Resume Do's and Don'ts- Current Event

My current event doesn't involve a new logo or new design campaign, but I do feel it relates to the current economic situation. I found an article from the LA Times dated this week that features and gives advice on how to format and design a resume in order to maximize readership and likability. Since so many companies and stores are no longer looking for jobs or even laying off employees, it is even more important to stand out and be competitive. I also found this article interesting because we designed resumes for our first project, so it was quite interesting to see what the 'resume experts' had to say about the subject. A screen shot of a picture from the article is show below, followed by the whole article.

Resume do's and don'ts

Email Picture

March 29, 2009

The good resume: Clean, detailed and on point

Specifics are key

• Including plenty of numbers shows recruiters exactly how you'll be good for their budget.
• Explain the how and why of your success by giving examples. For instance: "Saved money by negotiating with providers."
• Skip the Objective section for a Summary that highlights the best parts of your resume early.

Embrace brevity
• Stay away from flowing, ornate prose. Keep the language short and sweet.
• Slice out internships and short-term jobs that don't show off your talents. Prioritize skills that can transfer to the job for which you're applying.
• Keep the resume to one page and avoid flowery graphic design.

Be topical
• Include only awards and interests that exhibit traits and expertise the recruiter can use. The soccer-league reference implies civic-mindedness and competitiveness.
• Language fluency and proficiency in technology are desirable in an increasingly Web-based, multilingual economy. Mention those skills if you can.

Bad resumes: Distracting, sloppy and irrelevant

Keep it simple
• Don't go overboard on fonts, colors, borders, boldface and underlining.
• Avoid clip art and other graphics such as photos. This isn't a middle-school project.
• Skills should be folded into Work Experience. The Personal and References sections are excessive.

Edit carefully
• Switching back and forth from multiple sizes of bullet points to dashes and from "Calif." to "CA" suggests carelessness.
• Check for repetition as well as spelling and grammar errors.
• "Watching a company advance" could suggest laziness, not eagerness. A fresh pair of eyes can suggest better alternatives.

Be relevant
• Details such as your GPA, prom queen nomination or where you went to middle school are distracting to recruiters.
• The Objective should be replaced with a Summary section.
• Offer concrete examples with numbers and anecdotes. Anyone can claim to be a "good people person."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-coverside29-2009mar29,0,1345223.story