Resumes: part Art, part Science

Remember this scene from Game of Thrones when Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are introduced to each other. Which introduction made an impact? The impressive, long list of epitaphs or the precise one liner? In the talent acquisition process resumes are an introduction to the person. And most of the resumes read like Daenerys’ introduction. They are crammed with skills and experiences and yet leave the reader wondering. For resumes I am on Team Jon. Sorry Dany.

Sharing a few learnings from pouring over numerous resumes.

1.    KISS – Keep it short and succinct. It is just as important to know what to leave off the resume as it is to add.

2.    Tell a story.

• What makes you, You? Choose a theme that you want to convey and is relevant to the job. Weave your story around that.
• Add a differentiator, what makes you stand out.
• Show off your professional trajectory – how have your experiences honed your skills.
• Incite curiosity. Jon’s intro shows how a ‘Snow’ (an illegitimate child with no claims) has risen to be King. Who wouldn’t want to know more?

3.    Personalize the resume to the requirement. You get 7.4 seconds to make an impression so make sure the skills and experience that matters has top billing.

4.    Use visuals. Infographics are a great way to convey a message. How about a bubble chart to depict skills and proficiency in each skill? Or a timeline view to show past experiences. Use Badges instead of list of certifications. Visuals help optimize real estate on the page.

5.    All fact, no fiction (in the spirit of KISS, no explanation needed here).

These learnings also apply to talent seekers. We write pages of job requirements. Not all requirements are equal. Many can be implied. Let’s identify the top priorities and make the process more efficient. We tried a one slider format for an internal job fair. No information was missed and it was well received by the audience.

What is the basic information needed?

Last but not the least remember 99% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to collect and sort resumes. The systems compare the resume with the job description and rank them. While the other recommendations are applicable for both ATS and humans, the algorithms won't do as well with graphical information. Try your version out on tools like Jobscan which mimic ATS algorithms.

May new adventures begin. Cheers.