Pimping the Resume

We all know that a resume contains data. 

The problem is that many who compose a resume, particularly if they are composing one for the first time, worry more about filling the page than with what they are filling the page or how they want to structure the data.  In other words, for many it's more important that a resume looks full, so that it looks like they've done a lot.  This would work if those who read the resumes were stupid.  They're not.

What Resumes Are

Basically, resumes--when composed well--are two things: They are arguments.  That is, they are persuasive documents that attempt to argue that you have the skills and qualities necessary to do a job.  Resumes at their best don't simply present data--they present evidence.  This means that one must be selective about what evidence goes into the resume.   No one is going to be impressed by a crowded resume if what you're crowding it with is packing pellets.  They are targeted.  That is, a resume ideally is designed for a particular job.  Readers tend to find generic resumes--the one-size-fits-all, bland document that one mass mails by the hundreds--pointless and even offensive.  An ideal resume recognizes the particular skills and qualities needed for a particular job and/or a particular organization.  One can certainly have a generic resume which one develops into a targeted resume as the job demands, but the generic resume really should never be sent out.

In order to target a resume,  you first need to know what skills and qualities the job requires.  If you're fortunate, an organization will tell you explicitly what it wants.  Sending a generic resume is a mistake to begin with, but sending one when a potential employer has told you exactly what he/she wants is a mistake of mythic proportions.  (Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much).  It's akin to a waitperson ignoring a customer's orders and bringing whatever he/she wants.

Even if you're not told explicitly what skills are needed, you still need to target the resume.  In that case, it falls on you to understand the position for which you are applying well enough to know what's needed to do the job well.  After that, then, it's a matter of examining your own skills, and matching them to the skills needed to do the job.  For example, if you happen to be applying for a marketing position, and you find no specific statement of the skills and qualities the employer is looking for, simply ask yourself, "What skills and qualities would I need to have in order to do this job well?"  (This, of course, assumes you're familiar enough with marketing to know how to answer that.)  Once you've answered that question, then examine your own skills and qualities and see how well they answer that question. 


Ultimately, keep this in mind: it's NOT the responsibility of your potential employer to figure out what skills and qualities you have; it's YOUR responsibility to make them known to the potential employer.

What’s the difference between a skill and a quality?  Here’s a summary of the differences. Skills Skills fundamentally refer to what you can do.  We can divide skills into “hard” skills and “soft” skills.  Hard skills refer to skills specific to a particular job.  So if, for example, you were applying for a position in web design, knowing HTML code or Cascading Style Sheets would be skills necessary to do that particular job.  Soft skills, on the other hand, refer to what we can call cross-platform skills.  They are skills that are necessary to do virtually any job.  For example, if you look at lists or articles about the skills employers seek in college graduates, almost every time you’ll see Communication Skills at the top of the list.  In other words, no matter what the job is for which you are applying, communication skills are essential. Qualities Qualities refer to who you are—the values and beliefs that make you the person you are.  While at first glance they may seem irrelevant to a job, remember that you’ll be working with other people, within a corporate culture, so qualities do matter.  For example, qualities such as innovativeness, self-directedness and honesty commonly show up on lists of qualities that employers look for.

What follows are two links to articles that identify the skills and qualities commonly sought by potential employers:

Penn State Career Center

Quintessential Careers