Avoid this No. 1 resume mistake
Dear Sam: If you had to pinpoint one primary issue with resumes today, what would you say it was? — Steven
Dear Steven: Wow, just one? That’s challenging, as there are many faux pas committed in the majority of resumes.
I suppose if I had to choose, I would say the
No. 1 problem is the fact that a large percentage of resumes still do not contain qualifications summaries, and instead waste space disclosing a vague objective that serves no purpose.
I could write a novel on the mistakes I see, but this opening summary is definitely a big problem candidates face in developing their personal brand.
Defining your purpose, or objective, is critically important to the development of a resume — but instead of simply stating your objective, this opening section, along with every other section of your resume, should be developed to sell yourself for the type of roles you are seeking.
Develop your qualifications summary based on a primary objective, presenting a brief summary of your key qualifiers related to your objective. Engage the reader or screener by properly using keywords relevant to the position of interest, and infuse those keywords throughout this summary and the remainder of your resume.
The qualifications summary is the most difficult section of a resume to write, as it really is the high-level summary of your candidacy. As a tip, start writing your resume from the bottom up, beginning with the easier sections and leading to the summary. Write the summary last so you have a clear picture of what you have to offer your target audience.
After I write a resume, I typically have several key points from a client’s background that I remember as being most important or impressive, and this guides the development of the qualifications summary. Writing this section immediately after creating your resume is also effective because your background, qualifications, education, etc. are still very fresh in your mind. If you are still struggling with this section, check out books from the library, review some samples on my website or ask a friend to help identify your key offerings and value.
— Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and the owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service resume-writing firm. Email resume or job-search questions to dearsam@arkansasonline.com. To find out more about Nolan, visit www.ladybug-design.com.