Langevin Blog

Earlier this year I was asked to participate in a 1-day career fair for a non-profit organization here in Los Angeles. Since developing an effective resume is one of the first steps in any job search campaign, my assigned role was to meet one-on-one with job seekers and offer tips and guidelines for sprucing up their resume. Keep in mind, the unemployment rate in LA County is one of the highest (if not the highest) in the country at 12.3% (as of May, 2010).

I was a bit nervous about my upcoming debut as ‘resident resume expert,’ so I decided to do a bit of research around effective resume writing. I quickly realized that there were a lot of similarities between writing a resume and writing procedures or creating a task analysis as part of an ISD process. Phew – huge sigh of relief! At least that much was familiar to me, as I am a former course designer and currently teach design principles and procedural writing at Langevin.

This past May, U.S. employers laid off 135,789 workers at a time when the number of unemployed who had been jobless for 27 weeks or longer was the highest on record (as of the end of 2009). As such, I thought it timely to share some of the more critical resume writing tips I shared with my job-seekers. And, whether you realize it or not, you may be a ‘natural’ at writing resumes, especially if you’ve written procedures, steps or a task analysis as part of any training program design. So read on, dear colleagues…

FORMAT

Just like a task analysis has a standard format (sub-tasks in the left-hand column, “how-to” steps on the right), so should a resume. Your resume format should attract attention, create interest and be consistent throughout the document. The most commonly used format for organizing resume information is the Chronological format. This format details each job and educational accomplishment in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent experiences first.

OBJECTIVE STATEMENT

All good training programs have clear objectives. In fact, Langevin teaches objective writing as part of our 3-day Instructional Design for New Designers workshop. An effective resume should contain a clear, concise objective statement (usually placed at the top of the page). Objective statements are best when they’re brief and to the point—one or two lines, maximum. Overused phrases such as “challenging position,” “growing industry,” “opportunity for advancement,” etc. should be avoided. Also, like training objectives, an objective statement on a resume should be free of personal pronouns.

CREATE ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS

Langevin defines training as having the knowledge and skill needed to perform your current job. When writing a resume, replace typical job description statements with job accomplishment statements – that is, demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skill to work effectively and produce results. Isn’t that what training is all about—producing results? To help determine your accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I see a problem, opportunity, or challenge for which I took the initiative to create a solution?
• Did I develop something?
• Did I participate actively in a major decision related to organizational changes?
• Did I implement or participate in a sales/profit-generating or cost-saving recommendation?

Here are some examples of accomplishment statements:

• Created a new procedure for handling customer complaints. Company earned Customer Service Award.
• Developed a job aid to be used by all new interns. Decreased ILT time by 10%.
• Met 100% of assigned training program design deadlines.

BE ACTIVE

Finally, use action verbs! When we list tasks as part of instructional design, we start with action verbs; the same goes for writing effective resumes. Use a lot of action verbs, like in the accomplishment examples above. In fact, I used Langevin’s List of Common Action Verbs at the career fair. What a huge help!

A couple of other tips before I wrap up: avoid using a three-syllable word when a one- or two-syllable word will do (KISS – keep it short and simple)! And, don’t forget to update your resume often…opportunity favors the prepared.

I’d love to hear your tips and techniques for creating ‘eye-catching’ resumes. Feel free to share!

Melissa

Tags: Influencing, instructional design, tips-for-trainers

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