MCCC DMA 250

In class on Tuesday, together we defined the necessary content and some suggestions for formatting our resumes. We reviewed some resumes and noted how they organized their content, what formatting was applied to the text to assist in readability, how color and layout was used to create a unique, memorable design. These resumes were all designed by media artists - so we also payed particular attention to the way they treated their brand identity, since this is something we are very interested in.

Here are the important take away points from this lesson:

1. order your content categories from your most impressive to your least - Put your best foot forward here! its perfectly okay to list your skills and education first. Once you have 5 or so years of relevant work experience, then consider pushing that section to the top.
2. enumerate the content within a category in reverse chronological order - this means to list your most recent experience first and the go back in time to your last.
3. use consistent formatting - it helps in making your resume readable to format your sections the same. Once you decide on a format - use it consistently for representing your work experience and educational information. This creates a very simple, easy to follow format. If you change the way you organize this content, the reader will have to work to figure out how to read your resume and may decide not to! You want to make this experience as simple as possible.
4. when describing your work experience, think achievements! NOT responsibilities - when a potential employer is reviewing your work experience, they DO NOT care about what you did for your old company - they care about what you'll bring to THEIR company. Make it easy for them to imagine you part of their team. Talk in high energy phrases emphasizing your achievements and successes - not your responsibilities. Highlight specific software used to complete tasks to reinforce your knowledge base!
5. never lie - this should be a no-brainer but often times, its not. If you want to say you have "some familiarity" with a program, hardware or skill - say just that! It will show that you are versed in many aspects of media and are willing to learn new things! Saying you're an expert at something that your not is just going to waste everyone's time. All that energy you're spending trying to get a job your not qualified for could be spent trying to get one you ARE qualified for!
6. separate "relevant" work experience from just general work experience - its important to put both of these on your resume if you do not have several years of relevant experience because it shows that you are employable and have maintained consecutive work experience. However, sometimes your relevant experience isn't the most recent. If you were to follow rule#2, your relevant experience could get buried in the list. By creating a separate section for this content, you focus your readers attention to these specific jobs but still include all your other experiences as well.
7. use sentence fragments! - you want to deliver your content as quickly and concisely as possible. Using fragments will condense your content and also focus more energy into the actions you are describing. Example: "One of my responsibilities was to design direct mail promotions for bimonthly mailings to residences in the Northeast." verses "Increased sales by 25% throughout the Northeast by designing a bimonthly direct mail campaign." Focus your energy on ACTION and ACHIEVEMENT not you, your company and your responsibilities, which leads directly to the next point...
8. DO NOT use the first person! I, me, my, nada! Again, the reader will know that you are the doer of the actions described. Don't waste precious page real estate on these guys! Save space for some snazzy adverbial phrases!
9. inform about your employers - your readers may not be familiar with the organizations with whom you have worked, so let them know! Example: "Design six award winning interactive experiences as Lead Digital Artist for the nation's premier social new media company."
10. this is not a vocabulary test, leave your four syllable words at the door - you want your resume to be readable. If you aren't 125% comfortable with using in a sentence and that your reader will know what the HELL that even means, don't even try. Big words will just slow you down. You want to make your point and make it quickly. Please note this isn't a free pass to use words like poop, duh, or whatever in your resume. You still want to sound professional - but not arrogantly conceited. Don't hide behind your big words - let your work do the talking for you!