The High Impact Resume
Jan 22nd, 2008 by Nohel
What is a High Impact resume?
Everyone wants the secret to write the perfect resume. They want to know what it looks like, what it sounds like, what to include in it. Well, before writing your perfect resume you need some ground work. And keep in mind that your perfect resume will not be my perfect resume. Experiences vary and because of that you will need to consider the impact you want to have with your resume. There is no other impact a resume can have other than a HIGH impact. Well, that is if you actually want the job.
There are 2 factors that contribute to a resumes effectiveness:
- Format
- Content
That’s it! These 2 simple little things are the most critical things you need to focus your energy and time on when deciding on how to write a resume. Both are equally critical to resume performance and they must be carefully combined and balanced to make a high impact resume. It is important to know that neither one can be sacrificed in favor of the other. If you want to create a resume that will have maximum impact, consider the following.
Format-
The format is the physical layout of your content or information on the resume. To be effective, you want the resume format to be simple, neat, well organized, and visually pleasing. It should offer little reader resistance. Design your resume for quick reading and easy identification of your key qualifications for the position.
Content-
The resume content, on the other hand, refers to the actual information presented in your resume (work experience, dates of employment, position held, key responsibilities, etc.). Good format enhances readability, but it’s the content that actually makes the sale. To understand what content is important and how it should be presented in your resume, you need to ask yourself 2 questions:
- What is it that the employers needs to know about me and my qualifications to make a good decision?
- What is the logical order in which to present this information to help the employer’s decision?
Good answers to both of these questions are essential to creating an effective employment resume that will motivate the employer to pursue your employment candidacy. You never want to make the employer do more work than they have to. You want to do all the work for them so that all they have to do is skim. It might take you 10-20 hours, but it will be well worth the time once you get the job with a well designed, high impact resume.
Career Counseling: How To Write A Resume Tip: “Put effort into your research before actually writing your resume. It will pay off dividends!”
I really struggle with getting my resume easy to read. There is just so much I want to say…any tips?
Yeah, I got a tip for you Dave, don’t write so much…hehe.
No, seriously, if you think you’re writing too much, then you probably are…stay relevant to what the employer is looking for in a candidate.
Dave, I believe what was stated above is truly accurate. When writing a resume, I have been very successful because of the format presented. Short summary, insert a table with 6-8 proficiencies whether they are systems/software or such. Then go straight into accomplishments. This is where you showcase your talents. What you have accomplished. I personally stick with about 10. I then move on to Work history. This is where I write about 2 sentences then about 5-8 bullet points on my responsibilities. Honestly, I believe my accomplishement area is what sells me at all times. I get many calls and many compliments on the format. Keep it simple, easy to read and you will get bites every time.
Yeah you guys are offering great advice. Personally, I used to have my resumes be 10 pages long. Then I learned that they should only be 1 page, but I still prefer to use my 10 page resume even though I only have 3 months work experience in my life.
Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to find a job for the last 5 years… what do you guys think?
One to two pages is still Corporately acceptable. Any more than that you’re making them read too much. If you focus on your accomplishments and place them in the middle to beginning of the resume, it will give them a sense of who you are and what you’ve done without having to read too much.
[…] a hard-hitting, high-impact resume can do wonders for the effectiveness of your job search. This statement is so true when you look […]