Your Resume is Not an Autobiography

One of the most difficult aspects of writing a resume is deciding which information to include. Ideally, resumes should be limited to a single page. Faced with a stack of resumes, employers are more inclined to skip over long resumes with large blocks of text. To avoid being overlooked for a job, think of your resume as a brief summary rather than an autobiography that lists every detail of your work history.

According to a study conducted by the job-matching service TheLadders, recruiters spend more time reading concise resumes that are ordered so that there are no big blocks of text. This study indicates writing a resume that is brief is more effective than going into great detail when describing work history. However, you need to make sure that the information you do include is the most relevant.

To figure out which information to include when writing a resume, use the job posting as a guide. Look through the job posting and use the same words to describe any applicable skills and experience you have. A job posting tells you which skills are important to the employer, so you can omit any unrelated skills to keep your resume direct and to the point. Using the job posting is also beneficial if the employer uses an applicant tracking system to scan resumes, because your resume will get more attention since it includes relevant keywords.

Another strategy for creating a concise resume rather than an autobiography is dedicating the most space to the most important information. This means the description of a previous position that is directly related to the position you are applying for needs to be more detailed than an unrelated position. At the same time, it is important not to get carried away with your job descriptions when writing a resume.

The best way to shorten job descriptions without limiting the effectiveness of your resume is to use action verbs and numbers to convey information without using a lot of words. Also, set a limit for each job description. Unless the position is directly related to the job you are applying for, listing the three most important skills you learned per job is sufficient. For relevant positions, try to keep your job description to no more than five statements. To break up longer descriptions, use bullet points to make the information easier for employers to scan.

When you are writing a resume, keep in mind that a resume is only intended to highlight your work history, skills and achievements. Your resume is not supposed to tell the entire story behind your work history. If you find yourself struggling to keep your job descriptions to a minimum, you can add examples in your cover letter to emphasize your skills and experience.

Although it is tempting to fill your resume with every accomplishment and skill from your work history, research indicates doing so actually hurts your chances of getting the job. When you are writing a resume, stick to the most important information and be concise. Always remember that you can go into more detail during the interview.

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