The epic (and useless) debate about resumes

Hey there 👋

Let’s talk about the epic debate on resumes.

The internet is divided on whether or not to include your photo in a resume.

The other debate is whether to make visually appealing resumes or make them boring to look at.

Many proudly recommend having a boring resume because they believe that is what gets past ATS bots.

These are all moot points.

The problem lies in our thinking.

People believe:

Fancy = Ineffective

Hence, by extension:

Boring = Effective

WRONG.

Just because it’s boring doesn’t make it effective.

You have to WORK to make it effective.

Your resume can work just fine without photos or colors.

But it cannot work if you haven't explained your work well.

The largest folder I maintain is that of “Bad Resumes” where I collect poorly written resumes.

My prized collection includes many 3-pager resumes that fail to clarify what the person did in their career, despite long essays about their work.

If you care to get relevant calls for the jobs you desire, take note:

• The first and foremost goal of your resume is to clearly explain what you have done. Do it in fewer and simpler words.

• Highlight the value you bring to the table.

• Use some visual hierarchy. You can do this with or without colors.

Here is a template that I have created that works for ATS Bots and for humans - recruiters and hiring managers.

No fancy design skills are required to use this one - a simple template in Google Docs

A few things to note when writing your resume

Professional summary and Skills

• You can add your photo or leave it. But do not compromise on the content

• Summarise your experience with details like

  • Years of experience

  • Domains you have worked in

  • Type of products and projects you have been part of

  • A brief about your background.

• Write skills that are backed by your experience

  • Expertise in a particular niche

  • Add verifiable skills like hands-on with specific technologies

  • Avoid using vague terms that cannot be verified like “change agent” or “thinker” etc.

Writing your experience

When writing details about your projects, add specific details.

• Details that help VISUALIZE what you did and how you did it using the STAR method - Situation, Task, Action, Result - “Led the development of <enter product details> that led to <enter results here> using <enter skills here>

• For example, adding details about the team mix and duration makes it easier to understand your role

  • How big are the teams you usually work with

  • How long did it take for you to bring the impact you claim you have brought

  • Helps understand your specific role in a larger team effort.

• Add skills that you applied in that role - this is the cherry on the cake. With this hiring managers and recruiters can clearly understand how and where you applied the skills that they are looking for in a candidate

Revise older experience

If you have worked across multiple companies and roles, only your most recent experience, of the past 2-3 years is of the maximum relevance. You can reduce the emphasis on something that you had done 10 years ago.

Most people write resumes by appending details to the one they had 5 years back.

If you are doing this, remember to revise your older experience too.

Revise it to make it relevant to the roles that you are targeting today.

Reduce specificity and limit it to things that make you the employee you are today.

Example: Technical skills or global team collaboration etc.

Highlight what makes you stand out

When writing about their education, people make the mistake of not adding details that can improve their credibility for the roles they are applying for.

For example -

• Their major in graduation

• Their excellent CGPA score,

• How recent their certification is.

Don’t be shy in adding details that make you come across as a better candidate

You can download this resume using the link below👇

I hope this was useful.

If you're struggling with your job search or have questions about refining your approach, hit reply and let me know. I'm here to help you navigate this journey.

🤗How can I help?

I have helped 200+ people land their dream roles through resume review and interview preparation.

If you are not getting interview calls for relevant roles, your resume may be the missing link.

To know what specific changes you should make to increase interview calls, you may book my resume roast service using the link below.👇

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All the Best

Aditi