Kelly Donovan

Introduction to “resume speak”

,

Resumes are a little weird, whether we’re talking about an executive resume or a resume for an individual contributor.

You might wonder if the wording you see on professionally written resumes is grammatically correct. It’s correct (sort of).

Welcome to the world of “resume speak!”

“Resume speak” is the unique style that has become the standard for resume writing. Decision makers, executive recruiters, and HR executives usually expect and appreciate resumes written in this style.

With that being said, there is really no right or wrong in resume writing, and 10 different “experts” will give you 10 different opinions about a resume.

How resume speak is different from standard writing

1. Writing in “first person implied,” omitting personal pronouns.

Resumes should be written in first person, which means it’s written as though you’re writing about yourself. However, the standard, accepted practice is to leave out personal pronouns like “I,” “my,” and “me.” This style is referred to as “first person implied.”

Examples for present tense — for your current job:
– First person (normal writing): I develop marketing campaigns…
– First person implied (resume speak): Develop marketing campaigns…

Examples for past tense — for previous jobs:
– First person (normal writing): I launched a marketing campaign…
– First person implied (resume speak): Launched a marketing campaign…

What about third person?

Some people, when writing their resumes, use phrases like “develops marketing campaigns.” That means they’re essentially writing in third person implied, since third person with a pronoun would be “she develops marketing campaigns,” “he develops marketing campaigns,” etc.

Ultimately, it’s your resume and your choice. But the standard among professional resume writers (and my preference) is to use first person implied rather than third person implied. A reader is assuming that you wrote your resume yourself, so why would it be in any form of third person?

Are personal pronouns ever acceptable?

The occasional, thoughtful use of a personal pronoun or two on a resume can be perfectly fine — innovative, even. HR guru Liz Ryan advocates “human” language with personal pronouns in a resume, although this has yet to catch on.

In some cases, I’ve opted to use “my” or “I” on an executive resume if it allowed me to elegantly express a thought in one or two lines rather than writing a long, confusing, and nearly incomprehensible bullet.

While “first person implied” is a wonderful invention, you should not fear the occasional pronoun when there is a good reason for it. The Pronoun Police will not come to arrest you and shatter any chance you had of landing a new position.

2. Omitting articles

In resume speak, we usually don’t include as many articles as normal writing. Articles are “the,” “a,” and “an.”

It doesn’t hurt to include them, but resume statements can sometimes be more powerful when we limit unnecessary use of articles — and limiting them also conserves the limited real estate we have to work with on a typical two-page executive resume (or the even more limited space on a one-page professional resume).

Sometimes articles are necessary to ensure that the meaning of something is understandable, so I do include some articles–just not all the articles that I would include if I were writing a different type of document, like an essay for an English class.

Examples:

– Normal writing: I drove a 23% increase in EBITDA by…

– Resume speak with limited articles: Drove 23% increase in EBITDA by…

The resume speak example omits the “a” before the number, as it’s not necessary in resume speak. However, if you prefer a more natural-sounding style, it’s fine to include more articles than typical resume speak.

Additonal resources on resume speak:

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-critique-checklist/article.aspx

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/five-tips-for-better-resume-writing.html

How does resume speak translate on LinkedIn? Is there LinkedIn speak?

Best practices for LinkedIn profiles have evolved to be different from best practices for resumes. Here are some points to consider when evaluating the use of resume speak on your LinkedIn profile.

  • The “About” section works best when it’s in regular first person, not resume speak. I incorporate plenty of pronouns into an About section and write it in a conversational style.
  • For the job descriptions in your experience section, the choice is up to you. You could stick with the resume speak approach, or throw in more articles to make it sound more natural. And yes, you could even use pronouns (gasp!) if you want, although I usually don’t.

Other style considerations: one space or two after a period?

I put only one space after a period on resumes and LinkedIn profiles, which has become the preferred practice in modern times — even though you probably learned to use two spaces back when you were in school.

One space is now the standard for many types of writing, and most style guides support this. Only the American Psychological Association’s style guide continues to recommend two spaces.

Some under-40 readers will perceive two spaces as an indication that you follow outdated practices, especially if you’re over 40.

In 2020, Microsoft announced that MS Word would begin flagging two spaces as an error–a clear harbinger that the extra space is on its way out.

This article first appeared on KellyDonovan.com

 

Executive resume writing and LinkedIn profile writing

Are you an executive, entrepreneur, or rising star who might benefit from one-on-one assistance? I invite you to learn more about my work as an executive resume writer and LinkedIn profile writer. If you’d like to chat, you can book a call for a free consultation via the Let’s Talk page.

 

Kelly Donovan

8 unexpected benefits of executive resume writing

Traditionally, the purpose of a resume has been to secure an interview. Today, the advantages extend beyond simply landing interviews–and there are also some bonuses to going through the resume writing process properly that don’t have anything to do with the resume itself!

5 advantages of a professionally written resume (beyond simply landing interviews!):

  1. It gives your interviewer a road map for a successful interview. Interviewers, after all, will typically have the resume in front of them during the interview.
  2. It positions you for the level of salary you are seeking. A blah, unbranded, poorly written resume that doesn’t highlight your accomplishments in the most impressive way possible won’t position you for an increase in salary.(Thanks to renowned career guru Don Orlando for his ideas that influenced #1 and #2 above!)
  3. Even if the hiring manager knows you and wants to hire you, if it’s a larger organization, he still needs to convince colleagues and his boss that you’re the one for the job.Hiring has changed. At larger companies, there are usually several people involved in the hiring decision nowadays besides the hiring manager (hiring manager = the executive you would be reporting to). If another candidate looks incredible on paper and you don’t, the other stakeholders who don’t have prior knowledge of you and your work might be more impressed with the other candidate.Let’s face it, the hiring manager’s life will be more difficult if he has to explain to HR why he wants to hire a candidate none of the other people favor, or if his boss isn’t convinced the candidate is the best choice. Relationships are the #1 key to awesome executive jobs; but don’t assume that the relationship alone is enough. The hiring manager’s life will be easier if your resume and interview performance both knock it out of the park, and he doesn’t need to work hard to convince anyone that you’re “the one.”

    I once had a client hire me even though the hiring manager wanted to hire him. The hiring manager said he needed a great resume tailored to the position in question so he could convince his boss the candidate was the right fit.

  4. The resume is written documentation that will help sell you even after you walk out the door after the interview.

    After interviewing multiple people, interviewers often get confused and can’t remember which one was which. They may stare at a resume afterwards saying, “Wait a minute, was he the one I liked, or he was the one with the weird handlebar mustache who was rude to my secretary?”Leaving behind an impressive resume (and perhaps other leave-behind materials), and then following up with a compelling post-interview thank-you/follow-up letter, will help your interviewer remember you and help “sell” you long after you’re gone.
  5. And, finally, your professionally written resume is like an insurance policy in case your new job doesn’t work out.I’ve had clients who went to work at jobs that ended with an unexpectedly early departure. Though unlikely, there are myriad reasons why you might lose a job or decide to quit after just a few weeks or months. Job security is a thing of the past. Layoffs are common nowadays, and managing your brand and image with an effective executive resume and LinkedIn profile should be an ongoing effort.

3 positive side effects of professional resume writing:

  1. It helps you prepare for job interviews and networking conversations because it forces you to identify your personal brand, specific accomplishments and success stories, and the key messages you need to get across to your target audience.
  2. It boosts your confidence. Clients report feeling great after seeing their resume draft–especially executives who haven’t had their resume updated in several years, and those who had previously written their own resume or used a lower caliber of resume writer.
  3. It provides the foundation for a strong LinkedIn profile, and LinkedIn is an important networking and brand management tool for all professionals. LinkedIn is not something to only think about when you’re job searching and ignore when you’re employed. If you want to be continuously employed and always in demand, you want to be effective in managing your brand and online presence. This begins with LinkedIn.

This article originally appeared on KellyDonovan.com.