Topic: Excellent, Superior and other Superlatives
When describing their skill levels, I often warn job seekers to refrain from using words like “excellent” and “superior” for four reasons:
1. These words are their opinions not mine. I don’t want to hear opinions. I want to see facts and examples and formulate my own conclusion.
2. Chances are I have a different, and likely higher, expectation of what it means to have “excellent communication skills” or “superior understanding of business marketing”. If there is not corroborating evidence to support these statements, they are likely to go in the “no” pile.
3. These statements of opinion are extra words that make it harder for me to find their relevant skills.
4. If they do make it to an interview, you can be assured that I am going to drill down very hard on this area and see if they meet my interpretation of these words.
Of course if you meet my definition of what an expert is, I want you on my team, but trust me, unless you have at least 5 years of work experience under your belt, you won’t . Best not to go there.
Btw, here is an easy fix. Change “excellent” or “superior” to something like “honed my”. This simple change makes the statements actions not opinions.
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David: I'm in a fraternity, and I was wondering what your thoughts are on whether fraternity membership should be on a resume. Does including it help or hurt?
It is OK to mention fraternity membership, but only at the bottom of your resume. Perhaps, you will get lucky and make a connection with an alumnus.
In general, fraternities are good for building leadership and communication skills and suggest a well-rounded, social person. If you stay away from the rah, rah brotherhood stuff, mentioning it should be a net positive.
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Kyle: I recently had a political internship with the Democratic mayoral campaign. Does the fact that I supported a single person/party hinder or help my chances of getting hired? Should I seek to balance this out by taking an internship with a Republican?
If you enjoy campaign work and you feel that it is providing you with skills that will help you land a future job, then by all means keep at it. Affiliation with a major party should not hurt (or help) you as long as you do not come across as too ideological or extreme: such people are not very good team players.
Of course, you might want to avoid the risk completely and simply mention the candidate’s name and leave off the party affiliation all together. When you think about it, it really isn’t relevant. When a prospective employer is evaluating your qualifications, she is focusing on your skills: what you did, not who you did it for. Leave it off and then you don’t have to worry.
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Diane: Uh oh. My resume is 2 pages. The whole thing is in 11-point font, with headlines a bit larger. At what point in one's career, if ever, are 2 pages justified?
The answer to this is somewhat industry and job specific. Generally, after about the 10th year of your career, you have enough relevant information to justify extending your resume to a second page. Mine is a page and a half.
Just make sure that you scrutinize your dated and less important information in the same way that you did when you were trying to fit things onto one page. If the details of one of these older sections have become fuzzy and unfamiliar—so that you cannot defend them during an interview—they should not be there.
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Topic: Font Size
A big mistake a lot of resume writers make is that they shrink their font size when they add something new. Yes, you want to keep everything on one page, but never go under 11 point font to do so. By definition, if you have something "new and relevant" to add, something else has just become "more dated and less relevant", and can be minimized or deleted.
A well-organized resume suggests a well-organized worker!
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Matt: How should I indicate an award on a resume if I only have one?
If it is education-related, you can add a bullet under your "Education" section:
Bachelor of Arts in French with a concentration in Zoology
- Awarded 1st place prize in national French contest
If not, you can simply change your "Interest" section to "Interest and Awards" or "Interests and Accomplishments" and add a line there:
- Los Angeles Times, Paper Carrier of the Year 2010
Just make sure that the award is relevant - if you are thinking about whether to include it, make sure it says something about your character or capacity. The former example speaks to capacity: the latter speaks to character.
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Patrick: What are your thoughts on adding [an] interests section? Some people say it's good because employers are asking themselves if they would want to spend a long plane ride with you. Others say it should be left for the interview.
I am in the former camp. I am always looking for interesting people with a high capacity to learn. An interest section can add a little extra in this regard. Sometimes it can be useful for making a personal connection with your reviewer.
If this happens she will read your resume with a heightened interest. Just be careful and don't add anything too provocative or controversial. "Political argument" is far less risky than "right-wing political argument."
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Patrick: Nearly everyone who applies to jobs [has] the same resume format. What are some ways to stand out?
Your resume format is not how you want to stand out. You want the first thought of your reviewer to be one of familiarity. Definitely avoid the risk of raising any subconscious "red flags".
Fancy fonts and colored text are a good way to get dismissed as immature.
Don't take risks on your resume format. Focus on keeping your content well organized and easy to read. Let your skills and accomplishments differentiate you.
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David: How should we indicate getting a minor on a resume? [Is it worth adding?]
A minor is a good thing. It shows that you are well-rounded and have a high capacity to learn. Definitely, include it. However, I like "concentration" or "specialization" better than "minor". I note concentrations on my resume! Here are two examples:
Bachelor of Arts in French with a concentration in Zoology
or
Bachelor of Arts in French
* Specialization in Zoology
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Henry: I was on another site and it stressed displaying "tasks" [on resumes and cover letters]. You stress "skills" and discourage listing "tasks". What gives?
If you are an inexperienced job seeker (a college student, recent graduate, or someone changing to a new field), it is my opinion that you are better off giving examples of your skills for one simple reason - skills are often transferable to different situations, whereas tasks are not.
For example, if you had a summer job working in a biology lab, your analytical and analysis skills may be similar to the skills needed in marketing, advertising, finance or administration. However, your tasks of running tests and documenting your experiments are specific to a science laboratory and most likely will not be seen as transferable.
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Sheila: You discourage people from using words like "excellent" in their resumes. I think I have "excellent" communication skills. Why wouldn't I want to advertise this?
First, your claim that you have excellent communications skills is an opinion. If I am reading your resume (or cover letter), I am not looking for your opinions. I am looking for your skills, and evidence that you are a good fit for the particular job for which I am hiring. I want you to give me the supporting evidence. Then, I will make my own decision as to the level of your skills.
Second, superlatives are a source of risk. People have widely different definitions of what "excellent" means and you will not always fit with their definition. If you fall below their expectations, you have seriously compromised your chances.
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Here's the official description from my website:
"Written by R. Scott Morris, former CEO of the Boston Options Exchange and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Polished outlines the methods for success and the many pitfalls that doom most job seekers.
Scott has been working with the students in the Chicago Careers in Business program at the University of Chicago for the past three years. Polished is the culmination of his teaching and their insight. Many of the examples in this workbook are based on actual participants from this program.
Scott puts his experience to work for you!
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* Interviewing - leverage the value of your first impression by crafting your appearance and articulating your words for maximum effect
* Career Choice - assess careers and organizations to find the best match with your own personality and professional goals
Polished gives you the tools you need for a successful job search. Author R. Scott Morris tells it like it is from his unique perspective as a hiring decision maker who has seen thousands of resumes and conducted hundreds of interviews. This book puts his experience to work for you!"
Let me know what you think!
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