Preparing Clear, Concise and Precise Resume

An excellent resume should be compared to a woman’s skirt. It should be short enough to attract attention but long enough to cover the essentials. Resumes that are either too short or too long will not do the trick.

You cannot accomplish this if your writing style is sloppy, careless and imprecise. You have to remember that your resume is your only ticket to being scheduled for an interviewed by your prospective employer. If you will not be able to effectively sell yourself, then you will not land a good job.

Writing style, thus, plays an important role in the process of resume-writing. As a job applicant you have to accomplish two difficult tasks. The first is to be able to convey your thoughts clearly and precisely so as to leave no room for doubts or misunderstanding. The second is to reduce all your accomplishments and achievements in a two-page format.

The following example serves to highlight the importance of writing style in resume-writing process. We hope you will learn a lot from this exercise.

Job Applicant A

I am an Information Technology Manager with more than 10 years of experience. I am responsible for the successful implementation of modern information system. I currently have 15 Information Technology staff who assist me in the development, implementation, maintenance and control of information systems. I am responsible for consolidating field IT operations leading to substantial savings.

Job Applicant B

Information Technology Manager with more than 10 years of experience in different phases IT work. Responsible for successful implementation of modern information system and consolidation of field IT operations which resulted to annual savings of 45%. Managed 15 Information Technology staff.

A reading of the writing style of Job Applicant A and Job Applicant B will reveal that Job Applicant B has presented an interesting, brief, concise and superior description of his work experience. Here are the reasons why:

1. Use of pronouns such as I should be omitted. Take note that the Human Resource Manager and employment professionals know that it is your resume. The use of pronoun “I” is redundant.

2. Writing in complete sentences is not necessary. Use of phrases and clauses will suffice if they convey a complete thought.

3. Use Verb in the beginning of the sentence. Notice that Job Applicant B started his last sentence with a verb. Starting your sentence with a verb helps make your resume more concise and precise.

4. Combine and consolidate the sentences in a single statement. Notice that Job Applicant B combined “successful implementation of modern information system” and “consolidation of field IT operations.” While Job Applicant A used these in two separate statements, Job Applicant B consolidated and combined them into a single statement.

5. Feel free to use quantitative descriptions. Notice that Job Applicant A failed to disclose how much savings he helped generate. Job Applicant B, on the other hand, specified the scope of his accomplishments by indicating that his system resulted to an “annual savings of 45%.”

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