This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes: I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead. What is your professional opinion on this?
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues. Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general resume rules:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font), and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has resume quizzes and an article on creating Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes: I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead. What is your professional opinion on this?
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues. Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general rules for “print” resumes — those you use for networking, interviews, and the rare occasions when you still send a resume and cover letter via postal mail:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font), and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has resume quizzes and an article on creating Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume has spelling errors, typos and grammatical flaws.
Hiring decision-makers cited this peeve more than any other. It may surprise some that misspellings and typos pervade even executive-level resumes, but they do. A job-seeker-submitted sample considered for the executive resume book, for example, contained the common error of spelling “manager” as “manger.” You’ll note that this misspelling won’t be picked up by spell-check functions because “manger” is a correctly spelled word. So is “posses,” the plural of posse, which I often see on resumes when the job-seeker intends “possess.”
“I once received a resume where the applicant misspelled the name of the University from which he received his MBA,” said Jeff Weaver, regional manager for a global information services company.
“Poor spelling and grammar … is particularly worrying,” said Pete Follows, senior consultant, for SaccoMann, Leeds, UK. “If a candidate is not giving due care and attention to a document to improve their own personal circumstances, what care would they take with documents with less personal significance?”
A few tips on avoiding typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors:
- Use spell-check functions but remember that they aren’t enough.
- Proofread. Then put the resume down overnight and proof it again in the morning with fresh eyes.
- Try proofing from the bottom up. Reading your resume in a different order will enable you to catch errors that you may have glossed over before because your brain was accustomed to reading your verbiage in the expected order.
- Ask a friend or family member to proof, preferably one who is a meticulous speller and grammarian.
- Be careful about company and software names, which are frequently misspelled and can damage your credibility.
- Consider hiring a professional resume writer.
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves
1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and
executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
Typos, misspellings, and incorrect grammar/punctuation can be fatal in a cover letter (resume, too). Your letter reflects your ability to write and communicate. Be sure your document is letter-perfect before sending it out. Proofread your letter. Put it down and proof it again a few hours later with a fresh eye. Then enlist a friend to review it for errors. For an overall refresher on cover letters, see our Cover Letter Tutorial.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
What’s the best way to make sure your cover letter is well-written and on target? If your time frame will allow it, put your cover letter down, and then pick it up a day or two later as though you were the prospective employer. Does it grab and hold your attention? Is it concise? Is it free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors? Is it interesting? If you were the employer, would you know what this job-seeker wants to do and why he or she is the best person to do it? Would you invite this job-seeker for an interview?
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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