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Keep It Short

April 9, 2001

Everyone's got some advice about how to make your resume stand out from the rest. Here's ours:

Keep it short and relevant.

Your typical HR person is probably as lazy as you are. Before you get huffy, consider: the recipient of your resume is probably less excited about reading your work history than you are about writing it. To make matters worse, they probably have piles of them to sift through. So the kitten stationery and purple ink aren't likely to make you a shoe-in, and the two-page cover letter detailing your involvement in local recycling drives and other community events probably won't help, either.

No, the HR department really just wants the facts. While you may be devoted to community programs, save those details for the interview, and treat your resume for what it really is: your ticket to get into an interview.

The best basic format we've seen has been a single sheet with the following:

- Name
- Address
- Phone and email
- Skills
- Work History
- Education
- And finally, a note to the effect of "References and further details available upon request."

Try it out. See what it does to your responses.

- Greg Pryor