Note: We have a special running until the end of April. All resumes, bios, cover letters, and online profile phone/video reviews will be only $55. Email contact@execsearches.com with the subject “Resume Review” to receive a link to schedule your one-hour appointment.

How long should a resume be?  From my experience, even the most seasoned professional can present themselves effectively in 2 pages. I’ll sometimes include a third page for an abbreviated bibliography, including relevant publications and/or academic appointments.

Proper formatting is vital.  Hiring managers and recruiters make judgment calls based on the look of your resume.   Be generous with your margins.  Narrow margins and lack of white space give some recruiters the impression of someone cluttered or disorganized.    

Putting your resume into the context of the times.

ATS (automatic tracking system): Depending on where you set your sights, your resume’s first screening is an ATS.  In fact, 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS.

The software is generally exclusive, i.e., they look for keywords and position names, and if they’re not on your resume, it gets kicked out.  Statistics show that 75% of applicants are rooted out this way.  The good news is that is included in the top 25% and is relatively simple: read the ad thoroughly and use the same language as the job posting.  The same, not similar.  An example from one of our current search postings [Director of Educational Content at The Council on Foreign Relations]: creates innovative educational resources, responsible for performing independent, in-depth research. Qualifications include 8+ years of related experience in a deadline-driven, collaborative environment.  An easy way to do that is to highlight keywords in the ad or cut and paste them into a list and choose from those as you design your resume. Then your resume practically writes itself.  All you have to do is fill in an example of where you demonstrated innovation, collaboration, etc.   If you anticipate an ATS will be used, be judicious about your formatting or consider providing a second copy of your resume in plain text (Jay – is that what I mean?)

The bad news about ATS for screening: a study from Harvard Business Review found that 88% of employers felt that qualified, high-skilled candidates were vetted out of the process by an ATS because they “did not match the exact criteria established by the job description,” and that number rose to 94% for middle-skilled candidates. Furthermore, according to https://www.zippia.com/advice/job-search-statistics, as of 2021, while the majority of job searches are done online, 85% of all jobs are filled through networking, and 70% of all jobs are never published publicly.  Hence – network, network, network. According to a 2019 Forbes article, this is particularly important for women who tend to network more for long-term personal connections. It’s true that getting a job is often not what you know but who you know.   A personal referral will get move your resume out of the 75% that were excluded.

Proofreading: one of the most, if not the most, important parts of finishing a resume is proofing it –multiple times.  Look at and read it completely for spelling, formatting errors, white space, etc. I recommend printing it out.  You’ll be able to see how the formatting looks, and I find it easier that way to see spelling errors that way.  Once you’ve found every error, reread it and get new eyes on it.  In my experience, professional and personal, there’s always something that can be missed, and better your friend finds it than the hiring professional.  You may miss it, but the recruiter won’t, and you can be sure they’ll take points off if not dismiss your candidacy entirely. I once lost a slam-dunk job because the cat had taken a walk on the keyboard between my last proofing of a thank you note and putting it into the envelope. 

Once all that’s done, turn the document into a .pdf, so the formatting doesn’t change when printed out, and proudly share it with the world! 

This was part three of a three-part series. To review the previous posts in this Back to Basics – Resume Design for Nonprofit Professionals series, go to:

Part Two: What Not to Include in Your Resume
Part One: Back to Basics – Resume Design for Non-profit Professionals

Dr. Nancy Sobel is a senior search consultant, resume writer, online profile auditor, and career coach. Learn more about our career coaching, job application preparation, and interview readiness services, or write to Dr. Sobel at nancys@execsearches.com.

Note: We have a special running until the end of April. All resumes, bios, cover letters, and online profile phone/video reviews will be only $55. Email contact@execsearches.com with the subject “Resume Review” to receive a link to schedule your one-hour appointment.

 

 

Last updated on March 10th, 2023 at 02:49 pm