Comments on: 5 Reasons Your Resume Makes Me Sick

By: Mistakes Made In Presentations | Tim's Strategy

Mistakes Made In Presentations | Tim's Strategy — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:17:40 +0000

[...] from Las Vegas. Attending the Blog World Expo). As they happen, these mistakes feel like a slowly building stomach sickness. But more than that? I feel really frustrated. That quality speakers would make these [...]

By: Removing The Toxins From Your Job Search Effort

Removing The Toxins From Your Job Search Effort — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:13:40 +0000

[...] – Some resumes make me sick. And I don’t like to get sick. My guest post over at Ryan Rancatore’s great blog will spell that out for you. If you give that post a look, be forewarned. There’s another [...]

By: Concerned You Have A Weak Resume, CV or Cover Letter?

Concerned You Have A Weak Resume, CV or Cover Letter? — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:05:28 +0000

[...] you could solve the majority of the problems on your resume without a major expense, you would. I think we would all do that, [...]

By: Emirates Jobs

Emirates Jobs — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:47:10 +0000

First of all make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place, remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices.

By: TimsStrategy

TimsStrategy — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:33:06 +0000

Thank you Suzy! Great to hear you are getting some bites!!

By: suzyubry

suzyubry — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:57:08 +0000

Tim, another great post. I'm with you on #4 … especially the need for “detailing the value added.” These days if I were an employer reviewing resumes I'm thinking, yeah, that's nice you can do this and that. But if I saw some results relevant to the problem I am trying to solve … I'm thinking great! And I really liked your “2+ 4/6″ formula. Simple, memorable and very helpful.

I haven't put too much thought into #5, however, because not much room for it on resume (even white space is thin), but in this new age of LinkedIn company info, I think I will think through how to add that.

And thanks for your earlier help with my “top third.” I've noticed more calls since I've updated resume with your suggestions. :)

By: TimsStrategy

TimsStrategy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:14:20 +0000

Thanks Marian – While I can't say I'm always “known for my bad-ass”, I knew I had to deliver some of that here on Personal Branding 101. Where bad-ass lives. I'm with you on the resume advice slop – it can get bad. And I hesitate to spend too much time on it. But, like I said, if people would just stop making me want to hurl, I might be able to hold back!

By: Marian Schembari

Marian Schembari — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:23:45 +0000

Tim, this is a GREAT post! I usually hate anything regarding resumes, and I'm beyond bored of traditional resume advice. But this is all fantastic advice, with an actual explanation of why what we keep doing is a problem. Serious props.

Plus, I always like my advice with a side of bad ass ;-)

By: Ryan Rancatore

Ryan Rancatore — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:18:50 +0000

I'm thrilled that Tim wrote this article and stopped by here to answer
questions and engage in discussion. Personal branding and job search are
kind of like cousins – but when it comes to resumes, I need to get to know
that side of the family a lot better!

By: TimsStrategy

TimsStrategy — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:46:51 +0000

Hey Ryan - Thanks for the opportunity to share a post here on Personal Branding 101. Great job on the site!

@Cassie - As I said in the post, the "2-pager" is still the expected format if you are looking to get your information in front of a recruiter, HR person or hiring manager. However, a one-page bio is a terrific tool for networking. I have a free download on my site called the SoloSheet (http://timsstrategy.com/free-downloads/) which is a great template for this purpose. And, if you have a need to get something more succinct in front of a target company (to wet their whistle), you can use a version of the SoloSheet (less the objective statement and target company list). Good luck!

@Rich - Thanks for those ideas. And it's great to hear that you and other corporate recruiters are reading the career summaries (I strongly prefer a summary over an objective statement for anything going to a company). Great talking with you this AM!

@Nasr - Tangible proof can be delivered in a traditional resume. It is your bringing to life the specific accomplishments that you choose to highlight. What makes it tangible is your ability to make the accomplishments benefit-based. An accomplishment without a benefit is not tangible. For example, if you say "Launched two new products in 90 days", that is not tangible. But if you instead write: "Launched two new products in 90 days delivering an additional $1 million to the company's bottom line", that illustrates the impact of your effort. How do you know if it is benefit-based? Ask yourself "so what" after reading each!

@Jake - I see a lot of resumes that are heavily "responsibility" filled. What you did is just a small part of your value. But it isn't compelling. And helping people understand where you've been and how you've been influenced is crucial. Even if you've been with companies that are not well known, you can always find a way to bring their strengths to life!

Thanks for the comments everyone!

By: Jake LaCaze

Jake LaCaze — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:40:39 +0000

Yeah, #4 and #5 are problems for me.

By: Nasr Khan

Nasr Khan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:08:36 +0000

Very insightful post indeed. Specially liked the “tangibility of your accomplishment” part. This is where a resume scores and loses. Unfortunately, the traditional resumes lack this very aspect alongwith quantifiable and trusted source of info, and something more than words to sum up my professional achievements. Something tangible! This is where we are trying to fill the gap. Would really like to know your your on that, Tim.