Mastering the Resume

Quick. List all the “resume writing rules” you’ve learned over the years.

Keep it on one page. It can be two pages. Keep the descriptions short. Be specific and detailed when you explain what you did. Include your college education. Don’t include your college education.

Ack!

It’s enough to make any otherwise sane freelancer or job applicant go off the deep end. How can there be so many contradictory rules? And what the heck are you actually supposed to do?

I scoured the Internet looking for resume writing advice. And the conclusion? There are no hard-and-fast rules guaranteed to bring you success. That being said, these pointers can help:

Remember the basics. Make sure your full name and contact information is easy to spot. With each resume entry, include the employer name, your position, and the dates you held the job.

Know what to skip. Don’t bother listing references or complete addresses for employers on your resume. That takes up too much space. Just state that references are available upon request.

You don’t need to state an objective on your resume either. Particularly if you’re including a cover letter or letter of introduction, there’s no need to mess with explaining what you’re after on your resume. Instead, use that space to include more about your experience and qualifications.

Focus on experience before education. For freelancers, experience trumps education any day. So if you keep your education on your resume, move it to the bottom and keep it brief. On-the-job experience will set you apart, not the fact that you were awarded a presidential scholarship.

Be specific. Spend some time on the details. Rather than simply saying you wrote articles for a certain publication, state how many articles you wrote. Were they features? Front of book pieces? Essays? What were they about? The more detail, the better.

Show some personality. When I was an undergrad at Drake University, Glamour deputy editor Wendy Naugle critiqued my resume. Her advice: “Are you fun and trendy? That should show in your resume or cover letter. Ditto if you are a serious literary type. I believe there is no right or wrong here … Showing your personality will help me know how we might fit together as a team, and it may help me remember you.”

Be honest. Whatever you do, don’t stretch the truth about your job title, the dates you were employed, or what you did in a given position. Talk up your strengths, but don’t exaggerate. It will only come back to bite you in the butt.

Use strong language. You don’t have much room to work with, but your resume is another opportunity to showcase your mad writing skills. Avoid passive sentences and bland verbs. Use active (albeit accurate) wording wherever possible.

Watch the length. Be concise and get to the point. Your resume might not get tossed into the recycling bin if it goes onto two pages, but unless you’ve been in the workforce for decades, stick to one. I keep mine short by editing out experience that doesn’t seem relevant for what I’m applying for. And if I’m really tight on space, I’ll cut older entries, even if they may be related to what I'm applying for (sorry, Drake Magazine, sometimes you just don’t fit).

Think formatting. When I was an editor for a custom publishing company, I absolutely hated receiving resumes from freelance writers that were obviously cobbled together and sent hastily—spacing was inconsistent, typefaces switched halfway through the page without reason, some text was abnormally large. Take the time to check the formatting of your resume. Fix bad breaks, messy spacing, text inconsistencies.

Your resume doesn’t have to win design awards. Mine is simple and straightforward—no color, no images, just text. I’m a writer, not a designer, so I focus on getting all of my words on the resume in a way that’s attractive, accessible, and easy to read. It’s functional and that’s what matters.

That being said, if you’re a designer too, your resume is another way to sell your skills. So show off what you can do, without going over the top.

Proofread. This is a no-brainer last step. Double-check dates you listed (mistakes there can raise flags). Check spelling—at least twice. Read through the whole resume looking for mistakes—at least twice. Have someone else read it for you too if possible. Fresh eyes always help.

Learn More:
Dear PEP: How Long Should a Resume Be?
Review Your Resume – Avoid Bloopers
Resume Basics for Freelancers
How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume
A Freelance Writer’s Resume