Resume Dos and Don'ts

In this episode, we share some simple tips and trends related to writing your resume!

Pinto Employment Search LLC - Logistics & Supply Chain Recruiters
Chris & Nancy Pinto, Owners
Website:  https://www.pintoemployment.com/

Chris Pinto:
Phone: 908-578-5814
Email:  chris.pinto@pintoemployment.com
www.linkedin.com/in/chrispintoemployment

Nancy Pinto
Phone: 201-988-2293
Email:  nancy@pintoemployment.com
www.linkedin.com/in/nancypinto

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Chris Pinto
https://www.chrispinto.com/
IG: @chrispeterpinto
FB: https://www.facebook.com/chris.pinto.940
Twitter: @chrispeterpinto
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinto-employment-search-llc/
Email: chrispintoactor@gmail.com

Music and Sound FX Credits: https://freepd.com/

Transcript

NANCY:   Whether you asked for a job transition or not, searching for a new position can be scary, frustrating and disheartening.  Times and technologies change quickly, and there’s a lot to organize!  But the journey can just as easily be exciting, fruitful and rewarding.  I’m Nancy Pinto. 
CHRIS:  And I’m Chris Pinto.  Together we own Pinto Employment Search, an executive recruiting firm specializing in the supply chain and logistics industry.  Our combined experience in transportation jobs and recruiting is over 50 years!  We’re here to help you navigate the world of resume writing, job applications, interviews, negotiating compensation, and everything in between - to help you land the job you want!  
From time to time, we will also release an episode where we announce current job openings we’re working on.  
NANCY:  Welcome to the Job Search SOS Podcast!  Today we’re going to share some current dos and don’ts on a resume.  Throughout our 17 years in the recruiting business,  we've seen countless resumes,  and spoken with enough human resources managers, to have a pretty good idea of what department heads wanna see.    
CHRIS: Anyone serious about their job search needs to take the time to produce a document they can be proud to share.  Don’t worry if creating a resume doesn’t come naturally to you.  It needn’t be fancy and composed in Shakespearean.   A resume should be about SUBSTANCE over anything else.  
NANCY:  So let’s get into it!  These aren’t in any particular order.  Also, they’re mostly general guidelines and common sense.  A specific job or industry may require something different from what we suggest.  Your resume should be tailored to reflect the position you’re applying for.   
CHRIS:   DON’T plagiarize a generic job description to use in your resume.   It may be accurate, but it doesn’t show any creativity nor does it capture your individual accomplishments.  At worst, it may be perceived as lazy.  Instead, focus on writing unique sentences to describe your role.  For example, instead of “Handle shipments from a through z,” maybe something like “Process an average of 100 import files per week from booking through final delivery of cargo.”  
NANCY:  Don’t embellish skills or experience.  It might backfire.  I’ll give an example.  A candidate I interviewed based on a particular skill was very convincing in his knowledge of the job function.  He’d received training in it, and clearly articulated how to do it.  What he failed to clarify was that he had not actually DONE the task himself.  I hate to admit it, but he got past me and got an interview with the hiring company.  However, he did NOT get past the department manager.  
CHRIS:  Instead, be up front about what you know and don’t know, and express your desire to not only contribute your existing skills, but to continue to learn and grow. 
NANCY:  Don’t use the words “I was recruited to XYZ,” or point out the disaster you walked into.  You wanna sound like the superhero that you are without making your company look bad.  Instead, start each bullet point with a strong action verb.  For example, instead of “I was recruited to reorganize the inefficient accounting department,” say something like “Reorganized accounting department, resulting in a productivity increase of 10% within the first year.” 
CHRIS:  Don’t use the same exact description for every job you had, even if the positions were the same.  There has to be SOMETHING that was different from one company to the other.   To spark creativity and avoid repeating the same words over and over, search online for synonyms.   
NANCY:  If this still feels too repetitive, then you might not want to use a chronological format.  You might want to have one section for all your skills, achievements and tasks from all the jobs combined, and then make a list of employers underneath.  Check out episode 6, Showcasing Experience, for more guidance on formatting.  
CHRIS:   Don’t include salary information, street address of employers, work hours, reasons for leaving, and references.  These can be furnished separately or discussed in an interview.  Never add personal details such as marital status, nationality, date of birth - basically any information protected by law.  
NANCY:  If you’d like to include a photo, make sure it’s a clear, friendly headshot.  It doesn’t have to be taken professionally, but it SHOULD be taken by someone other than yourself.  Use the timer on your cell phone.  No selfies from the car or worst, the bathroom.  And no scowling!  This isn’t a mug shot.  
CHRIS:   Do check your paragraph spacing.  Don’t use margins so narrow, and font so small, that it’s difficult to read, but don’t leave a ton of white space either.  You can’t go wrong with a nice clean font like Calibri, Helvetica, or Verdana in a size 10 to 12.  Make sure the formatting and fonts are consistent throughout the entire document.  Also take care to not leave extra blank pages at the end, or worst, a single lonely word on page 3.  
NANCY:  Do make sure the Skills section is current.  Include skills that are required by the job, as well as transferable and relevant skills, such as proficiency in another language.  Don’t worry about rating, ranking or grading them.   Remove anything that’s outdated, or that is no longer considered special, such as internet research.  
CHRIS:  This also goes for training, seminars, courses and even jobs that are over 15 years old.  In all likelihood, technology, laws, market conditions and many other things have changed, so it’s more important to show your most recent experience.  
NANCY:  Don’t include your full home address.  Today, all that’s needed at the top of the resume is your name, city and state you reside in, best phone number to reach you, and email address.  If you’ve got an updated, active LinkedIn profile or professional website, feel free to include links to those as well.  
CHRIS:  About the email.  It really needs to be professional.  Preferably your name at whatever dot com.  Save bigdog9285323211 at my crib dot com for your friends and internet purchases.   
NANCY:  Do include months and years for employment dates. However, no need to spell out the length of time, for example stating “four years, eight months.” 
CHRIS:  Let’s talk Objectives.  These days, Objectives are being replaced by Summaries - basically a brief statement of who you are and what you’re looking for.  Again make sure this matches the job to which you are applying.  I’m not making this up when I say that we recently received an application for a customer service position, but the resume’s objective stressed the applicant’s fervent desire to be a substitute teacher.  
NANCY:  This is a good segue into soft skills.  For example, being detail- oriented.  Everyone says they are, but are they really?  There’s nothing wrong with NOT being detail-oriented.  Some people are great at visionary, big-picture stuff, and others are better at putting the details together.  It takes all kinds to make things work.  
CHRIS: Like us!  
NANCY:  Yep!
CHRIS:  When it comes to other soft skills, think about what you’re truly good at.  Everyone in the world uses the same list.  It’s more valuable to illustrate HOW you’re good at customer service, because you kept an unhappy client from leaving, or how you got everyone to buy into your process improvement by working  with other departments.  
NANCY:    We’re not trying to bust anyone’s chops.  We know people - especially those looking for a job - are under a lot of stress.  Typos and oversights happen.  Which is why we advise that once you finish your resume, you walk away, let it breathe, have someone else read it, and come back to it later to make sure you love it.
CHRIS:  Now for the Education section.  Do list out degrees, certificates and courses completed and earned.  If your work experience is longer than 15 years, you can leave off graduation dates.  College and specialized school graduates don’t need to show high school at all.  
NANCY:   Recent grads with limited work experience can describe internships, work-study jobs, special projects, part-time, temporary or seasonal work, volunteer work, and things of that nature.  As you spend more time in the workforce, you’ll slowly remove the older or less relevant parts of your experience.       
CHRIS:   Do list out special awards, recognitions, licenses, publications, certifications, and any other relevant distinctions.  
NANCY:  Last but not least, do feel free to include two or three interesting or unique hobbies.  Did you run a marathon?  Any volunteer work?  Do you take cooking classes?  These add flavor (no pun intended!) and are great ice-breakers.  
CHRIS:  We hope these tips helped in updating your resume.  Let us know if we missed anything or if you have additional suggestions!  Next time, we’ll play amateur psychologist and chat about reputation, perception, and behavior. Hope you’ll tune in! 
NANCY:   We’ll also drop a bonus episode announcing the hottest logistics jobs we’re working on.  Our website and contact info will be in the show notes of every episode, so please feel free to share with anyone you know, and reach out with comments, questions, or just to say hello!
CHRIS: Thank you for listening to the Job Search SOS Podcast!  
Please visit www.pintoemployment.com and feel free to reach out to us.  See you next time! 

Pinto Employment Search LLC - Logistics & Supply Chain Recruiters
Chris & Nancy Pinto, Owners
Website:  https://www.pintoemployment.com/
Chris Pinto: 
Phone: 908-578-5814
Email:  chris.pinto@pintoemployment.com
www.linkedin.com/in/chrispintoemployment
Nancy Pinto
Phone: 201-988-2293
Email:  nancy@pintoemployment.com  
www.linkedin.com/in/nancypinto