10 seconds; 30 seconds, if you’re lucky. That’s how long most recruiters and interviewers will likely spend reading your resume.
However, this should not be interpreted as a license to cobble together a “pretty good” resume quickly. It is a call to action to make your resume great and stand out. But how?
Let’s begin with the basics: what’s the purpose of your resume? As with any sales process, the objective is to progress to the next step—ideally, an interview. The goal of a high-quality resume is to make a positive first impression. Remember, the details matter.
First and foremost, keep it concise. Writing a paragraph to describe anything is to ignore (at your peril) the airtime your resume is likely to receive. Use punchy words, phrases, or sentences that highlight the key points. It is also important to show action and provide evidence. Use keywords to describe your contributions, such as “led”, “implemented”, or “created”, and where possible, quantify the outcomes of your actions.
Stylistically, it is preferable to be direct rather than rely on hackneyed “business guff”. Claiming you “Ideated to raise the bar while iterating on platform agnostic optionality” might sound clever, but most people don’t speak this way. Lucy Kellaway, a well-regarded writer with the Financial Times in London, has made it her crusade to “prosecute corporate crimes against the English Language”; her advice is worth taking to heart.
While it is good for a resume to get noticed, you don’t want it to get noticed for the wrong reasons. Proofread, proofread, and proofread again to ensure against typos, bad grammar, improper tense, and inconsistent formatting. These slips send a poor subliminal message about your thoroughness and attention to detail; take care to avoid them.
Humanizing your resume by listing hobbies, interests, and extracurricular activities is an effective way to capture someone’s attention. They provide an opportunity to share stories that highlight characteristics employers may find attractive. Starting a business implies motivation, entrepreneurship, and risk tolerance. Being a four-year varsity athlete implies commitment, teamwork, and time management skills. Extensive personal travel suggests an openness to new cultures and ideas. One note of caution, however, be authentic; don’t make stuff up. If you claim to speak French, you accept the risk that you will be tested. If you claim to love to read, you should be prepared to name books, authors and learnings.
One last point. Make sure to provide an “evergreen” email address – one that will persist after school, your current job, etc. Check your voicemail – is the message professional? Is your mailbox full? And include relevant social media links such as LinkedIn. “The best resume is useless if a potential employer cannot contact you.
