I continue to be amazed at the approach some professionals take to creating a resume. I know that in the business of creative, people try to be just that . . . creative, or clever. They try to stand out by doing something "different". There are also those that just don't understand (or don't care to, in favor of a portfolio) how very important a resume continues to be. I received three examples of these in the last week, and was compelled to write about it once again.
The first example was a Group Account Director out of New York. He had a resume that contained some of the biggest agencies in the industry. He seems to have succeeded at many of those companies, although it was difficult to know for sure because he didn't include any accomplishments on his resume.
He decided to choose the "clever" route by scanning each of the business cards in his career and creating a document with each of these cards, and the clients at that particular agency (that we're guessing he worked with). There are several problems with this approach. I've already mentioned the lack of accomplishments, additionally there was no way to parse any of the information into a database, because of the (scanned) files used to create the document.
Like it or not, the reality is that every recruiter and Employer now has some sort of database, we call it an "Applicant Tracking System", that is used to file resumes for easy retrieval later by keywords or titles. It is incumbent on an applicant to provide their information in a format that is easy to include in those databases. All can deal with Word.docs effectively, and most can handle pdfs. If you create a resume that cannot be "parsed" into a database, you won't get into that database. It's just too time consuming to import all the information manually. This Group Account Director never made it into our database.
Another "clever" approach was delivered to us by a Creative Director, Writer who is also living on the East Coast. His approach was to use (what I can only call) "funky" spacing throughout his resume. My first reaction was that this guy must be in the typo hall of fame! I was so amazed that a writer could make so many "mistakes" that I finally realized that he was trying to be clever . . . it didn't work. Not only did it seem silly, there was no point or value gained. The worst part was that this resume could also not be parsed into the database. He had inappropriate spacing in his name, so the database couldn't handle it. Same issue with some of his employers and titles of previous positions. He didn't make it in either.
One other example is from another Creative Director, Writer from Chicago. This resume wasn't so much clever as ineffective. He had his name and title. Then he proceeded to list all the agencies he'd worked for (again, impressive names in the industry), but there were no dates of employment included. There were no achievements, whatever. Incredibly, there was no contact information! No phone, email, website . . . nada! The only way I was able to respond to him was because he had emailed this document to me! There's more . . .
I've said what wasn't included in this resume. After the information he did provide, his name, title and companies he'd worked for (about 1/4 page worth of info.) he proceeded to provide two and one half pages of clients he'd worked for, and what he did for them (e.g. print ads, collateral, TV and Radio, etc.). There was no discussion about client results, no link to a portfolio, or even mention that one was available! This is not an effective approach.
I realize that few are experts in resume writing. It's one of those documents we all hope we never have to actually create. My advice is to have one written, and update it periodically as needed. It is essential to quantify achievements, not list responsibilities. Basics like your contact information, employers, time of employment and title are obvious (one would think) essential elements. I have an article on my website called "Prove Value", that has proved helpful to many. If you'd like sample resume formats, just send me an email, and I'd be happy to supply them.
I also offer a resume and/or portfolio consulting service, the information for which is also available on my website. Just click here and then let me know if I can be of any service.