Writing an Effective Resumé for a Career Change
Your years of experience make you a desirable job candidate, but there’s no need to bog down recruiters and hiring managers with extensive details of your every step up the career ladder. Here are some tips for constructing an effective resumé:
Tip #1 Refocus the content
While younger workers tend to list every job experience since college, recruiters recommend deleting the earliest years of your job history. You are better off highlighting the past 10 to 20 years, says Liz Ryan, a workplace, work/life and networking advice author, commentator and advisor based in Boulder, Co. “This shortens your resumé and dampens the ‘vintage effect,’ ” Ryan says. She also recommends mentioning any early jobs that tie to your career-change aspirations.
It’s also a good idea to leave the year of your college graduation as well as graduate school off your résumé, Ryan says. And to quell health concerns about mature employees, include a leisure activities category that shows your physical abilities, Ryan says. “If you run marathons, say so.”
Tip #2: Keep it simple
Hiring managers will focus on your work experience, so keep your resumé short and concise. In fact, recruiters say there’s no reason to extend your resumé to two pages. “It's not just an important writing technique, it also shows that you know what matters and what doesn't in your work. It's essential to be able to find the most salient points and communicate them with impact,” Ryan says.
If you occupied more than one position at the same company, your best bet is to make the responsibilities and duration of each position clear. Delivery is also important. Use active verbs instead of passive language. For example, it’s better to say: "Reduced inventory shortage by 50% by monitoring employee access,” rather than “inventory shortage was cut in half as employee access was monitored,” says Tom Nugent, a Michigan-based career coach.
Tip #3 Get it right the first time
Grammatical errors and misspellings are a big no-no. “I expect your resumé to be perfect including spelling; tenses; format,” says Kristen Fife, a recruiter at a Fortune 100 company. Fife was reviewing a resumé recently and the applicant stated that she fostered a "spirit de corps" at her place of employment rather than an “espirit de corps.” Her resumé got tossed. For more resumé tips, check out these ideas from the Rockport Institute
About the Author: Jill Woodbine is a New York-based freelance writer.
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