How to Write a “Solid” Resume

How to Write a “Solid” Resume
By Wendy S. Pangburn, CAE
Pangburn Partners, LLC
www.pangburnpartners.com
It must be the season for bad resumes. Seriously.
I sent a candidate home with homework the other day.
I literally said, “I don’t get it. You have a great career
going, a rising career trajectory, and you are a smart guy.
However, your resume is a nightmare. It is a headache to
read. You made me work way too hard to understand
your story and I still don’t get you. You are wasting my
time and yours.”
I truly hate “skill set”
resumes (communication
section, fundraising
section, etc.). Don’t make
folks like me work that
hard to try and figure out
when you did what!
Yes, I truly was that blunt. But then…low and behold, his
resume came back two days later, and it was terrific.
Could this really be the same candidate??? Yep.
As a recruiter, I am not expecting a great resume or even a really good resume. I am just
looking for “solid”. If you have the experience and core qualifications, “solid” should get you in
good stead with the hiring manager.
So here are 13 fast tips (in no particular order) to get your resume to “solid":

Write a resume in reverse chronological order. Focus heavier on the details from
current and recent positions and lighter on the details from jobs long ago. Go from your
current position to your first position with dates (just years, forget the months) and
locations. I truly hate “skill set” resumes (communication section, fundraising section,
etc.). Don’t make folks like me work that hard to try and figure out when you did what!

In the education section, if you have a degree, tell me the year of graduation. If I
need to verify your degree for the employer at some point, I’ll need the date. I am really
not concerned about how old you are … besides it doesn’t take a valedictorian to figure
it out. If you don’t have a degree, just say, “coursework taken”. Don’t try to bluff your way
through it and, never fib about your education (or lack thereof). The funny thing about
age, by the way, is that it can work for you sometimes and against you other times. You
just never know.

I really don’t care about the length/number of pages (within reason). I am suspect
of too short of a resume (two pages or less) – unless, of course, you are just out of
college. I am also suspect of ten pagers. It’s a clear indication that you don’t know how
to be concise. A long list of speeches or publications will be welcome later on should you
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move further into the process. But not now. Just think about your experience, your brand
and your marketability.

Educate me on your place(s) of employment. I really don’t have the time or the
interest in Googling the place that you work. That is your job, not mine. So under your
title and place of employment, provide one or two lines on what your organization does
(include size in terms of annual budget, number of employees, etc.). If you really want to
impress me – add a link to your organization’s web site. Most resumes move around
electronically now these days, so having the link may readily fill in some questions if I am
so motivated.

If you are currently employed by the organization, write 2006 – present. Don’t write
2006-2013. I’ll think you are no longer there. If you are gone, be honest and say 20062012.

Don’t add references to a resume. It is a bit presumptuous. Besides, certain
references are good for certain jobs and organizations. Different references will serve
different positions. Besides, don’t run the risk of burning out your “standard” references.
You only want to go back to that well when you really need them.

I can’t believe I am even going to write this but here it goes (drum roll) … no
photos and no endorsement quotes. No more comment on this. Unless you are a
realtor, skip the photo and a bunch of quotes that provide no value.

Think about your resume as a story. You are telling a potential employer the story of
your career with (hopefully) each chapter highlighting bigger responsibilities, fancier
titles, and greater success stories. The story should flow.

Don’t give me a headache with 10 different fonts and a size 8 point size. And forget
using too much of the bells and whistles. In other words, use bold, italics, and
underlining lightly. My favorite fonts in size 11 are: Georgia, Garamond, Calibri, and Times
New Roman. As the old saying goes … keep it simple, stupid.

Keep personal information off the pages. No mention of family, kids, etc. Now if you
are an Olympic medalist, then OK. It will give us something to talk about. But your
resume is about your ability to professionally perform a job not about how many dogs
and cats you have and what your golf handicap is.

Again the obvious, but make sure you include a mobile phone number and a
tasteful personal email address. I cringe when I have to email a candidate at
[email protected] or [email protected]. Please. And skip aol.com
accounts. Oftentimes, documents don’t translate well. They just aren’t as reliable. Get
yourself a free personal Gmail account. And DO NOT EVER use your office email when
looking for a job. Remember your employer owns that email and its content. A simple
email like [email protected] will suffice.

When saving your resume electronically, save it with a simple name using your
last name, then your first name and the word “resume”. For example: Pangburn,
Wendy resume 2013. I get hundreds of resumes a week. If I am searching for your
resume in my database, make it easy for me (and my computer) to find you. My
computer may never find: resumeTRGdocument.
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
And on a final note, I challenge you to use some creative adjectives and verbs.
Give me something to smile about. I love words like founded, orchestrated, envisioned,
and dreamed. Use a good old thesaurus.
Here’s a sample “solid” resume for your reference for a CEO candidate:
http://www.asaecenter.org/files/FileDownloads/ASAEServices/Sample_Resume_PPLLC.pdf
Resumes are a work in motion. Constantly keep your resume current. Constantly tweak it and
improve it. When you get that last minute call or get wind of a fantastic opportunity, you want to
be ready to go with your “solid” resume!
Happy hunting!
Wendy Pangburn is president of Pangburn Partners LLC, a
consulting firm dedicated to executive advice and counsel to a
varied client base of nonprofit and travel/hospitality organizations.
The firm specializes in strategic operations, executive recruiting,
continuing education, special event production, travel
programming, and tourism promotion.
Wendy has over three decades of professional experience in
nonprofit executive recruiting, association management,
fundraising, and event production. Prior to becoming an executive
recruiter, Wendy served for over a decade as executive director of
the Chief Executives Organization, Inc. (CEO), an international
association of over 2,000 chief executive officers and former leaders of the Young Presidents’
Organization (YPO). [email protected]
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