Clean up the resume

We see a lot of resumes every day. We speak to many people who are looking for work. I notice a trend that gets people in trouble in their job search. The key to a resume is to get you the interview, not the job. So make sure the resume is tailored to the job, then expand in the interview. Keep the resume straight forward and simple. Don't write a book. Use bullet points!

Regarding the resume, it has become fashionable to only list years of employment. So now, we see resumes with date ranges such as 2008 to 2009. Does that mean Dec to Jan (2 months) or Jan to Dec (2 years)? Well, it usually means 2 months and hiring managers have figured that out. So, like the IRS looking for flags, this is a flag to managers looking for candidates. It is better to list specifics and even put in parentheses how long you were there along with reason for leaving. Make it a very short reason (2 years, left for better opportunity), or (2 months, temp assignment ended).

Also, make sure to list skills you can speak too. Managers are now prone to ask questions about anything on your resume, regardless if it applies their position. So if you are applying for a Web developer position, but you list QA as well. Make sure you can answer questions about QA too, otherwise, take it off the resume.