not a guarantee that you will be offered an interview, let alone a job. Many other factors come into play, including the specific skills that an employer is looking for and compatibility. Some people’s career goals or personality may not fit with the company’s goals or corporate culture. What other people say about you in reference checks will also have an impact on the hiring decision. The ultimate goal of the hiring process is to make a decision that is mutually beneficial to the firm and the new staff member.

Peter Zvalo is a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Block.