DYNAMIC RÉSUMÉS

As a working professional, you don’t want your resume to look like this…

Dale Terry

2015—forever WritersDomain—Freelance Writer

• Write articles on topics ranging from dentistry to rotary lobe pumps.

In order to land private clients or move into your “dream job,” you need to TELL YOUR STORY rather

than just list stuff you’ve done.

And a dynamic resume is the tool to help you get there.

Rés

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A resume is not an all-inclusive autobiography. Its purpose is to

highlight your relevant accomplishments.

Basics

Be careful of “this is how to do a resume.” Everyone will tell you exactly how to make the best

resume. There’s no magic bullet, but there are effective principles.

larger

fontpersonal info

headersboldwhite space

You’ll find that the WD guidelines are very applicable in a few different ways. Keep

this in mind as you go through this presentation.

WD guidelines→ Organization→ Headers→ Consistent tense→ Parallel→ Consistent tone/voice→ Succinct→ White space/scannable→ Proofread

Sections

OBJECTIVEJust get rid of this section. This may have helped guide you when creating a resume for a class, but if you’re submitting a resume to an employer, clearly your objective is to get a job with that company. The resume is not the place for personal statements and 10-year plans.

Exception: resumes for grad school. Schools may want to see what your plan is.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCERank by recency and within that recency rank by relevancy.

Tailor to job needs

Describe past functions and titles in the language of your target industry

Don’t exaggerate

Highlight specific skills pertinent to the position. Leave some for the interview (but not anything important).

*Write for the job you want

VOLUNTEERRecent

Relevancy not as vitalShow involvement

Show diversity

You can split paid and volunteer experience, or you can just have a section titled “Experience” and group them together. The latter option may be preferable for those who do not have strong professional experience yet.

EDUCATION

Degree(s)

Years

School(s)

Emphasis: maybe

Classes: no

Associates: no (unless it’s your highest degree)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

If it’s relevant, then definitely include it. If it’s not, include it only if very notable.

Recent

Short explanation if needed

SKILLS

Once again, watch your wording. “Proficient in” is not necessary. If you’re not proficient, then don’t put it on your resume.

ACCOUNT FOR GAPS

Gaps in professional experience are a compelling reason to include volunteer work on a resume. It helps clear up if you spent the last year playing Word of Warcraft in your parents’ basement or if you built houses in Haiti.

WORD CHOICE

• Responsibilities include/responsible for

• Results-oriented

• Creative

• Seasoned x

• Passionate (we’ll see on FB/Instagram)

• Guru/expert/ninja

• Excellent communication skills

• Strong words

• Buzzwords/keywords that relate to the job position

• Industry language

• Be smart

WORD CHOICE

• Responsibilities include/responsible for

• Results-oriented

• Creative

• Seasoned x

• Passionate (we’ll see on FB/Instagram)

• Guru/expert/ninja

• Excellent communication skills

• Strong words

• Buzzwords/keywords that relate to the job position

• Industry language

• Be smart

NO YES

Format

Have a pattern and a style. Don’t use Times New Roman or Calibri. Those are default fonts. At least

go to the effort of choosing a different (professional) font.

Let’s look at an example

This resume…is well organized

has white space

has clear sections

…and is bleeding boring.

Think about this like the articles you write: your information is

good and your format is professional. But does it look like all of the other dentist resumes

the employer has seen?

That said, your resume doesn’t have to be intense.

Perhaps in the graphic design industry, you need

something like this to compete. But in the general

world, this is overkill.

Rather, find a happy medium of different and simple. Both of the

following examples have a bit of color, a different organization, and can be done in Microsoft Word. And they

don’t look like the 100 other resumes on your potential employer’s desk.

Just remember your

AUDIENCE

What would you want to look at and what will set you apart?

Make your content

→Engaging→Unique→Content-filled→Error free

Think about the delivery. If you’re emailing, send a PDF. That way formatting will be preserved. Exception: if your potential

employer specifies a file type, use that file type.

If you are submitting an electronic version, don’t copy and

paste your resume. You need a different version that specifically works electronically. Formatting

rules are all different and you want to use keywords that

someone using ctrl + F can find.