This document provides guidelines for optimizing a resume, including formatting, content, and structure recommendations. It suggests using consistent formatting like 1-inch margins, the same font and size throughout, and left-justified text. Certain design elements should be avoided like templates, graphics, and special characters. Key information to include are job titles and dates, sizes and metrics to demonstrate impact or scale, and separating education and other sections. The document aims to help applicants create resumes that are easy for recruiters to read and maximize the chances of getting noticed.

1. The Resume Check Lists© by Dirk Spencer creator of Resume Psychology - Get the Offer Not
the Interview©
Things to Do Because They Maximize Your Chances
The Hit List – Things that fit the LCD for technology issues:
 Use 1 inch margins on all 4 sides for the whole resume
 Use the same font style throughout the entire resume
 Use the same point size throughout the entire resume – even stuff you bold -
 Use upper case and lower case for any text which is bolded
 Use ragged-right
 Use left-justified (yes – it is the same as saying ragged-right but some people are dense)
 Use Times Roman or Arial – PICK 1 and stick to it for all your resume to look more organized
 Use Serif fonts as they are naturally easier to read on paper
 Use conventional bullets (those plane-Jane “dots” do the least damage)
The Stop List – Things that you need to stop using or doing on the resume:
 Stop underlining Serif fonts
 Stop using “justified” text in the resume
 Stop the random use of Bolding
 Stop the random use of Italics
 Stop the random use of Underlining
 Stop using resume templates (and PS - it looks lazy)
 Stop using abbreviations in job titles
 Stop splitting job titles (IE: Project/Product Manager – use Project Manager / Product Manager)
The Content List - Mistakes to avoid on the resume:
 Do not tell them you are looking for a stable company – it comes off as stupid and amateurish
 Do not tell them you wish to leverage your skills to benefit them – it comes off as weak and shallow
Things to Avoid - Because they can corrupt your data (this is not a resume decorating contest):
 Stop using fonts larger than 12 point
 Stop using graphic lines
 Stop using text boxes
 Stop using page borders
 Stop using graphics and logos
 Stop using headers for content
 Stop using footers for content
 Stop using special bullets shaped like arrows, squares, diamonds, hearts, scrolls
 Stop using paragraph spacing before or after each line (use a regular blank line already)
Suggestions to follow because it helps resume readability and reach-ability:
 Use Times Roman or Arial Font
 Use 12 or 11 point size for all text in the resume including your name
 Add job title directly under your name
 Add LinkedIn URL
 Add a Twitter ID
 Delete Labels like “Cell,” “Home,” “Email”

2.  Put the company name on the LEFT HAND side
 Put the job title on the LEFT HAND side under the company name
 Align Text to the left edge of the margin
 Align bullets to the left edge of text above it
 Use bullets instead of paragraphs
 Job dates on the far RIGHT HAND side of the
 Summarize Experience Older Than 7 to 10 Years
The Last Page Stuff – for most people this stuff belongs on the last page of the resume
 Break-out education to its own section it looks more organized and you avoid down grading it
 Break-out training to its own section in case they do not agree it is “Education”
 Break-out awards to their own section because no one really cares
 Break-out associations to its own section because they might care to know you care
 Break-out group memberships to its own section as all this work makes you looked organized
 Stop Describing Personality Traits – enough already with this crap
The Easy Stuff – But people make it hard by refusing to do their homework
 Tell them how – including how much, how many, how often
 Tell them what you did physically- the parts you executed
Demonstrates your scale and self-awareness by telling them:
 Sizes for the simple and obvious can get you thinking - teams, populations, clients, peers, competitors
 Environmental size considerations - geography, counts, units; end-users
 Money is always worth discussing – revenue, costs, savings, investments, ROIs, NPV
 Percentages are good too – up or down
 Dollar amounts up or down for budgets can help, too
Education – Naming conventions
 Use the whole degree title
 Include the degree abbreviation (minus the periods) to maximize hit-rates and to leverage the LCD
Re-Check Dirk’s The Kiss of Death (K.O.D.)
 Use the Control Find (Ctrl-F) feature and check for each word
 Once you find a word replace it with something more helpful
All Rights Reserved - Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011