Resume tips from a hiring manager

We are hiring several people into our marketing department. I received a large pile of resumes (50+) from the postings on Monster for an Internet Marketing Specialist. Having been laid off last year, I realize that each resume represents a person who may also be laid off and is looking for that next great opportunity. I have a lot of empathy for their situation and I want to give them the same respect I hoped for when applying online.

Wow, do people need help! Marketing experts applying for marketing jobs are failing miserably at effectively marketing themselves. So from the perspective of a hiring manager, here are a few resume tips:

How do you stand out? If you apply online through a service like Monster, your resume will be one of potentially hundreds of resumes received. The photo on this post shows the actual pile of resumes I received from one posting.

How do you scan? I’m looking for candidates with very specific skill sets. The first thing I did was scan the cover letters and resumes looking for candidates with my specific skill sets. Those key words were clearly identified in the job descriptions. Most resumes don’t have those skills or failed to use the obvious key words.

Does your resume deliver the job description? I repeat, I am looking for candidates with very specific skill sets. These were clearly identified in the job description.

• Just like you customize your marketing messages to your target audience, you should customize your resume for the position to which you are applying. I’m not saying you need to completely redo your resume. Simply highlight your skills that relate directly to the job description; use the same key words; some postings are scanned by a computer before they make it to a live human being.


• Rather than apply to 50 online jobs with a generic resume, apply for the 10 that are a good fit and take the time to customize your resume for each one. Why would a lawyer with 20 years of legal experience apply for an Internet marketing job where we only ask for 5-7 years experience. Don't waste your time.

Is your resume easy to read? Start with a brief summary not a giant paragraph. Think about how hard it is to read full paragraphs that stretch the full width of the paper (and don’t forget it’s being read with 50 others!). The reader gets fatigue if it’s too difficult to go from line to line.

• The font you choose isn’t going to make you stand out—the content of your resume will. Don’t use the funky or artsy fonts and please don’t go all caps on the entire resume.


• Spacing, indenting, bold, italics, underline and all caps: all helpful if used properly and consistently. E.g. company name: bold, underline all caps; title: bold; job description: italics.


• Typos? Blank, floating bullets? Really?

What's in it for me (the hiring manager)? Don’t just give me a laundry list of the tasks you did; what was the result?

• Be careful with generic phrases like “managed marketing projects.” What does that really tell the reader? What kind of projects? What were the results? How did it benefit the organization?

I want you to put your best foot forward. You might be the perfect candidate for this job but your resume doesn’t tell me that. Good luck.