Do you want to see a “perfect” resume? Many people would so as to emulate it. However, there is no such thing. A great resume is a work in progress – a snapshot of where you are professionally and the journey that brought you there.
A good not-for-profit resume is concise, accurate and industry-friendly. It highlights your past successes, strengths and potential for growth. It shows commitment to mission which, in this sector, means social equity. It is a powerful, truthful document. And, when referenced along with your communications on the Web (LinkedIN/Facebook profiles, Twitter and blogs), a potential employer gains a clear picture of the value you will add to an organization.
Additionally, there is another aspect to resumes seldom addressed in resume writing workshops and thought-pieces: Your resume is the first indication an employer has of your integrity. Inaccuracy on the resume translates into either sloppiness or deceit, both of which are unappealing if not intolerable to potential employers. For instance, a verbose resume can translate into a lack of respect for others’ time. As well, it can represent a large ego. In the meantime, a lack of mission or focus on a resume can translate into insincerity and/or the inability to prioritize. Be aware of these signals. Tailor your resume so it not only represents your best thinking but so it also thoughtfully and honestly reflects your accomplishments.
Through the years, I have reviewed many compelling resumes. Here are the traits the best ones share:
SIMPLICITY
When formats get too complex, the eye dances, and attention drifts. Make it easy for the reader to follow your career path. Keep the number of fonts low. Avoid superfluous italics and bolded sections. Sparingly use bullets.
Simple truly is best. Select an easy-to-read font and a format the eye can follow without much effort. Keep the resume short and sweet. Two to three pages should give you enough space to describe your positions, your successes and your career focus. If your reader gets a headache trying to decipher your materials, you are not likely to get an interview.
INDUSTRY CONSISTENCY
With the above in mind, understand that certain fonts, formats and resume lengths are preferred in different industries. Technical professionals seem to prefer the Arial font. Academic professionals tend to favor Times New Roman, Garamond and Book Antiqua. Academics also draft longer resumes with extensive publications sections not ordinarily found in other professional resumes.
Know your industry and its nuances. Select the font successful professionals operating in your geography and sector use. If in doubt, get the resume of someone to whom you report, and use that format as a working template.
In addition to preferences within different fields, certain fonts and formats are actually cued to certain levels of responsibility within an organization. If you are on an upward trajectory, mimic the resumes of those above you in the organization. As a caveat, though, do not imitate the style of those operating several levels above you in the organization. Doing so might have an adverse impact on your efforts to move ahead if the format is perceived as pretentious or out of place, and you will never know why your resume fails to generate interest.
FOCUS
For each opportunity you seek, identify its real focus, and take the time to update the resume to reflect it. For example, if a particular job description flags public speaking and community outreach as key skills for the next Executive Director, highlight those projects, skills and accomplishments reflecting those qualities. Align bullets to highlight your chosen focus. Include only quantitative data related to the focus at hand, and, where possible, cite dollars and numbers of people so your resume remains concrete and fact oriented.
At another level of engagement, do research to find out what have been determined as the most important, sought-after qualities in the next Executive Director. Then, cue the resume to address those issues that may not be clearly spelled out in the Position Description. When you address organizational mission, see if you can find a way to draw attention to the missions of organizations for which you have worked. Show your commitment to the specific mission this way.
CONCRETENESS & CLARITY
Your resume needs to be grounded in facts. Distill the responsibilities for which you have been responsible at each career stop. Highlight those showing your management, leadership and team-building skills first. Also, pay attention to analytical and strategic skills you have deployed. Where possible, cite verifiable numbers to back up your claims. If you increased revenue, state the percentage and dollar increases where possible. If your team successfully implemented a capital campaign, state your role on the team and the dollar yield. If you managed a budget, cite the actual dollars you managed and the impact of your management on the bottom-line. Money talks.
GROWTH
As you have grown professionally, you have probably acquired increasing responsibility. Make sure your resume documents this movement and progress in an orderly way. If you started out as a Director of Programs and are now an Executive Director, your resume should document the corresponding increase in responsibilities and strategic abilities. If it does not, it is time to revamp it.
ENERGY
The reader needs to feel some sense of excitement and engagement as he or she reviews your resume. If your resume reads as a dry, dull recitation of past events, you will get a lukewarm response. If your resume shows excitement, growth and a sense of expectation about the future, your reader will be inspired to further chat with you. Your resume should invite conversation, inquiry and exchange.
HONESTY
If you were fired, downsized or took a leave of absence to tend to family, use your cover letter to explain such facts or circumstances. Give the situation at hand the best possible treatment in your resume, but avoid any characterization that could be interpreted as deceptive or disingenuous. Life happens. Learning happens. Use your cover letter to supplement your resume and to round out the professional description the resume gives.
Also, use references to tell pieces of your story that may not be apparent on the face of the resume. For example, invite a prospective employer to directly speak with your reference(s) before even inviting you in for a formal interview. Employers generally respect directness, and any attempt to dissimulate both diminishes your stature and calls your integrity into question.
CONCLUSION
Think about your resume as an active passport to your professional future. As such, it needs to be honest, direct and factually accurate.
But, it also carries a dream. Future accomplishments, goals and projects wait to be uncovered, launched and given wings. What you have accomplished in the past creates the platform. Your unarticulated professional longings and desires hold the key to the future. An effective resume bridges past accomplishment with the future you yearn to create.
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Last updated on September 18th, 2012 at 05:33 pm
I have had many more questions related to this topic and will draft a few more blog articles which deal with recurring resume themes. KDA