Sherwin-Williams | Recruitment |

Target your resume to your audience.

As you develop your resume, think of yourself as an entrepreneur selling your services to a potential employer.

You can write a “one-size-fits-none” resume or construct a resume tailored for your “customer.” Sounds like a lot of work, right? Wrong.

This is real target marketing and it’s sure to get you plenty of “hits” in the job market. The kind of real results that have a long-lasting impact on you.

Keep it simple and organized.

Your resume may get 15 seconds to 3 minutes of a recruiter’s attention. Such a short scan means your resume needs to be logically organized and easy to read.

Forget the hype that colored paper, sharp icons, pictures and snazzy fonts get your resume noticed. That kind of attention won’t win over seasoned recruiters. They’ll waste no time discarding your resume in the reject pile.

Construct your resume for easy scanning.

use white or off-white bond paper

limit the use of icons (bullets are fine if used to guide the reader)

use an easy-to-read font like Arial or Times New Roman, size 10-12

don’t italicize or use script type

focus your reader on headings and key information by bolding conservatively

avoid pronouns (I, me, he, she, etc.)

use one page, if possible, but don’t omit critical information to force a fit

proofread for spelling and grammar!

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Your resume represents you.

Never misrepresent your background or overstate your qualifications on a resume. Doing so can get you into trouble during the interview or, later, get you fired from that job. Your resume should honestly reflect your experiences and abilities.

Strive for perfection.

Have several others proofread your resume, too. If you can’t get the details right on your resume (spelling, grammar, tense, etc.), a recruiter may think you won’t get them right on the job, either.

Employment and other references.

Instead of typing “References available upon request,” at the bottom of your resume, prepare a separate sheet listing your professional and employment references (name, title, company, address and telephone number).

This benefits you in a couple ways:

it frees up valuable space on your resume for important information

it makes it easy to update as your employment status changes
AND most recruiters appreciate it, too because you’ve put all the information they need to check references on one piece of paper.

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Web sites.

Access target companies’ web sites and interactive programs to submit your resume on-line.

ASCII Format. When sending your resume over the ‘Net, use ASCII format. We know it’s limiting, but it gives you the chance to be creative within a restricted format. And that’s not easy. The person on the other end may not see the benefit of your elegant HTML format, but at least they won’t see weird characters and symbols.

Still not sure about the Internet? Don’t worry, you can send your resume the old fashioned way -- mailed or faxed copies are always welcome.

Write a cover letter?

The debate continues over the usefulness of a resume cover letter. Some recruiters ignore them and go straight to the resume, while others consider them an extension of, or replacement for, the resume Objective.

If you choose to include a cover letter, address it to a specific individual in the target company (department head, human resources manager, recruiter). Briefly note the type of position you’re interested in, your qualifications for the job (schooling, work history and personal skills) and how you can be reached. Refer them to the accompanying resume.

Don’t procrastinate.

Use these tips to develop a simple, organized resume that gets noticed -- so YOU get noticed!

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Career Workshop

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Interviewing Tips

Resume Tips

Targeting your resume

Keeping it simple and organized

Constructing it for easy scanning

Don’t misrepresent yourself

Strive for perfection

Include Employment and other references

Submit via web sites

Write a cover letter

Don’t procrastinate

Online Resume Builder