I am certain that now more than ever, we are all seeking different guides to craft our resumes. In the past three months alone, I've received over 500 applications, inspiring me to create this article to offer a basic guide and assistance. I recall my university days when professors provided rules and advice on resume building.
The guidelines were simple: name, email, address, phone number, education, a list of skills, and experiences. Since then, I've spent a decade working in recruitment, selection, and industry roles, reviewing over a hundred thousand resumes (and LinkedIn profiles) in both technological and non-technological fields. Though inspiring resumes are a rare find, more often than not, I humbly seek to help improve the resumes of those in need. Don't misunderstand me; sometimes, the errors are minor. Still, it's hard not to obsess when it becomes a professional passion and life purpose—helping others without expecting anything in return.
Feedback policies in many companies are strict and limit my desire to help, as what one company or recruiter does not always align with another. I hope this proves useful in your search or, at the very least, enjoyable if you're an HR nerd like myself.
If you're unfamiliar, a CV/Resume is a document that records and presents your education, certifications/awards, skills, knowledge, and experiences for potential employers and/or organizations you'd like to join. If you Google it, there are numerous resources for crafting your own, using keywords, automatic resume builders, and example after example.
There are even templates in Microsoft Word if Google seems overwhelming.
I recommend cv-template.com, canva.com, or resumecompass.co.
Before we dive in, a fun fact: on average, recruiters spend less than 10 seconds reviewing a resume (note: "average" depends on the role and the number of applications/CVs we receive).
The easy, quick, and essential (in order):
1.- Keep the format and font clean, consistent, and the spelling verified.1.- Name: first and last name.
2.- Address: City, State.
3.- Contact email: Use a professional one; if you've had the same email since high school, chances are it's not appropriate.
4.- Phone number (include the area code).
5.-List skills and knowledge: it's like the table of contents of a book. You should tell the reader what to expect.
6.- Languages, programs, soft skills, technical skills, etc. (When opening a new position, recruiters receive requests from hiring managers that include specific skills for that role. It's crucial to read those job descriptions in detail and verify if you possess those skills and that they are reflected in your CV. With over 100 CVs per day, and even more now in the times of COVID-19, we must be quick. A commonly used industry trick is "control+f" to quickly search for those keywords. In the future, we see AI, such as DAXTRA, doing this for us, so attention to detail is essential).
7.- Education and certifications: it's like the book's editorial. It's a way of standardizing credibility. Format: Degree title earned, School (MM/YYYY to Present or MM/YYYY). Awards/honors on the second line (leave out the years).
8.- Experiences: it's like the body of a book. Go into details about where or how you acquired your skills. Format: Job title, Company - - - - MM/YYYY to Present or MM/YYYY.
9.- Job descriptions should be tense and appropriate. Update them when you update your resume; past experiences should be in the past tense.
10.- Descriptions should show measurable impacts you have made, also translated into %. (Example: Hired 26% of the current staff of 140 engineers, etc.). Job responsibilities and projects: what were the results of the projects? What role did you play in these projects? Did you solve problems? Leader? etc.
11.- References upon request.
More details if you want to add more value:
1.- Always have a master copy: this resume is your record of all your successes and experiences, unfiltered. Adjust each CV you send to each job description and position you apply for. (The CV has to get you an interview, not a job).
2.- Objectives: leave them out. It's a lazy form of a cover letter, or at the very least, take the time to make that small objectives paragraph directed to the person/recruiter of the company you're applying to.
3.- Salary expectations: don't include this. You don't need to play poker; it's not necessary to show your cards so early.
4.- Professionals with more than 15 years of experience: try to keep resumes active at a maximum of 2 pages.
5.- At the 10-year mark, stop including MM/YYYY in experiences. Eliminate the risk of age discrimination.
6.- Anything before 15 years probably is no longer relevant. List only the title and the company if you wish (Avoid writing page after page of your tasks in those experiences; you're just adding information but not value).
7.- Why only put the city and state in the address? You eliminate biases for people who may live in specific neighborhoods.
8.-If you're graduating from college, your resume should be one page unless you have extensive pre-university experience (you could still keep it to 1 page).
Finally, you must be proactive when editing your resume. Although we all have the same rights in the application stage, it's always good to remove any signs that could lead to biases. Remember, this is a basic guide for creating your CV; if you want tips for getting a job, you can contact me.
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