Rule 1 (Misinformation)

Over 60% of what you have read, what you have heard and what you know about a job resume probably does not apply to you. Close is no cigar in Job Seeking. Only one gets hired! The short version is: misinformation is probably (wrong, outdated, and supplied by a person not on the pulse of hiring decision-making) costing you thousands of dollars in pay, costing you job interviews, and leaving your career at a place less than where you want it to be.


Rule 2 (1st impression is not your appearance, but the appearance of the resume)

The Layout creates your first impression. If your resume was a new car at a car dealership, you want the hiring manager (customers) to be crowding around your car. You can look like you make $10,000 on paper aesthetically or you can look like you make your market value. Think of book covers and magazine covers. Some are distinguished. Some are cheap and unrefined.


Rule 3 (What format is best)

Never use the words functional or chronological again they are from the 70's! Whatever it takes to showcase your transferable skills to the employer in your target career field dictates the format. There should be no rules except for honesty to do what it takes to get you an interview.


Rule 4 (Use of an objective or other forward looking section)

Your resume has to have a forward-looking skills and goals representation at the top of the resume; a "Today through tomorrow" if you will. This section is critical to save the reader time and allow them quick access to your most valuable transferable skills. It should showcase what you are bringing to the table, what your experience and skills mean. The section must be written to build the reader's confidence and momentum (in terms of wanting you) CREATE A PERCEPTION OF VALUE!


Rule 5 (Experience Section)

The Experience and education section serves to substantiate the perception of value created in the today through tomorrow summary/bio/goals/objective section as detailed in Rule 4.

Your experience content cannot be a responsibilities and duties set. Two reasons, one duties and responsibilities are the minimum you are supposed to do therefore this creates a collection of minimums (How attractive!) And secondly, your value is not in what you did, but what you learned from the experience, how doing your job well helped your employer, what you have retained from this experience and how efficiently you can apply what you have retained from this experience. That's why we interview you! Leave migration from a collection of minimums to performance messaging to us.


Rule 6 (Average quality resume does no justice for good quality employee)

If your resume does not delineate your most valuable transferable skills and does not expedite the reader's access to these skills then the format is unacceptable!


Rule 7 (English language is your friend or your enemy)

If you make $75,000 per year (for example) and your lack of expertise in proper resume preparation has allowed you to put task statements and traits on your resume that you needed for a part-time job in high school (self-motivated, good communicator) then you have infected your resume with terminal career cancer.

Executives don't represent themselves with words that can describe cakes and pies (good, excellent...nonsense!)

Executives form and manage partnerships, create new company cultures, increase interdepartmental idea sharing!


Rule 8 - A Resume is the most important document you own!