How to Find and Borrow Resume Samples
If you need to tailor your resume to fit your field, it can be helpful to look
at what others in your line of work have done.
May 18, 2010
By Lisa Vaas
FILED UNDER:
Results-Oriented Resumes,
Resume Formats.
When it comes to
resume writing, finding the right words to describe who you are and
what you’re good at can feel like trying to find your keys after you’ve dropped
them in a dark alley.
Even if you hire a professional resume writer, you can count on being asked to
provide a short bio and a synopsis of your career. There’s just no way around
it: You’re going to have to get it all down on paper. Instead of groping in the
dark, the first thing to do is to brainstorm using a technique called "brain
dump."
Before you even start to brainstorm, many take the popular route – finding
resume samples to see how your peers said it first. But where do you find good
resume samples, and how do you know which ones are worth applying to your own?
TheLadders asked resume experts where they look to find sample resumes and how
to avoid copying and repeating the mistakes of those who came before you.
Ask and ye shall receive
The first place to start is simply to ask. Debra Benton, president of
Benton Management Resources and an executive coach, suggested using
social-media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and even Craigslist to ask for
samples. State that you’re writing a
resume and would like to see what your peers consider current and
up-to-date resumes in your field, she said. Make it clear that you’re not hiring
but are just interested in seeing what a current, well-put-together resume looks
like, she said. “With any social media, young people, particularly, are so
helpful and willing to share,” she said.
Seek, and ye shall be inundated
For Greg Bennett, global practice director with
The Mergis Group, a leading executive-recruiting firm, the question
isn’t so much where to find resume samples as it is where to find those worth
emulating. The Internet abounds with sites offering sample resumes for every
field, profession and vertical imaginable, but he’s “never been in the habit of
searching for sample resumes” online because “most resumes done are poorly
done.”
You don’t want to repeat mistakes like attaching your picture to your resume, a
practice that is widely rejected by resume professionals, or including
information that’s in violation of
EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) guidelines, including
age, disability, race, national origin and gender. Those resumes will be
disqualified by most employers.
But not all samples are bad, and even the mistakes have value. Benton advises
her clients to look at
sample resumes and analyze not just what’s attractive but also what
isn’t. “If you want to stand out, to be a leader, you must do what others
don’t,” she said. “So you need to know what others are doing so you don’t do the
same thing.”
LinkedIn is a source of resume information if not
resume samples, Benton said. She recommended you review the LinkedIn
profiles of their peers to see how they chose to describe the same work
experiences and skills you are about to describe.
The first stop should be the profile’s summary statement, which should read like
the executive summary of a good resume. Review many profiles and resumes of your
peers, and pay special attention to those whose careers have paralleled your
own. If these rivals’ summaries sound more impressive than your own, find
exactly what makes theirs sound so good and tailor your own summary in
accordance.
Go to the pros for the best sample resumes
The surest way to find tested, proven resume samples is to go to the pros who
create resumes, who read hundreds of resumes and who can instantly tell you when
a resume will catch a hiring manager’s eye: hiring managers, recruiters and
certified professional resume writers.
Benton recommended asking recruiters and hiring managers in your field for
examples of resumes they like. They can send you sections with redacted
information without violating anyone’s privacy. And, of course, certified
professional resume writers make it their business to study what works. They
often have libraries of winners and losers at their disposal. Most will share
those samples with you and use the library, plus years or experience, to write
your resume to those standards.
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From May 2010