English 101 for Resumes and Other Tips

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• Absolutely no typos or grammatical errors.
• Write in short, complete sentences (subject, verb, proper tense agreement).
• Use common words and expressions instead of bureaucratic ones.
• Economize on words and expressions, but not to a cryptic extreme.

     Good: I briefed management.
     Bad: I conducted a briefing to key management and their staffs. (10 words.)

• Avoid vague statements.

     Good: I produce two weekly radio shows, one monthly television program, and a bimonthly newsletter to 10,000 employees located in 12 regional offices.
     Bad: I manage various communication processes to field offices.

• Avoid acronyms, unless you spell them out several times in the application or resume.

Format

• Follow the instructions in the announcement carefully; ignoring page limits or other formatting requirements may jeopardize your application.
• Material should be easy to read:
• Use paragraphs or bullets to separate items.
• Use headings and subheadings to indicate categories.
• Use all capital letters or bold to highlight important information.
• Leave some white space; don't type margin to margin.
• Avoid using small size type.
• Don't make reviewers hunt for experience (e.g., ‘see attachments‘). Put all relevant information in the write-up.
• Application and/or resume should be neat and clean.
• Make sure photocopies are legible.
• Don't attach copies of training certificates, awards, or position descriptions.
• Number all pages.
• Don't assume Spell-Check and Grammar-Check will catch all the errors; review every word.

Tone

• Be friendly and professional, not stilted, formal, or chatty.
• Avoid passive verbs; use active verbs with the personal ‘I.‘

     Good: I established a new team structure that eliminated the need for six supervisors (only 13 words;  concise, clear, good use of personal ‘I‘ with an active verb).
     Bad: The establishment of a new team structure was considered one of my best accomplishments in that it reduced the need for six supervisory positions (too long--24 words; stilted, awkward sentence structure, too passive).

References

• Make sure that individuals you reference can attest to your ability to perform the job and can speak to your specific competencies and Qualifications.
• Contact references and tell them about positions for which you have applied.
• Be sure reference information is current (e.g., telephone numbers, addresses).

More Tips

• Avoid statements that describe your personal beliefs, philosophies, or commitment to social or political causes unless they are necessary to describe the results you have achieved.
• Don't reveal information about your political affiliation or activities unless you are using experience as a political appointee to qualify.
• Don't identify your race, sex, national origin, color, religion, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor.

And Finally...

When you're finished, ask three people (preferably dispassionate and knowledgeable individuals) to review your application.