Resume Best Practices
Resume Best Practices & Standards
1. Resume Design: Selecting the right design template to showcase your accomplishments based on your industry is important. If you’re in a conservative industry (banking, accounting), your template should reflect that and not lean heavily on designer fonts or frivolous designs.
2. Page Length: Recruiters and Hiring Managers prefer resumes to be two pages or less. However, the rule of thumb is: a modern resume is as long – or as short – as it needs to be, provided only relevant information for the new job search is included. Nothing extraneous.
3. Qualification (Opening) Summary versus Objective Statement: Recruiters and Hiring Managers prefer a qualifications summary over an objective statement every time. They want to see what candidates can bring to their organization in terms of performance rather than the candidate stating a position they want.
4. Quantify Accomplishments: A resume must have quantified accomplishments not a reiteration of a job description. Example: Increased productivity 58% within three months of hire by retraining staff on latest accounting software. Providing percentages, dollar figures, and timeframes strengthens achievements.
5. Strong Data Prioritization & Organization: The resume needs to be organized in standard sections. Within each section, the data is presented in reverse-chronological order (the last job or school listed first). The information is prioritized based on value to the Recruiter and Hiring Manager. Information pertinent to the targeted position should be showcased first. For example, if Education is the most important qualification; it’s presented before Work History, rather than last on the document.
6. Non-relevant & Repetitive Data: An effective resume focuses on enhancing your candidacy and avoids repetition and inclusion of non-relevant information. For example, hobbies & interests should only be included if relevant to the job. Personal information (birth dates, marital status etc.) is included in some oversea resumes.
7. Language: Use of business language is critical to the professionalism of a resume. Resumes should avoid the use of personal pronouns (“I’ “my” “we”) and slang at all times.
Resume Misconceptions – What a Resume is Not
1. A document that reflects your personality: Unless you’re in the performing arts or involved in a creative industry, a resume should err on the conservative side — no designer fonts or unusual designs.
2. An exhaustive listing of everything you’ve done: Recruiters and Hiring Managers want recent experience, not all experience. The rule of thumb is to go back 10 years for IT professionals and no more than 15 years for those in other industries. Ideally, a resume should not be longer than 2 pages.
3. A document that tells the recruiter or hiring manager what you want: Recruiters and Hiring Managers are interested in what you can bring to their organizations in terms of performance — increasing profits or reducing costs. What you want (your objective) is secondary.
4. A document that will guarantee an interview or job offer: A resume is the beginning of your job search. It cannot guarantee the end result. No matter how well your accomplishments are detailed and your data presented, if your background doesn’t closely match the requirements of the job, you will not be called in for an interview
5. A one-size-fits-all document: Certainly, there are basic standards for all resumes, such as page length and data prioritization/organization. However, your background is unique and needs to be presented to showcase your skills, not fit a general template designed for everyone.
6. A document that will please your spouse, parents, colleagues, etc.: The only audience that matters is Recruiters and Hiring Managers. Relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances may be well-meaning, but they are not experts in resume writing. They may tell you to add hobbies, when you should not – or include personal data when it’s not required.
7. A document that is perfect in every way: Organization of data and showcasing accomplishments are what matter most in a resume as does language and tone (be professional at all times). Recruiters and Hiring Managers are looking for hard skills that you can bring to their organization, not whether you used the word ‘oversaw’ rather than ‘managed’.
Global Resumes & Cover Letters: UK
UNITED KINGDOM
Resume Guidelines
Education:
1. Secondary education, include dates/names/locations of schools, plus qualifications received
Special Skills (include):
1. Language Skills
2. Computer Skills
Professional Experience:
1. Include reasons for leaving
Interests/Hobbies: Describe how time outside of work is spent
Format: Education followed by professional experience
Length: No longer than two pages
Cover Letter Guidelines
1. Position you’re applying for and why
2. Skills, experience, abilities that will be valuable to targeted company
Length: One page
Global Resumes & Cover Letters: Thailand
THAILAND
Resume Guidelines
Education:
1. University: include data about student training work/thesis projects stating length of time and references.
2. Secondary school/high school – state major subjects studied; provide details on specific courses and programs. Indicate if you’ve studied abroad.
3. Include extracurricular activities
Special Skills (include):
1. Language Skills
2. Computer Skills
Professional Experience:
1. Explain all gaps in employment
2. If employed part time, indicate why you did not choose full time work
Military Experience: Include details, including military service status
Interests/Hobbies: Briefly mention
Format: Begin with personal information, then academic achievements, additional information (training, professional associations, hobbies), employment record (reverse chronological order), and references.
Length and Format:
No more than two pages, three is the max; A4 page setup rather than 8 ½” x 11”
Cover Letter Guidelines
1. What job is being applied for, why, and how you found out about it (newspaper ad, etc.)
2. Skills, experience, abilities that will be valuable to targeted company
3. Address to person in charge of recruitment
Length and Format: No more than one page; A4 page setup rather than 8 ½” x 11”
