Four Questions to Ask When Preparing a Resume
by William Vanderbloemen
We get a whole lot of questions about how to best prepare a resume. I tell people resumes are a lot like weddings: there are a million different ways to do one, but only a few things really need to happen to make the deal legitimate.
So what are the key ingredients to resume writing? There are a whole lot of valid ingredients, but here ere are four questions to ask yourself as you are writing or reviewing resumes. They should give you a good start to discerning and creating the very best resume.
1. Is the resume the right length? There’s an old school wisdom out there that says resumes must be one page only. That thinking has pretty much passed by the wayside. One or two , or maybe three pages is fine. Far more important than length is organization and readability. Does the resume lay out in a way that is sensible? Does it get right to the point? Does it start with the candidate’s most recent work history, and then move to education/beliefs, etc.? Focus on organization in a resume may be a good indicator to organization in work flow on the job.
2. Is the resume focused on an objective? Good resume writers take time to focus the resume on the job they are seeking. Does the resume state from the outset what the candidate’s objective is? Is the objective clear, concise, compelling, and a fit with the context of the job? If you’re thinking this means you have to tailor your resume to every job you’re applying for, you’re right. Taking care to hand craft your resume for the job indicates that you will take time to hand craft your work for the needs of your new employer.
3. Is the resume filled with achievements? A good resume tells what you have gotten done, not what you believe should be done. When reading over a resume, there should be a clear narrative that outlines the ways that an employee has created a difference for an employer. Even in the church world, those achievements represent a profit margin.
4. Is the resume filled with interesting information? A good resume isn’t just clinical. It gives an insight into the candidate as a person. One way to do this is to list hobbies. But be careful: boring hobbies = boring candidate! Does the resume show a candidate who is involved in difference making efforts in the community? Does it show a physically active person? Does it show an interesting person? Resumes are the first step to an employer deciding, “Do I want to hang out with this person all week?”
We will be adding more content on resumes in the future, but would love to hear from you.
Question: What do you think is the most common mistake on resumes?
Terry Van Winkle
February 28th, 2011 at 1:03 PM
The most common mistake I have seen is when someone sends a monster KIT of materials, DVDs, curriculum, etc. along with their initial resume.
These items should be sent only when and how the prospective employer requests them. Otherwise, the kit, along with the resume (regardless of how impressive it might be) get put on the “someday I’ll look at all this” list by the person who initially screens the resumes.
William
February 28th, 2011 at 3:06 PM
Thanks Terry – great insight!
Joe Bridger
March 2nd, 2011 at 1:18 PM
I used to be the screener for a church I served at regarding resumes. I also write resumes for my friends. The bottom line is they get jobs that they struggled at getting interviews for before I helped them along. Consequently I have at times looked at literally hundreds of resumes over the course of sometimes hours of time, both secular and ministry oriented.
I often thought how plain and similar they all were….bullet points like.. “Led youth ministries dept.” I saw that line about 700 times. But what was the substantive proof that what you did made any difference to the employer above anybody else who would have been in that same position? To echo the focus this article brings to the idea of achievements, be humble about your achievements please state them, but don’t have a false sense of humility that comes across in writing in your resume. Be alright with the fact that you are actually good at something and place that measurable outcome on paper. That after all is the definition of being magnanimous. To accept that your are good at somethingand to be alright with that fact. This can be a huge stumbling block for people when writing ministry resumes. It’s ok to say that when you arrived the ministry you were over was 20 kids and now it’s runing 100 or whatever the measurable achievements were. False humility will not get you a job. It will just make you look like everyone else. Your measurable achievements will not be known and you probabally will get passed over and left wondering why no one calls you back.
I also add color and style cause I am a children’s pastor and that position first and formost should express creativity in an organized fashion. And I also tailor my resume to the ministry position or achievements they are seeking. Even though the rules say don’t add color and don’t make it more than one page in length. I have had more success in tailoring to the position rather than writing the same thing in exactly the same format every time.
That my 25 cents worth.