Resume Workshop - Decrease to Increase

For this blog workshop, I am going to continue the topic started last week on "how many pages?" Remember that the goal is only two pages, or even one page, if possible (and a requirement if you are in the early stages of your career). The focus of this workshop is the volume of the descriptions or content you write about each position you have held.

How many positions are detailed?

If you have worked for 15 or more years, it isn't necessary to have every detail spelled out for every job you've held. Many factors unique to you will influence exactly what you should spell out on your resume, but a general guideline I use for most of my candidates is to provide narrative or content for only the last 8 to 10 years of positions. After that, simply list the employer, title and dates held for each position - no bullets or narrative necessary.

This is especially true if you have worked for an employer for a long time - we could use 6+ years as an example - and your resume is mostly compiled of details of job duties within the same company. It is important to show the career progression and promotions you have achieved. It is not important to add duties or bullets to each and every one of those roles. A simple line with the title and years you held that position, such as "Mechanical Engineer, 1994-1997" or "Materials Manager, 1992-1996" will suffice. Certainly clear cut titles make this easier - people involved in the hiring process know what most Engineering, Production or Supply Chain roles are in most manufacturing companies, so save the space on your resume, and spare them the time to read what they already know.

So, you are decreasing the "known" or older employment verbiage to increase space for verbiage on the more current and relevant.

A word of caution here. Too much verbiage anywhere isn't a good thing either - so don't go overboard with the details of your current position. Eliminating descriptions from older jobs can help you keep to a two page resume, while allowing enough space to add what is unique, important or significant for accomplishments in your current role.

The other rule of thumb I would advise is that you need content for at least your last three positions held, starting with your current position. This, again, will differ depending on your circumstances and personal career track. If you've changed employers with each of those last three jobs, you may need to detail four jobs. Or, if you have had the same job at the same employer for eight or more years, maybe detailing the last two jobs is applicable for you.

An easier way to determine this is that most hiring managers and recruiters are going to be the most interested in your last 10 years of experience, with greater focus on the last 6 to 8 years. If your jobs 8+ years ago were classic roles - like "Manufacturing Engineer" or "Purchasing Manager" - that do not need descriptions, by listing your employer name, location, title and dates, you will satisfy the reader of your resume with the rest of your employment history.

One catch may be if you are applying for a position that requires experience you obtained more than 10 years ago. If that is your scenario, you'll have to find a way to include that detail. (Good luck, since most hiring managers are going to want the experience more recent. But it is possible, depending on how significant that previous experience is in the big picture!)

And, one last tip. The number of bullets or amount of verbiage for each of your positions doesn't have to be "even". Have the majority of bullets for your most recent position, and then keep scaling back with your previous positions.

It may be that a hiring manager or recruiter will ask for that earlier career detail, or that you may need to provide a complete chronological resume at some point in your interview process, so keep that detail on hand. However, your current resume must emphasize more of who you are today and your more recent accomplishments.

In future workshops, I'll address use of keywords, bullets and more. If you have a question, comment, or specific area of resume creation you would like to see addressed, please comment to this post, or email me directly.