First Aid for Your Résumé

From Marketwatch | Feb 7, 2010 | By ANDREA COOMBES

These
are desperate times for many job seekers. But you can avoid
desperate-looking and time-wasting measures when it comes to putting
together and marketing your résumé.

The first mistake many job seekers make is sending out résumés in
bulk without giving much thought to whether they are a good fit for a
job -- and a job is a good fit for them.

Dave Cutler

Andrea
Kay, a career consultant and author in Cincinnati, says about 15% of
your time should be spent responding to job ads online. You also should
be figuring out where you want to work, and who to contact at that
company.

Make sure your résumé will resonate with potential employers. "You
want [them to see you] as a problem solver who can make them more
money, make their company more efficient," Ms. Kay says.

Some other techniques to keep your résumé focused:

Forget Your Objective. These days, "the
company is really not as interested in what they can do for you as in
what you can do for them," says Rick Saia, a certified professional
résumé writer.

Tap Online Media. If you don't post a résumé or profile online -- LinkedIn or VisualCV -- you risk looking less "with it."

Detail Achievements. Mr. Saia says résumés
should answer: "How did I make money for my employer, how did I save
money for my employer, and how did I make a process more efficient so
that it made things run more smoothly."

Less Is More. An experienced executive often
has a two-page résumé while a recent college graduate's is often one
page -- but go too long and you risk boring your audience.

Customize It. As much as possible, show how your expertise fits what a particular company is seeking.

Avoid Jargon and Clichés. Some phrases to avoid: win-win, pursuant to, drive results, actionable, change agent, maximum value.

Better language: compassionate and committed
professional, trustworthy, entrepreneurial, highly organized, a talent
for building goodwill, diplomatic, a reputation for being resourceful
in handling emergencies and deadlines.

Don't Get Too Familiar. "Employers constantly tell me they get emails from individuals that are way too flip, too informal," Ms. Kay says.

Forget Flourishes. Use just one font type. Paragraphs should be no more than four to six lines. Limit bullet points. Don't overuse boldface.

Write to Andrea Coombes at andrea.coombes@dowjones.com