Matt Johnson ⋅ Chicago, IL EY-Parthenon ⋅ 10 years experience

In terms of content, the most effective resumes have bullets that follow this formula:

Action Verb (implying a skill that you want to highlight - e.g. Spearheaded for leadership, Analyzed for problem solving, Spearheaded for initiative, Developed for creativity)
+ Situation / Task (to lay out circumstances, e.g. while managing a team of 15 and $2M in assets and equipment)
+ Quantitative Result (preferred) OR Qualitative Impact (e.g. reducing rework by 25%, resulting in #1 ranking out of 35 peers, improving US relations with regional partners)

Avoid common mistakes:
- Jargon (if you grandma wouldn't understand it at first glance, an outsider won't either. Unit names or sizes, bases, MOS codes, or frequently used acronyms mean nothing to civilians in most cases)
- Simply listing job responsibilities in your bullets (which doesn't help me understand if you were good at said job)
- Bullets that are too long (shoot for 1-2 lines)
- Mistaking Table Stakes for Accomplishments (e.g. "conducting live fire exercises with 0 mishaps" is a minimum expectation - you'd be fired if that number wasn't zero)

Joy Montgomery ⋅ Pleasanton, CA ReBoot Camp ⋅ 30 years experience

What I recommend to Veterans and other clients is a Master File with everything in it. Your Master File could be 100 pages but no one ever sees that but you. When you need a resume, make a copy of the Master File and delete everything that does not fit the job you're applying for. Keep a current copy of the Master File off your computer in case you ever start deleting from the master. When you get down to 2-3 (3 is okay for management positions) pages that fit that situation, send it!

There's a roadmap on my website - www.ReBootCamp.US

Jeff Martin ⋅ Ashburn, VA The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ⋅ 25 years experience

My suggestion is to have base resume and to tailor that resume for every specific job you apply for. The more you can tailor your resume to the specific job, company and industry you are applying to, the greater your chance of success. It takes much more effort on your part, but would greatly increase your odds for success. Good luck!

Christopher Dilley ⋅ Jacksonville, FL Johnson & Johnson ⋅ 22 years experience

Raymond,
I would say that the resume should be no more than 2 pages maximum and tailored for the job position you are trying to obtain. I am into year #20 with J&J, glad to provide any help that I can provide. cdilley@its.jnj.com

Karen Cavazos ⋅ Wittmann, AZ Wells Fargo ⋅ 19 years experience

Hi Raymond,

As a recruiter, I always recommend having multiple resumes available that can easily be modified to showcase your skill set alignment to the position in which you are applying. You will want to highlight those skills, preferably at the top area of the resume, so the recruiter can quickly see your experience as it relates to the job responsibilities. Especially important is to highlight those transferable skills that you acquired in the military.

Julia Scott ⋅ Spring, TX Chemical Manufacturing Industry- Retired ⋅ 35 years experience

If you would like to forward your resume to me as well, I'll have a go as well. My email is juliascott60@yahoo.com.

Sheila McCormick ⋅ Oakland, CA UC-Berkeley ⋅ 35 years experience

I am happy to take a look/edit your resume(s). My email is sheilamc@berkeley.edu, please send as an attachment to that address.
Sheila