While not actively looking for a new job, I have learned the hard way that it’s better to always have an eye out for opportunities rather than being laid off and wondering where to go next (at least I had several months severance and paid health insurance, which is more than many people get, but - still - lesson learned!).

So, I figure it’s time to get to work on updating my resume, as it is now at least three years out-of-date. I’m even more fascinating now, honest.

Yes, I know, there are numerous books, websites, and articles out there that give you instructions on how to write the perfect resume for the perfect job in a perfect world with perfect guarantees of perfect interviews or your money back.

Allow me to add to that ever-increasing mound of career-planning information with a series of posts on resume writing.

I can’t promise you perfection, but I can tell you what has worked for me, and it’s free of charge so, hey, no refunds and please don’t bother the management with complaints.

Some background…

From job hunting in the States after working in Finland, to having willingly left the pressure of a Big Five (at the time) consulting job without a new offer, and to having been the on the receiving end of a layoff in 2003, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to write resumes and work on selling myself as a good fit for a number of positions. I read books, got outplacement assistance and coaching, and then got down to the business of self-promotion and finding “the next big thing.”

What follows is the process that I have used and will be using this go-round.

Objective: Your objective, dear job hunter, is to refrain from putting something as bland and banal and painful as a mere objective on your first introduction to a prospective employer.

Look, everyone knows that you want to use (insert skill) in a (insert adjective) role to develop your (insert another skill) for (insert ludicrous and most likely inaccurate praise of company to which you are applying).

It’s a given, a (insert colorful expletive) given.

If you’re crafting a resume for a job that doesn’t match your true objectives, then you’re wasting your time and theirs. And if you’re just shotgunning companies with a boilerplate document, you’re selling yourself short, and obviously any old job will do because you’re only up for half-hearted efforts anyway, so why bother? In that case, read no further, grasshopper.

If you’re still reading, then delete that objective and instead replace it with a…

Summary of Qualifications

The summary of qualifications, comprised of 3-5 brief sentences, demonstrates why this job is for you (or, more accurately, why you’re the one for the job - remember, this is about how you can help the company, not the other way around). Each sentence should be constructed without a subject (e.g. no “I have this” or “I did that”) and it should be concise, keying off of some of the language in the advertisement. It should quickly demonstrate how your skills, abilities, personal attributes, and past endeavors shout “hey, Mr. or Mrs. Hiring Person, keep reading!”

For example, for a quality management job in a call center, dealing with other managers and meeting with customers, mine might say something like:

Over 12 years in quality management with a focus on customer service and process improvement across multiple industries. Demonstrated ability to guide call center teams to high levels of customer satisfaction and quality. Capable of working across all levels of the organization, as well as externally to incorporate customer concerns and requirements into work processes.

It needs polishing, definitely, but it’s a start. As with any other kind of worthwhile writing, my aim is to get the first draft down - it will easily be 2-3 pages in length - and then start pruning it down to the points that really can make the sale.

The goal in the summary of qualification is to rapidly and succinctly (a) address the primary requirements in the advertisement, (b) point out how you meet or exceed those requirements, and (c) avoid ending up in the circular file (or the Deleted Items folder, this being 2007, and your future potentially being changed with a simple click of the mouse or by some automated keyword scanner).

As an addition, you may wish to consider 4-6 bullet points below the summary paragraph. This is useful for plugging some other skills that you feel are related and would be of interest to the employer, but that are not the crux of your skill offerings.

If so, close your summary with a line such as “Additional expertise in the following areas:” and then use your bullet points in two columns, centered beneath the summary.

Continuing the example above, I might have bulleted points for Six Sigma Green Belt, Balanced Scorecard, Large Group Facilitation, Data Analysis, and Satisfaction Surveying. It would, again, depend on the specifics of the position for which I was applying; which brings up another point - it’s ok, even preferred, to have multiple versions of your resume for different jobs.

Tailor your presentation to the position. Just as every job of interest appeals to you in different ways, you will have different skills, experiences, and beliefs that make you appealing to a given employer. If you do this, though, be sure to record which version you sent to whom, as you will likely be asked to speak to your documented experience during the interview process.

Woe be unto the interviewee who says “I don’t remember writing that. Can I see that copy of my resume you’re holding?”

In closing, consider the summary of qualifications to be your personal ad copy. Sell yourself. Just not while wearing hot pants and a smile.

Would you buy a car based on an ad that said “Yeah, we think this car is pretty ok. Has a couple of features you may want. Comes in some colors and seats a few adults?” I hope not.

Would you watch a TV program that billed itself as “a show about nothing?” OK, bad example.

This is your chance to capture the attention of the hiring manager, the generalist given the task of sifting through the applications, or the software that is cruelly and cold-heartedly assigning you a ranking like Simon Cowell on electronic ‘roids. Use keywords, focus on the stated needs of the position, and remember that this is your hook to get them to read further.

Once you’ve got their attention, it’s time to lay out the supporting detail. I will cover that in the next installment.

If you have questions or comments so far, just leave’em down below. I respond to most of them, especially if they contain incessant praise or something that makes me think you’re probably an attractive woman. Or, you know, whatever.