Resume Writing Q & A

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]In June, NAPW was delighted to host one of our HERizoninsights webinars, focusing on Writing an Amazing Resume and Cover Letter. Over the course of 60 fact-filled minutes, TORI-nominated, Top-Ranked, and 3X-Certified Master Resume Writer Emily Kapit provided a multitude of “must know” tips to help make resumes stand out to recruiters.

Over 1,300 people logged in to be part of this fantastic session. Emily was able to give some excellent guidance and share her knowledge with the audience, but we were inundated with questions and requests for further help and advice.

Emily has kindly agreed to spend further time with us and answer some of the most salient questions….[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_accordion][x_accordion_item title=”1) What’s the best approach for those of us who might have stayed in a sector for 20+ years?” open=”false”]First off, congrats on longevity within a sector; that’s not so common (even less so if you’ve been at the same company that whole time!). To craft a truly impactful resume for you, I’d want to know more info about your goals, such as whether or not you wish to remain in the sector or are looking to switch. Regardless, we want to tell a story, but the strategy is different.

For example, if you want to stay in the same industry, we’d want to demonstrate in key areas on the resume (i.e., Branding, your Profile, and the Core Competencies sections) that you are a subject matter expert in your field with a strong knowledge base and key skill foundation, in addition to pointing to a few select achievements. For the Experience section, we’d want to show growth in that sector (pointing out promotions, if possible) as well as focus greatly on both your sector-specific and transferable skills, tying in the key achievements to distinguish you. Lastly, we’d want to show your formal education and, if available, professional development connected to your field and any leadership/management experience within it.

If, on the other hand, you wish to switch sectors, we change the strategy a bit to tell your story from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on your industry-specific expertise, we would want to demonstrate a more general pattern of excellence as well highlight your transferable skills and achievements. Your Branding, Profile, and Core Competencies will be more general in nature, and your achievement tied into the Experience section will also focus more on the transferable components of your background to date. We’re still telling the story of your career and demonstrating a consistency of excellence, but removing the industry focus. This makes a big difference![/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”2) Are people okay with two pages these days?” open=”false”]Generally, yes. While you will still find some people who are sticklers for the one-page resume, this “standard” has gone the way of flip phones from the early 2000s!

Remember: regardless of sector or level, all resumes these days should have Branding elements, Profiles, and Core Competencies sections. These are quite standard and take up space. Once you get to the Experience section, my approach—and that of many peers as well as the recruiters/hiring managers who read resumes—is that if you truly have enough real, achievement-oriented content, it’s pretty likely that you are easily making it to a second page. This may not be true of everyone, but if you’re cutting examples of how you’ve been impactful just to make it to one page, you are then removing key info and likely hurting yourself.

Now, there are exceptions. Format changes everything, so if you’re aiming for a shorter document, you can do so with a more streamlined format. Additionally, many college and post-college students (young professionals) do have enough internships, externships, extracurricular activities, scholarships/awards, etc., to justify a second page, but not all will. I don’t suggest adding “fluff” to get to a second page. This individual should highlight what he/she does have and has done to date as well as indicate a thirst to succeed.

Lastly—and this is key—a second page actually means at least 1 1/3 pages (as opposed to one page and two lines on a second page). If you find you’re in that second category, I suggest playing with your format and line spacing a bit to get down to a single page. You can have a second page on the next version of your resume![/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”3) Can not being part of LinkedIn be a detriment? I personally prefer not to be a part of any social media platform.” open=”false”]I absolutely understand not wanting to be on social media platforms. It’s the death knell of both privacy and productivity if you’re not careful.

With that said, I suggest thinking twice about LinkedIn. Yes, it is social media, but it’s in an entirely different category than the Facebooks, Twitters, and Instagrams of the world. Having some presence on LinkedIn is as expected these days as having a resume. Would you apply for a role or walk into an interview without one? Surely not. But hiring managers and recruiters expect you to be on there, and they will quickly move on to a candidate whose background they can see on LinkedIn.

The good news is that you can—and should—control what info is on your Profile and who can see it. My suggestion is easy: establish a strong Profile that is on par with your resume (the two should not have identical content, though) and then make decisions in your security settings about what info you want people to see if they aren’t connected to you. You don’t have to accept every LinkedIn request, and you can have a strong presence on there while still controlling who can see what. A little bit of LinkedIn best practices will go a long way!
[/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”4) Career change: what if your experience and accomplishments are different from the opportunity you are seeking—for example, district manager to administrative assistant?” open=”false”]This is a great question, and career-changers present a special kind of challenge, though one that can be handled quite effectively with some thought and strategy. First of all, whatever your background is and your future goal might be, keep in mind that the main tactic on your resume (as well as for LinkedIn and job search–related conversations) is to demonstrate a pattern of excellence throughout your career to date. From your Branding and Profile to your Core Competencies and Experience sections, you want to clearly indicate that you are a strong, dependable candidate who gets the job done and have always been an asset wherever you’ve worked.

Second, think about the transferable skills needed in a target role, and even study a few job descriptions that align with your job search. What stands out as skills you have and can demonstrate success in? Make sure to note those in your Core Competencies section, and speak to them as achievements in the Experience section.

By very clearly indicating your career-long consistency of excellence as a theme throughout the resume, recruiters and hiring managers will more likely want to at least have a conversation about how you can continue that track record for them going forward. Good luck![/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”5) Can you speak to font use on a resume?” open=”false”]Of course. First, know that there are two main font types we use on resumes: serif fonts like Times New Roman, Garamond, and Courier have line accents on each letter; sans serif, which means “without lines,” includes Calibri, Arial, and Geneva.

With the rise of computers and the web in the last two decades, sans serif fonts have become more prevalent on all document types, as they are easier to read. As such, crafting a resume in only Times New Roman is pretty uncommon, though you might see a serif font used as a header for a more conservative, traditional sector such as law or finance.

Generally, you want to keep your font size between 9 and 11, depending on the specific font, as some are crafted to be bigger than others. Stay consistent on size within a single font type on your resume—for those of us who look at resumes often, the slightest inconsistency within a font choice can be glaring!
[/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”6) Do you suggest we use Word or PDF format to submit resumes online?” open=”false”]There are actually three ways to submit online. If you have the option, PDF is best, as the content and format are “frozen” so everything should look as amazing, once submitted, as it did on your computer. You can also submit a .doc/.docx (both are Word documents).

With that said, you also have the option of saving your perfectly crafted and formatted .doc or .docx as a text file (.txt) for less-sophisticated online submission systems. Doing so will remove the format but keep the content intact, making it more likely to get past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs).

Ideally, though, you want to make online submissions the secondary part of your job search tactic. Focusing more on identifying companies/roles, connecting with people directly in those companies, and sending your documents to those individuals tends to be a far more effective strategy. You may still have to submit online, but it will be more of a formality.[/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”7) How far back should one list their job history?” open=”false”]I love this question and answer it multiple times a day! Generally, you want to go back in depth the last 10, 12, upwards of 15 years. With that said, if you have worked longer than that, you will want to show an abridged work history and can even tie in select achievements. Doing so will not only establish a career trajectory but also further demonstrate that you have always been an effective team member—but not take up too much valuable real estate on the document.

One additional point is that on your Early Career Experience/Prior Work History section, you don’t necessarily need to include dates (though you should include them for more recent work history). This tactic is effective for those who don’t want to draw attention to having worked for 25+ years but want to still show growth. Lastly, if asked what your earlier dates were, you should be ready to speak to them.[/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”8) What about an individual who is turning 65 but is not ready to retire—is seeking another job?” open=”false”]Good for you! First off, I would want to know if you are looking for another full-time job in the same sector, want to switch to part-time work, or are looking at full-time/part-time work for a different sector altogether. This information would largely impact how we would craft the resume. Let’s look at the different scenarios.

Full-Time Job in the Same Sector: we would handle this resume much the same way we would for anyone who has been working in the same field for a while and wishes to stay there. We would concentrate more on the last 12-ish years (up to 15) in depth and show an abridged career trajectory with select achievements up to that point. We would also show your industry-specific knowledge throughout your Branding, Core Competencies, and the main Experience section, focusing on achievements.

Part-Time Job in the Same Sector: the tactic would be similar to above, but we would alter some of the Branding and specifics of your Profile to point to more of a part-time role.

Full-Time or Part-time in a Different Sector: if you are planning to switch sectors, and regardless of whether you plan to pursue a full-time or part-time role, we would want to identify what that sector is and pull out key transferable skills and achievements that we would then focus on in the Branding, Profile, Core Competencies, and achievements in the Experience section(s). The only difference for a part-time role in this case versus a full-time one would be how we speak to that goal in the Branding/Profile.

Bonus Point: regardless of your overall goal going forward, leveraging your network will be quite important. Identify a few ideal places where you want to work, and think about who you know in those spots or people you need to know. Connect or reconnect with them as needed, discuss your goals, and ask who they suggest you speak to in order to learn more about the company itself. Build relationships! This will go a long way in getting your resume to the right person. This is true for all job searches, regardless of age, sector, or level, but absolutely key for those seasoned professionals who wish to keep on working.[/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”9) What would you do for those individuals with no degree, but 20+ years’ experience?” open=”false”]First of all, please don’t feel for a second like you are lacking in anything without a degree. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, technically does not have a degree, and he seems to be doing just fine! Obtaining that piece of paper does not ensure success either. Hard work and continuously expanding your knowledge base and track record of achievements will take you far further than a degree.

With that said, the resume is still a place where we want to handle the education piece carefully. I would ask you a few questions first so we can then craft an optimal Education section for you.

Do you have any college credits? If so, we can show that you attended school and indicate a course of study without indicating whether or not you got a degree.

Second, I would want to know if you have done any professional development coursework in the last 20 years. This would include any webinars, seminars, professional certifications, conferences, etc. If you have, we’ll show it and really concentrate on it quite a bit.

Third, I would want to know about any professional associations, volunteer work, etc., that we can include in the resume. We would want to speak to those anyway, but absolutely want to highlight this information to demonstrate your well-roundedness.

Aside from points 1 to 3, we would want to ensure the Branding, Profile, Core Competencies, and Experience sections that come before the Education section point directly to your career-long pattern of excellence and highlight specific achievements throughout. Our strategy here is especially key: by showing the recruiter/hiring manager how deep your skill set is and that you are known for excellence, you will be setting yourself up for more interviews. That’s not to say that a hiring manager who absolutely must have candidates with college degrees won’t pop up every now and then. But if that person can clearly see how amazing you’ve been in the last two decades but refuses to speak with you because you don’t have a degree, consider whether or not you really wish to work with that person anyway![/x_accordion_item][x_accordion_item title=”10) What’s the best way to present myself when I’m coming back into the job market after a four-year hiatus as a stay-at-home Mom?” open=”false”]That’s great you had a chance to stay home with your family! Not everyone has this opportunity, and it can be a wonderful time for all family members involved. Let’s be honest, though: full-time parenting is rough. It’s also an amazing skill-builder. Time management, budget oversight, project management, collaboration, development—it’s all there (I have a toddler myself. I get it!).

My approach here is multifaceted: we need to think about what you did before you left the workforce, what you want to do going forward, the connection between those, any volunteer work and/or professional development you may have done in the last few years, as well as the relevant ways in which you’ve grown as a mother and potential employee during that time. Once we have that info, we would craft the resume around those points and then translate that over both to LinkedIn as well as to how you discuss your background and goals in conversations.

From a networking perspective, I would also suggest thinking about targeting some companies and/or people about whom you would like to learn more. Set up informational meetings and ask questions. These conversations are more about getting to know people and their companies than about you. People will likely ask about your goals, and certainly speak to them but concentrate on gathering information and building inroads. Continue to meet with people and fine-tune where you want to be, and further develop a network of people to whom you can send your resume/cover letter when the time is right.

There are also great organizations out there that focus on getting moms back into the workforce (check out The Pregnancy Pause) as well as on support for moms looking to return to the workforce in a part-time/flexible schedule capacity or to shift to that altogether (check out Mompowerment).[/x_accordion_item][/x_accordion][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]If you missed the original webinar, click below to view the recording.[/cs_text][x_button shape=”rounded” size=”global” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/15555/264969″ title=”” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Watch Now[/x_button][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]