Resume Writing Tips Part 3 – Readability
Posted on 11. Dec, 2008 by Morgan in Job Hunting News, Resume Formatting, Resume Tips, Resume Writing
We continue on our series of resume writing tips with part 3, readability. In parts one and two or resume writing tips we discussed other essentials, common resume spelling errors and resume formatting. In this post I want to talk about improving the readability of your resume. This is a little more subjective than the previous resume tips as readability is more of a holistic concept than the others. Resume readability is also tied closely to formatting because the proper formatting helps the information jump off the resume and flow in a logical manner making it easier for human resource professionals to digest and utilize the information you’re presenting to them in your resume.
Resume Readability
Picture this – it’s been a long day, you’ve got a stack of papers staring you in the face that you know you need to get through. You’ve had meeting after meeting and have spent the better part of the remaining time of your day on the phone with unsuccessful meetings. You’re tired, frustrated, and just want to get home to your family, or at least just out of the office.
Guess what? That’s the person that is likely reading your resume. I grew up around my mom and grandparents who spent a combined 100-years in the personnel industry and every day at the end of the day they came home with stacks of resumes for open job recquisitions. And what did I learn by watching them all those years? Resume readability is crucial.
An Old Journalism Cliche that Applies to Resume Writing
In journalism school first-year students are often asked the following question: “What’s the purpose of the first sentence of a news article?” and while the students go through all manner of machinations about the purpose of that initial sentence the answer is quite simple “To get the reader to read the second sentence.” And so on. The point was that the language has to be compelling enough to get the reader engaged and invested in the story you were telling. And the goal of the writer is to pull the reader all the way through the story – by making each sentence build on one another to reach that goal.
While we’re not telling a story in the traditional sense when we write our resume it is like telling a story. We need to get that tired, frustrated, easily distracted HR professional engaged in your resume right off the bat. With a stack of resumes behind you, you can’t afford to lose their attention.
People Read Resumes Like Web Pages
Have you noticed how you read a Web page? Much like this one – you’re probably scanning the page for text that catches your attention. When you find something interesting you probably slow down and read a bit more to see if why you slowed down was justified by the content and then you either stay engaged or you go back to scanning.
Human Resource professionals read resumes in much the same way. They scan resumes. There are too many resumes to get through on a given day to give a close read to every single one. I’m sure you’ll meet some recruiters who say they give a close read to every resume that comes across their desk; but that’s the exception, not the rule.
Resume Readability Gets Them to Slow Down
By making your resume exceptionally readable you build your resume with the scanning mentality in mind and you make it easy for HR pros to scan your resume and deliver information that captures their attention and gets them to slow down and consider your resume more carefully than others. Once you get their attention it all comes down to delivering the goods in a way that makes them put you in the short-list pile. The interview pile.
Five Ways to Make Your Resume More Readable
- Use a compelling Objective. This is the first sentence in your resume. It’s job? You got it. To get them to read further.
- Make Job titles and dates bold and clear. This allows them to get a sense of your career progression quickly and determine if you’re at the level of job their currently try to fill.
- Add company descriptions for smaller firms. Everyone knows the brand names, but smaller firms need some context. Add a well-written sentence about the company to give the recruiter some context about your role in the firm.
- Avoid jargon. If you’re coming from a specific industry and trying to cross over it’s critical that you avoid industry jargon that doesn’t mean anything outside of that small club.
- Use bullets and short sentences. No one wants to read a paragraph. Go with short bursts of text. Be economical with your words. Fewer is often better.
By combining proper spelling, resume formatting and using tactics to make your resume more readable, you’ll be well on your way to having a better chance at getting your resume noticed than the majority of people who fail to address these key attributes of a successful resume.