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Here is a summary of crucial information every resumé should and should not include:
Contact Information
The candidate's name, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address should be indicated clearly at the top. To find either the candidate's contact information or geographic location, the reader should never have to hunt. Additionally, since most resumé submissions are now electronic, reviewing them on a monitor makes it easier to skip information that does not stand out visually on the page.
Summary Statement
Describe your main function in the workplace, and primary skills. In order to be effective, this section of the resumé should constitute a marketing statement—or even a headline. It should highlight the strongest selling points to give the reader a reason to look further—functioning almost like the tantalizing author-and-plot summaries on the back or inside panels of a book's dust jacket. Summaries should not be long or vague.
Summary statements are not to be confused with an objective, since these can be presumptuous, irrelevant, or add nothing further to the account of your background.
For example, candidates frequently set meaningless targets, such as "A position where I can utilize my skills and capabilities," or aspirations that are inappropriate for their work history, such as "To work as an operations manager in a progressive organization," when the candidate's actual work history does not reflect necessary experience.
An objective can also pigeonhole you incorrectly or too narrowly. Recruitment specialists assess the positions that candidates qualify for. In this context, a candidate's objectives might be relevant in discussing a pending career change from production to sales or from hands-on operator to supervisor or supervisor to manager. However, this information should be covered separately in a cover letter or in personal conversation.
Your Background
Work history substantiates the summary. It should be outlined in descending chronological order, complete with job titles, company names, and start and end dates for each position. In some instances, a short sentence defining the company's business and location helps, as well. For assessing a candidate's experience and competencies, it helps if the work history includes a point-form overview of activities and accomplishments associated with each job. This overview is important because job profiles differ from company to company, even though position titles may be the same.
Accomplishments are often the most difficult things for candidates to define, since they necessitate self-promotion. Firms look for realistic and substantiated accomplishments, not fabricated, superficial, or statistical feats that are impossible to verify. Basically, this information explains what you did for the companies you worked for.
There is considerable debate about how much of a person's job history should be included on a resumé. You can show all of it, allowing your resumé to tell the full story of your career evolution. You may, however, reach a chronological stage where you do not need to detail every single job held. In such cases, a simple summary suffices for the earliest stages of your career, in which you may list under the heading "Previous Experience" only company names, position titles, and dates.
Education, Training, and Qualifications
Dates should be included here, as well, particularly when they relate to training, seminars, and professional-development programs.
Hold Off on References
Recruiting firms would rather discuss references with candidates relative to specific positions. "References available on request" is an unnecessary statement because they had better be. Supplying certain reference contacts can be a special challenge for you in confidential situations, but firms are usually able to work around that.
Personal Picture
Leisure activities or hobbies can sometimes be relevant, because they give an idea of your personality. For example, if a person is community-minded, a staffing firm might try to match the candidate with a community-minded company. There is a fine line, however, between relevant information and information that is excessive or too personal.
Arnold Kahn is president of PrintLink, a professional placement firm specializing in the graphic communications industry. PrintLink's managers offer discreet, confidential placement for all permanent positions in printing, publishing, packaging, and document management. Contact PrintLink at (800) 867-3463 or visit www.printlink.com.
author: By Arnold Kahn