Whether satisfied in your role or ready to make a move—the manufacturing industry like countless others may present opportunities and is not immune to unexpected career obstacles.
If you’re a new hire, mid-level manager or a senior executive with a corner office—it is wise to hope for the best but plan for the worst with a resume at the ready.
Just as technology and your career continue to evolve, your resume must as well – which means it is critical for it to be current not just in facts but in format.
Brochure v. Blueprint
Your resume is an essential piece of marketing collateral to present to a prospective employer and your network when engaged in a job search.
It should NOT list every single detail about every single responsibility you have held in each role. In other words, it should serve as your brochure, not your blueprint.
RIP Leisurely, Print Reading
People read resumes differently than they used to. In fact, a 2014 Ladders study showed gatekeepers spend just six seconds on that initial skim read, and the majority of readers will view it on a computer, laptop or even mobile phone.
Print reads are not likely (if at all!) until later in the interview process.
Bottom line? Your resume has just seconds to impress, and must be written to appeal to screen and not print reading with these four components:
- Career Title: A resume career title tells the reader the kinds of roles you seek or your industry expertise. Customize accordingly to show the reader you are an ideal fit for a particular type of role.
- Branding Paragraph: Skip the circa 20th century objective statement and the generic summary paragraph. Replace it with phrasing that weaves in details about your strengths as they relate to the job you are targeting as well as language aligned with the must-haves outlined in the job description.
- Bullets – Not Blocks: Screen reading is tough on the eye – and readers can’t easily digest huge chunks of text. Replace 3+ line paragraphs with bullets no longer than two lines that highlight your achievements.
- Front-Loaded Achievements: Make sure the most impactful part of each achievement is positioned at the front of the sentence – so it is the first thing the reader sees.
“Saved factory $ 15M via process automation” v. “Introduced process automation that saved factory $ 15M.”
Up-to-Date NOT Out-of-Date
A resume whose format is dated may signal that you are lack the desire to remain current. These four quick fixes can help:
- Pick One Contact Number No need to include home, office and cell. Pick one and stick with it – and make sure it is your voice the caller hears on voicemail.
- Drop the Retro Email Emails with an AOL extension are a surefire way to let the reader know your technology aptitude has not evolved. Consider switching to a web-based email client like Gmail.
- References While polite, “references available upon request” is passé and may violate company’s privacy laws.
- Make Yourself Timeless No one needs to know if you are 33 or 73. Achieve this by synopsizing and removing dates from experience more than 15 years old.
New Times Call for New Measures
Just like fashion and technology, resume reading and writing continues to change with the times.
Make your resume convoluted and wordy and you risk the chance that details about your career you know to be important will not get read.
Maintain a competitive advantage by keeping your resume current in a way that captures the attention of today’s skim, online readers.
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