What the hiring managers are saying

According to the national hiring managers' survey published in my books, "Winning Resumes" and "Winning Cover Letters," generic resumes were heavily criticized as a worthless effort.

"Job applicants fail miserably when it's too general, because it sends the message that 'I'll take any job' and that's not what we hire for," points out Tom Wermerskirchen, HR Manager at Mustang Manufacturing.

"Not tailoring the resume to a particular job is a major mistake," noted Kirk Beyer, an HR Director. "Individuals send out resumes with no job in mind, not knowing at all what they want. Their skills are incongruent with the job they are applying for, which leads us to quickly disregard them as a candidate. Employers will not use their time to figure out where a person might fit into their organization. That's a career counseling issue the candidate needs to handle before they start mailing out resumes. Unfortunately though, we get hundreds of generic worthless resumes every month."

Doug Allen, a CEO for a manufacturing company, said, "Targeted resumes are necessary to match you to an employer's needs. A resume that really shows of your skills, how they were used, and what was achieved, is the only way to impress me."

"Results sell", noted Sandra Dehan, a Fortune 500 HR Manager. "Quickly show us what you did and how it benefited your employer. You have only seconds to get my attention. Clear information with 'action' descriptions is most impressive. Stay clear of generic or broad phrases like 'hard worker' or 'team player' or 'excellent communication skills.' It's specific accomplishments and skills that gets our attention."

Best resume -- creative solutions

• Mention any innovations, improvements, and any time and/or cost savings. These show you actively take on the job and produce the desired results. Begin every sentence with an action verb such as directed, created, established and produced. Make the accomplishments easily understood, for example: "Managed the entire financial restructuring of a subsidiary. As a result we decreased staff and overhead, saving $150,000 annually." This statement is specific, noteworthy, and attention getting. Be as positive as possible without exaggerating or misstating the truth.
• Use a "Summary of Qualifications." Always include a summary of the qualifications you bring to the job. Use this section to powerfully illustrate your top selling points in five to six sentences. Focus on making this mini-business card tell the prospective employer about your experience level, key talents, and best results.
• Focus on what it is exactly that you want to do. Create a targeted resume that concisely outlines the actions you've done and how you "got results." Be sure to point out the specific skills and experience the employer wants and that you can offer -- those needed to perform the job.
• Make it easy to glean information from your resume. Be concise and clear, with no vague generalities. One to two pages maximum using the smallest number of words to make the point. Eliminate lengthy descriptions and any non-related information that doesn't foster your strengths to perform the job title you are applying for. Stress your last five to seven years of accomplishments. Make sure the formatting is simple, with adequate white space on the page. Stick to common fonts like Times Roman or Arial fonts; use at least 12 point size. Use bullets to emphasize important points. Don't cram a page, edit instead.
• Lairs end up losers. Remember the recent demise of Radio Shack's CEO David Edmonson. He resigned and apologized for lying about his educational background after he had claimed that he earned two college degrees. A Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper reporter checked with the school's registrar of records and found that Edmondson completed only two semesters of work, and that the school never offered degrees in psychology. The newspaper published the lie on the front page of their newspaper.

Bottomline advice: simply tell the truth and be able to substantiate it.

© Copyright 2006 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Source: Book "Winning Resumes," 2nd Edition by Robin Ryan