Resume Do's & Don'ts

There is no absolutely right or perfect resume. Different people, jobs, careers and hirers have different needs and preferences.

Here's a snapshot of current preferences from an August 1999 survey by the Kansas City, MO area chapter of the Human Resource Management Association.

The sample reflects 28 responses from hiring managers at service, manufacturing, utility, transportation, nonprofit, financial, health care, education, technology, agribusiness and retail organizations. They said:

1. Don't go nuts cramming your information on one page. Most respondents said either one or two pages are fine. A quarter of them preferred two pages over one, but don't press your luck beyond two.
2. Fifty-seven percent said they would read resumes that omit employment dates, but 40% said they would not consider the functional or skills-based resume without dates. Many will call for the dates before scheduling interviews.
3. Most want the resume to include home and office phone numbers and an e-mail address. Very few want fax or cell phone numbers.
4. Don't use your work e-mail address when soliciting job offers on the Internet because your present employer may have access to your e-mail files. Establish a new e-mail account at one of the many free e-mail services such as Yahoo or Hotmail. Since prospective employers will see that e-mail address, be as professional as possible when choosing your username.
5. Everybody likes mailed, printed resumes. E-mail also is acceptable but if you send it as an attachment, be sure to check beforehand so you use a format that can be read by the recipients' computer. All but one said faxed resumes also were acceptable.
6. Four out of five said graphic appearance was important. Use white or off-white paper, a clearly legible typeface, and pay attention to spacing and margins. Proofread!
7. About half want at least a 10-year work history; one in four wants a 15-year history.
8. Most want a brief statement of accomplishments included with each job description.
9. More than two-thirds -- surprisingly, not all -- want a cover letter with every resume.
10. A majority said they kept resumes on file for at least a year. Whether they actually dig into their files for candidates was not addressed.

Whatever the preferences, remember that a piece of paper is less likely to produce a job offer than are human contacts. Never get so focused on resume writing that you neglect networking.

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