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Resume Doctor Blog: Post #2

Introduction

First of all, thank you to all of you who submitted you resume for review. We read them all and will feature some of them in future posts. If you would like your resume featured in future posts, click below to submit your resume.

Submit your resume for a free review

Featured Resume

And now, let’s evaluate this next resume. Give it a quick read and make a mental note of your first impressions. Would you call this candidate for an interview? Please note that the candidate’s name and contact information have been changed for privacy purposes.

Click here to view the featured resume

Resume Review

Dear Candidate,

Overall, the resume is not bad. Some valuable traits that employees are looking for are there but the resume needs some work to amplify and make an impact on the reader. You are obviously intelligent, but the resume can do a better job of conveying the your competencies in a more concise fashion.

Some general points:

  • Resume is way too long. Particularly for recent college graduates and otherwise junior professionals, resumes should be able to fit onto one page.
  • Personal details. Your address should be at the top of the page. I would advise against including a date of birth. This section should perhaps be titled “Additional” or “Additional Information”.
  • “Knowledge Purvue” section. This section fails to summarize your capabilities. It may not be a bad idea to experiment with either a “Highlights” section, with bullet points summarizing career achievements. Or an “Objectives” section that briefly states the type of position that you are applying for may be sufficient.

Job Description

  • Too many bullets. Each job description has too many bullets underneath. Focus on the achievements where you made the most impact.
  • Inconsistent verb tense. Each bullet should begin with a verb in the same tense. For example, to describe achievements in the past tense, all bullets should begin in that tense (e.g., Former positions – past tense: Delivered, led, achieved, designed, etc.).
  • Merely descriptive bullets. Potential employers will read your resume and actively think of the value that you will bring to their organization. They will attempt to determine this by evaluating the value you have brought to your former organizations. Many of the bullets solely describe the task done without passing the “so what” test. When writing each bullet, ask yourself why this achievement matters in a larger sense. Namely, what value did it add to the organization or client? You may want a brief sentence below each job heading summarizing your role and then focus solely on achievements in the bullets.

Additional Information

  • Professional certifications. Make sure that the certifications listed are relevant to the job that you are applying to.
  • IT Skills. Again, make sure that these are relevant to the job that you are applying for. Ideally, this should not have to be a separate section on your resume (unless you are applying for an IT position at a financial firm). Rather, these competencies should be integrated into your bullet points. (example – “Built DCF model for sell-side M&A engagement…” It is evident from this bullet that not only have you worked on M&A engagements, but that you also know how to complete a DCF analysis. That said, you do not need a separate section to convey this point.)
  • Written articles on. If you want to include this section, details should be provided as to when the articles were written/published and by whom so that the reader can find them, if they so desire.
  • Overall, the resume has potential so keep revising!

If you would like your resume featured in future posts, click below to submit your resume.

Submit your resume for a free review