References NOT available…
References NOT Available…6 Things You’re Doing Wrong On Your Resume.
I am by no means a professional resume writer. There are such people, and they make good money for fluffing up your credentials with buzz words and adding lots of flair to an otherwise boring document.
But, after more than 20 years in recruiting, I can offer these 6 simple tips to ensure that your resume doesn’t frustrate the recruiter or hiring manager before they even start considering your skills.
1: Clean & simple is better: Your resume is not a painting and it is not a marketing brochure. It contains written information that you want the receiver to actually read. If they are too busy looking at all the times you changed font style, changed font size, put something in italics, underlined or created a text box with a back shadow, they are not actually reading the words about what you’re qualified to do. I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at a resume and thought, “Ugh, what a mess!”
2: Get to the point! Bullet points are used on resumes for a reason; they are not paragraphs in a dissertation, they are quick summaries of a task you performed. Put yourself in the shoes of a person reading a resume. What do they really need to know about your job? This varies depending on your field of expertise but for our candidates, accounting and finance professionals, this means where you fit within the CFO’s organization. The goal is for someone with knowledge of how corporate finance teams are structured to understand what you did so that they can also determine what you didn’t do.
Another good rule of thumb is to put the tasks that take up the majority of your time at the top and go down, time wise, from there. That way, if someone stops reading after the first two or three bullet points, (which they do) they will walk away with enough information to make a determination.
There also should not be 14 bullet points for a job you did for two years. Get enough core information out to get the interview and expand on the details, verbally, once there.
3: Eliminate useless information: “References provided upon request;” a totally useless line. They better be! Would anyone ever write, “References will not be made available?”
And, in this day and age, adding that you enjoy knitting is a throwback to the “Mad Men” era. For the extras, stick with things like language skills, software proficiency, professional organization memberships, awards received or leadership positions held.
4: Consider how it will print: I will look over someone’s resume to see that it does not run onto an extra page, needlessly. Recently, I was in a hurry to print, didn’t check, and got one line on the third page. One line! That set a negative tone to the whole situation. Thankfully, that one line was not, “References Available Upon Request,” or I would probably have thrown that whole resume in the trash!
5: Proofread: Have someone else proofread and then proofread again! Do not scan. Do not assume, because you opened up the old document only to add your most recent job, that everything is correct in the previous jobs. Actually go word by word. It’s time consuming but it’s worth it. Ensure that all past jobs bullet points are in past tense. Keep how you list dates consistent (not using months and years in some and only years in others) and make sure that the second most recent job no longer says, “To Present” in the date.
6: Be Brief: If a CFO of a public company can keep her resume to 2 pages, an Accounting Manager shouldn't have a 5 page resume!
If you decide to go the route of hiring a professional resume writer, treat them like any service provider; get a recommendation from someone you know and check samples of their work first.
I am by no means a professional resume writer. There are such people, and they make good money for fluffing up your credentials with buzz words and adding lots of flair to an otherwise boring document.
But, after more than 20 years in recruiting, I can offer these 6 simple tips to ensure that your resume doesn’t frustrate the recruiter or hiring manager before they even start considering your skills.
1: Clean & simple is better: Your resume is not a painting and it is not a marketing brochure. It contains written information that you want the receiver to actually read. If they are too busy looking at all the times you changed font style, changed font size, put something in italics, underlined or created a text box with a back shadow, they are not actually reading the words about what you’re qualified to do. I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at a resume and thought, “Ugh, what a mess!”
2: Get to the point! Bullet points are used on resumes for a reason; they are not paragraphs in a dissertation, they are quick summaries of a task you performed. Put yourself in the shoes of a person reading a resume. What do they really need to know about your job? This varies depending on your field of expertise but for our candidates, accounting and finance professionals, this means where you fit within the CFO’s organization. The goal is for someone with knowledge of how corporate finance teams are structured to understand what you did so that they can also determine what you didn’t do.
Another good rule of thumb is to put the tasks that take up the majority of your time at the top and go down, time wise, from there. That way, if someone stops reading after the first two or three bullet points, (which they do) they will walk away with enough information to make a determination.
There also should not be 14 bullet points for a job you did for two years. Get enough core information out to get the interview and expand on the details, verbally, once there.
3: Eliminate useless information: “References provided upon request;” a totally useless line. They better be! Would anyone ever write, “References will not be made available?”
And, in this day and age, adding that you enjoy knitting is a throwback to the “Mad Men” era. For the extras, stick with things like language skills, software proficiency, professional organization memberships, awards received or leadership positions held.
4: Consider how it will print: I will look over someone’s resume to see that it does not run onto an extra page, needlessly. Recently, I was in a hurry to print, didn’t check, and got one line on the third page. One line! That set a negative tone to the whole situation. Thankfully, that one line was not, “References Available Upon Request,” or I would probably have thrown that whole resume in the trash!
5: Proofread: Have someone else proofread and then proofread again! Do not scan. Do not assume, because you opened up the old document only to add your most recent job, that everything is correct in the previous jobs. Actually go word by word. It’s time consuming but it’s worth it. Ensure that all past jobs bullet points are in past tense. Keep how you list dates consistent (not using months and years in some and only years in others) and make sure that the second most recent job no longer says, “To Present” in the date.
6: Be Brief: If a CFO of a public company can keep her resume to 2 pages, an Accounting Manager shouldn't have a 5 page resume!
If you decide to go the route of hiring a professional resume writer, treat them like any service provider; get a recommendation from someone you know and check samples of their work first.
Brooke Fisher brings over 20 years of financial recruiting expertise to your search. She has worked with both candidates who have just a few years' experience and Chief Financial Officers to match the best candidates to the perfect companies. Brooke's expertise is in mid to large-sized companies in the telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, and real estate industries. Email her at [email protected]
Andrews & Cole is a certified woman-owned boutique executive search and consulting firm with a focus on accounting and finance professionals. Clients range from start ups to Fortune 100 in nearly every industry.
Andrews & Cole is a certified woman-owned boutique executive search and consulting firm with a focus on accounting and finance professionals. Clients range from start ups to Fortune 100 in nearly every industry.