X204 Project

Resumes are the first step into finding a job. A resume helps employers see where you have been, what you have done and where you want to go. This one document can help so much, but you have to know how to sell yourself appropriately. You need to know how many resumes to give to a potential employer. You need to know what to include in a resume, and you definitely need to know what not to include.

How many resumes are enough for the job search? In high school, I was taught to write one resume and include all my education and experience on that one resume. Before sending to a potential employer, I should just change the objective of my resume. When researching the topic of how many resumes a person should have, I came across this fact: the number of resumes depends on the person and what career goal(s) that person has set for him/herself.

If only one career goal is set, then only one resume is needed. There is no set amount of resumes an employer looks for. However, two websites say a person should have at most three. It all depends on the person’s specific goals. As long as the resumes are clear and concise. The resume is usually one of the first items that a potential employer sees regarding the job seeker. These are used to screen all the applicants. Therefore, make sure your resume is perfect.

7 Deadly Sins of Writing a Resume:

• Fancy resume paper
• Avoid using fancy, extravagant paper. www.lifeclever.com states “Avoid these like dog poop on a New York summer sidewalk. They’re too expensive and don’t make you look extra special.” (Rith, 2006)
• Times New Roman font
• Because this is the default print for Microsoft Word, it is the default print for most resumes. www.lifeclever.com states “Times’s letter spacing and word spacing is wretched in Word. The result is an unharmonious mess.” (Rith, 2006)
• Teeny tiny font size
  • Teeny tiny fonts are supposedly elegant, refined and allow for more white space on the resume. www.lifeclever.com states “For all that elegance, no one can read it, because most people in hiring positions won’t have fresh baby eyes with 20/20 vision.” (Rith, 2006)
• Grey text
  • If the color of font is too light, it becomes impossible to read and/or fax.
• Excessive decoration
  • For resumes, some people may want to add a picture, border or decoration. www.lifeclever.com states “This is great if you want to look like a box of crayons melted on your resume. Otherwise, don’t try to be cute.” (Rith, 2006)
• Weird paper size
  • In the United States, the standard paper size is 8.5”x 11”. Any other paper size fits awkwardly or not at all into a binder or file. www.lifeclever.com states “When it doesn’t fit, it gets thrown out.” (Rith, 2006)
• Horizontal format
  • www.lifeclever.com states “In an attempt to stand out, some designers format their résumés in a landscape format. This is more annoying than innovative.” (Rith, 2006)

Employers don’t care about seeing a pretty piece of paper with flowers all over it. They want a resume to be clear and organized. When looking at a resume, they want to be able to find your educational background and experiences without having to search through pictures and decorations. Separate resumes according to career goals and have the information in the resume easy to find. A resume should be professional. I mean, after all, you are sending a resume to hopefully get a job. Good luck and be professional!!!

by Kathryn Persinger, Business major- IUPUC

Works Cited: 

Resume. (2011, October 11). Retrieved October 30, 2011, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9

Rith, C. (2006, September 26). The 7 Deadly Sins of Resume Design. Retrieved October 30, 2011, from Life Clever: http://www.lifeclever.com/the-7-deadly-sins-of-resume-design/