Blogs

I spend a lot of time discussing resumes with active job seekers and talking to recruiters about what attracts them to a resume. I want to address a couple of the most common questions that have come up in these conversations. The answers provided are based on numerous discussions with experienced hiring managers.

Do I need an objective on my resume?

No, you do not. Nearly all jobs will ask for a cover letter, where you should be outlining your career objectives. Instead, I would start with a quick summary of qualifications. It could be a quick list of 3 – 5 summarizing characteristics that make you unique and separate you from the competition. This is your chance to get them interested in your resume before they really delve into it. Many recruiters won’t look too far down a resume if they lose interest early, so this is your chance to show them why they should take the time on you. Try to cater the summary to the needs of the specific job.

Although some may tell you different, most recruiters are primarily interested in finding out why you are the best fit to thrive in the position, not necessarily why the organization is the best fit for your career. In today's market in the health-system pharmaceutical industry, they may have a lot of resumes to sift through. Starting off on the wrong foot makes it easier to pass over yours.

What are the most common mistakes made in the “meat” of the resume?

There are really two common mistakes people make when summarizing their accomplishments:

1. Grammar. Many recruiters will stop reading a resume the second they see a misspelling or grammatical error. Make sure to go over your resume repeatedly and be consistent with your grammar. Whether or not you decide to use a period at the end of each bullet (either way is acceptable), make sure they all end the same way for consistency.
2. Make sure to show the impact of your accomplishments. Most candidates can perform the majority of tasks on your resume. Showing why you do it well through specific examples is how you can set yourself apart. Example: Change your bullet from “Successfully launched five new products” to “Successfully launched five of the organization’s top ten revenue-producing products, resulting in $10 million in annual sales.” If you are new to your career, you can note accomplishments achieved in other areas (college/graduate programs, internship, other jobs, etc.). There are creative ways to do this even if you have not accomplished much in your career. Example: Change, "Organized company records" to "Organized critical company information leading to a streamlined record-keeping process."

Other general tips:

• It is okay, but not required, to use hyperlinks in your resume if they are important and relate directly to you since most resumes are read electronically now. They can be very effective if you link titles of events or articles that showcase your abilities. Do not type “click here” or type out the URL. It should look clean when printed.I would only use 2 or 3 at most so not to overwhelm the reviewer.
• Your resume should be no more than 2 pages; any longer and many recruiters will not even look at it.
• Remember that the person looking does not know you at all. When writing your resume, continuously ask yourself if someone who knows nothing about you or your history really cares about this?