Resumés for Unity that don’t get you hired — The Good the Bad the Ugly.

Unity Log, Stardate: -300597.3480149671 (May 27, 2022, Time: 23:13:53)

There are three things that distinguish a good resumé from a bad one. Resumés that are (1) Easy to read, (2) Error free with only (3) Valuable content are considered good. When you don’t control these elements, you end up with a resumé that is not looked at and forgotten fairly quickly.

How to Fix a Bad Resumé —

Step 1

This sample resumé simply clumps all their information they felt should be included. It is a starting point, but definitely needs more thought and reorganization.

Step 2

After organizing her information into categories, she realizes that a more selective stance, removing irrelevant information and including more details of interest to an employer might be a much more effective resumé than the first draft.

Step 3

Deanna is on the right track with her editing, but the details are not going to stand out if a busy employer only gives the resumé a typical 6 second glance.

Step 4

Adding bullets and consistent formatting to dates, job titles, etc. Makes Deanna’s resumé much easier to read. Even though it is now longer. Deanna decided that a front-and-back resumé is justified to highlight her considerable experience. She also comes to the conclusion that strengthening her verb choices and reconstructing her sentences would go a long way to reducing the amount of thought it would take to understand her information efficiently.

Step 5

Stronger verbs now increase the impact of Deana’s resumé, and parallel construction to her sentences makes her points easy to read, even at a glance. Deanna begins to realize the she could offer a valuable preview of her most marketable skills in a skill summary at the top of her resumé.

Step 6

Before finalizing her resumé, Deanna proofread her work carefully and got additional input from several friends who are familiar with resumés. She knows her most marketable skills and experiences far better than she did when she started writing. Now she is ready to communicate these with confidence in her interviews.

Closing Insights

There are many ways to present a resumé, but clear concise thoughts bulleted and easy to read flow that is easily skimmed is always your best chance. One can improve on a good resumé by adding color or maybe your photo. Producing your resumé on the best quality paper can also help. Just remember, 6 seconds is how long you have to grab the interviewer’s attention. Anything that takes time to understand needs to be re-thought to improve its readability.