The Lost Art of Resume Writing

As a PR recruiter, my job is to identify top talent for employers and help candidates advance their careers. The role requires time-intensive screening of both employers and candidates. Through my work with PR candidates (from recent graduates to Vice Presidents and CEO levels), I've found one of the biggest challenges for candidates is writing an accurate, concise resume.

Recently a PR executive called me and said she'd been having difficulty getting job leads, despite a 15-year career and very impressive track record. I asked her to send me her resume and I received a seven-page document outlining her career in a thoughtful, articulate manner. She included a detailed list of PR clients, campaigns and projects she had managed over the course of her career. It was clear she has spent weeks (if not months) writing and organizing her resume - and it was impressive. Thus, she was not ecstatic when I sent it back to her edited down to one page. While at times hard to deliver, my message to her (and other candidates) is very clear: if you want to get a job, the employer must get a sense of who you are and what you've done very quickly. A recruiter does not have time (nor the inclination) to read a seven-page manifesto, plus it can communicate the wrong message to the employer (i.e. "I don't value your time").

With the recent economic slowdown, HR departments are being more bombarded than usual with resumes. Given writing is such a core function to the public relations discipline, PR candidates must be able to demonstrate they can communicate clearly and concisely.

Below we've assembled our top five resume "do's and don'ts" to help candidates conduct more successful job searches:

1. Length: Regardless of title, position or experience, a resume should be no longer than two pages. This is perhaps the biggest mistake PR professionals make today. Of the hundreds of resumes Workinpr.com receives daily, the majority are novels, not resumes. The novels are not only tedious to read but extremely hard to distinguish the fluff vs. genuine experience. In today's competitive climate, regardless of how remarkable you are, if you cannot sum up your experience (with clarity and brevity) in two pages - it simply won't get read.

2. Tone: Keep it simple stupid (the famous K.I.S.S. principle). Many resumes we receive are loaded with non-essential fluff, which detracts from the purpose of the resume, and weakens the candidate's credibility. The most commonly used fluff vehicle is the "qualifications summary" or "personal profile" where candidates list numerous positive attributes such as: strategic team player, high-energy producer, creative problem solver, efficient multi-tasker, dynamic personality, etc. While the candidate has every good intention listing these attributes they believe to be true, the bottom line is they are subjective. The proof lies in the experience. Top employers know results when they see them, and they are relentless in their pursuit of the right candidate to help their business. Your experience should demonstrate results, teamwork, and/or strategic ability you will bring to the table. Without tangible proof points, "fluff" only contaminates the quality of your resume. Keep the tone professional, brief and to the point. If the information does not offer new and valuable information about your experience, don't include it.

3. Objective: Many executives and senior level professionals do not include an objective, which in my view is a mistake. Every employer I've ever worked with wants to understand what the candidate is really looking for. By communicating a firm objective, the candidate is telling employers "I know what I want and I am going to get it".

4. Experience: This is the heart of the resume. The recruiter needs to be able to access a candidate's experience on the first page (not dig through two or three pages to get to the "meat"). Chronology is critical. Don't omit dates. If you've been laid off don't hide the fact by fudging dates, timelines or leaving blanks. List your experience as matter-of-factly as possible including data points for each position (i.e. number of staff you managed, specific projects you led, and budget dollars you were responsible for).

5. Awards/achievements: Don't over do it and list every paper you've written, every class you've ever taken and/or every PR award you've received. Not only is it laborious to read (and could be perceived as self-congratulatory), but more often than not these accolades are not important to the employer. Unless the subject matter applies in some way to the employer's business, or communicates a value very important to you as a candidate, keep the section short and sweet (e.g. 4-5 bullets maximum).

Overall, the best resumes we receive are one to two pages, and communicate a "no-nonsense" type of candidate. The objective is clear, the experience is well documented and supported by tangible results, and the tone is professional and crisp.

We realize a tough economy breeds an extremely competitive job market and want to help every candidate showcase his or her talents effectively. If you would like more information on resume writing please visit our website www.workinpr.com or call us toll free at 877.625.9125 for assistance.