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Resume Writing Tips – My Top 10

Here are 10 practical tips for anyone writing their own resume. I use these exact same tips every time I write a resume for a client.

Even if you are having someone else write your resume or CV for you, you should use these points to verify what you get back from that service.

If your final resume doesn’t meet all of the criteria listed below, you should revise it until it does. Remember, this is one of the most important documents you will ever write. Accordingly, it is definitely worth taking the time and trouble to get it right.

Top 10 Resume Writing Tips

  1. Keep it focused and businesslike.
    A resume should be specific and all business. Don’t try to be too smart or cute. After all, you are asking an employer to invest significant time and money by choosing you over many other similarly qualified people. Employers want to know whether you are appropriately qualified and experienced, and if you have the ability to “deliver the goods.” Save the fact that you are “cool” for all of your new colleagues after you get the job.
  2. More than two pages is too much.
    For students, recent graduates, or people with just a few years of experience, try to keep your resume to one page, two as an absolute maximum. Even a resume for someone with 20 years or more of extensive working experience, should not exceed three pages. In some cases, one or two “optional” pages can be referred to as “available upon request.” These would be such optional annexes as a list of references or an inventory of recent projects and/or publications.
  3. Get the words and punctuation right.
    Make sure the grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your resume, are perfect. Any obvious mistakes will hurt your credibility. Also, be sure to keep the language clear and simple. If you draft it yourself, have someone with excellent writing skills do an editorial review and a careful proofread of it as well. If a professional prepares it for you, such reviews are the responsibility of the resume preparation firm. Use an accepted English language “style guide” if you want to be sure of the finer points of word usage, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, etc.
  4. Read between the lines.
    Customize the resume to match the stated requirements of the job that you are applying for, without being misleading. Review and analyze the job advertisement carefully. Look for, and itemize the key qualifications, skills and abilities the employer is seeking. Then identify certain key words that are usually repeated in such ads. Make sure that the wording and sequence of points in your resume reflect and address these “corporate terminologies” and “code words” as much as possible. When possible, study the company’s annual report and Web site, and weave the themes and terms found there into your resume and cover letter as much as you can.
  5. Make sure it looks good.
    Use a crisp, clean, simple presentation format for a professional looking resume. Just a bit of simple line work and/or shading, done with standard word processing software will do the trick. If you don’t have the aptitude for this, there is most likely someone among your friends or in your office, who can help you achieve a professional presentation. If not, seek professional advice. It won’t cost much for a good simple layout, but it will make a world of difference to the product.
  6. Show what can you do today.
    Focus first and foremost, on your recent experience that is most relevant to the position at hand. Less relevant and/or dated experience should be either eliminated or summarized in brief point form near the end of your resume. When reviewing your resume information, a prospective employer wants to know what you are doing now, what you have done recently, and how that relates to the job requirements of the post they are trying to fill.
  7. Be a straight-shooter.
    Be completely honest. When people lie or “creatively exaggerate” on their resume, they are almost invariably exposed, sooner or later. Think about it – who really wants to get a job based on a lie(s) and then have to live in fear of eventually being found out? We often read in the newspaper about high-profile folks who get caught in a resume falsehood or exaggeration, and it isn’t very pretty. Their stock in the public eye and on the job market suddenly plunges, and no one will ever completely trust them again.
  8. Follow the instructions.
    Submit your resume in exactly the form that the prospective employer requests. If they say e-mail or fax is okay, do it that way. However, if they ask for it by regular mail, send it the way they ask. They must have reasons for requesting it in such a form and they are geared up to process it that way. If your resume is to be sent by snail mail, use the complete address that they specify, or it could go to the wrong office, especially in a large organization.
  9. Don’t get lost in the mail.
    Be careful to respect certain conventions that the prospective employer may require in your resume. For example, make sure that the cover letter mentions the exact name of the specific position you are applying for, and the competition number, if applicable. Sometimes an employer will request that the job title and/or number be printed on the outside of the envelope. You would not want to miss out on a job because you didn’t follow minor administrative requirements.
  10. Don’t repeat yourself.
    In the cover letter, don’t repeat what is already detailed in the body of the attached resume. It is a “cover” letter. It should be short and to the point . Introduce yourself first, and then briefly summarize why you believe that you have the qualifications and experience to fulfill the duties of the position better than anyone else. Express enthusiasm about the job and the company. Close, by stating how you are looking forward to hearing more from them soon, and that you will follow-up if necessary.

The foregoing resume writing tips are general enough in nature to apply to just about any resume submission situation. As I mentioned above, this list can be used as a “checklist” both during the preparation phase, and when reviewing the resume just before submission.

Reference Letters – Writing Strategies

In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don’ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply to most situations related to the writing of letters of reference specifically. These are usually more “situational” than “how to” in nature.

These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That’s because they almost always affect the reputation and future of another person.

The following is an adapted excerpt from my best selling ebook/book:
Instant Recommendation Letter Kit.

THE STRATEGIES

The following strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of reference in their various forms (i.e. reference letters, recommendation letters, commendation letters, performance evaluation letters).

1. Write It Only If You Want To
If you are asked by someone to write a reference or recommendation letter about them, you don’t have to say “yes” automatically. If it’s someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying “yes” and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don’t get sucked into writing a reference inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

2. If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front
On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a reference letter for them, and you know you’ll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say “no” right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be “yes”.

A gentle but firm “no” will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don’t think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

3. Suggest Someone Else
If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting reference letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn’t like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

4. Write It As You See It
Writing a less than honest reference letter does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

5. Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing reference letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don’t over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

6. Balanced Is Best
An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of reference. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody’s perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

BOTTOM LINE

The most important point to take from the above is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a reference or recommendation letter.

It’s an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about which it is being written, so don’t agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

Proposal Writing Tips

Over the years I have written dozens of business and project proposals. I have also been involved in a number of grant proposal submissions. In addition, in a number of my jobs I was directly involved in proposal evaluation as a member of Proposal Evaluation Committees.

As a result of those experiences, I have been intimately involved in the proposal submission and evaluation process from both sides of the fence.

Although each proposal is different in terms of situation, approach, and specific content, there are a few basic rules of thumb that apply to almost all proposal writing situations.

7 Tips For Writing Successful Proposals

  1. Address the Terms of Reference
    Almost all proposal submissions, no matter what the subject, are in response to some sort of Request For Proposal (RFP). An RFP is the document that specifies the specific expectations of the organization soliciting the proposal (i.e. Client). Make sure that your proposal addresses all specific points requested in the RFP document.
  2. Structure Your Proposal After the RFP
    In addition to the previous point about making sure that you cover all requirements specified in the RFP, it is a good idea to organize your proposal in exact lock-step with the RFP. In other words, respond to the RFP points in the exact order that is laid out in the RFP. Do not try to impose your own thinking and/or structure on the client. Your proposal will be evaluated based on the RFP specifications, so it’s best to follow those exact criteria.
  3. Understand the Project
    Make sure that you study the RFP carefully and demonstrate clearly and simply in the Introduction to your proposal that you have a clear understanding of the exact scope and nature of the project at hand. I have been involved in the evaluation of many consultant proposals where it was unclear to evaluators as to whether the bidder truly understood the full extent of the work outlined in the RFP. Missing this is a fatal error that will almost always eliminate your proposal from serious consideration from the outset.
  4. Use the RFP As A Checklist
    Both during the proposal development process, as well as after the draft proposal is complete, go through the RFP point-by-point, against the proposal, to ensure that you have addressed each and every point mentioned in the request document. Failure to address any point in the RFP will penalize your proposal when it is being evaluated.
  5. Check Your Summary
    If your proposal submission includes an Executive Summary make sure it is a true summary. Depending on the complexity of the actual proposal, the Executive Summary should be a one to three page presentation of the highlights of the proposal from an overview perspective. The Executive Summary should not repeat any parts of the proposal, it should summarize it and present an overall bottom line conclusion(s).
  6. Follow the Instructions
    Almost all RFP documents contain specific instructions about how the proposal should be submitted. For example, it may specify that the Cost/Fee Section be submitted separately from the main proposal. Or, it may request a specific type of Executive Summary. Many RFPs have detailed instructions as to how many copies to submit, where to submit them, etc. The important point here is to be sure that you carefully follow the submission instructions provided.
  7. Do A Final Edit
    In my experience evaluating proposals over the years, how well a proposal is written in terms of correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is an important factor. Even if the proposal is good technically, if it is poorly written and/or riddled with spelling and grammar errors, it will definitely be penalized. Such a proposal indicates sloppiness and a lack of professionalism. If you really want your proposal to have the best chance to be accepted, make sure you have it professionally edited.

As I stated above, there are many different types of proposals for a variety of situations. Nevertheless, if you follow all of the above guidelines your proposal will have a much better chance of being accepted.

For more on the different proposal types click here.

If you need help with a proposal, I have found a company that produces high quality proposal templates and software for almost any type of proposal. It’s called ProposalKit.com. You can check it out right here:
Proposal Writing Kits

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