Resume Tips

1. Only keep it to only one page if you are just beginning (or restarting) your career. If you have several years of experience, use 2-3. If you have 5-10 years of experience, you can use three pages. Five pages long is the extreme maximum. People tend to not read about positions more than three years old. Especially in contracting, be aware that only your most recent few years matter as far as current skills.
2. If you have had several positions that encompassed a similar set of duties, try to “umbrella” the dates and positions to avoid repetition and unnecessary length.
3. Don’t include a long summary of technical product knowledge. It’s primarily used to make your resume come up more often on internet searches, but when you actually submit your resume to a company, remove it. It’s not relevant and invites confusion. Instead, make sure you have listed the actual products used in each bullet point under each position.
4. Summaries should be short; half of a page at most, and when possible, directly applicable to the job you are applying for.
5. Be aware of including sufficient white space and a large enough font. It’s a fact that most people over 40 need reading glasses – don’t try to minimize your font size in order to cram in more information.
6. Don’t be afraid to have more than one version of your resume. A good candidate tailors his application to the position for which he is applying. It is not unusual to have one resume highlighting experience in leadership, and another highlighting hands-on technical abilities.