Free Sample Resume

Positioning information is the critical element in capturing the reader’s interest. If you don’t deliver the goods at the visual center of the page, you’ve lost the reader.
It is your job-not the reader’s-to prove that you fit the position to a T. Organize your material in such a way that the reader cannot miss your key selling points.

In real estate, it’s location, location, location. The value of a property is based on where it’s located.

In résumé writing, it’s position, position, position. Unless your key information is seen, regardless of its merit, it won’t have value. You may be the indisputable, undeniable, hands-down best candidate for the position, but if the evidence to prove it requires your reader to have the investigative skills of Sherlock Holmes.

Selling Points—Front and Center

Art directors at advertising agencies pay careful attention to designing ad layouts, and you should too. Remember what the preceding primer on advertising taught you? The headline’s job is to do this:

GET ATTENTION

To get attention, the headline should focus on your product’s single strongest benefit. A common mistake people make in résumé writing is waiting too late to list their most impressive accomplishments. Suppose that your best accomplishment is buried in your reference to an employer from several years ago. The reader might need to wade through 7½ inches of text before seeing that accomplishment. Will it be seen before the 10-second screening is up? Without hitting hard at the beginning, you’re gambling that the reader will read far enough to see your best point. A better strategy is to place your strongest selling points at the visual center of the page.

Where’s the Center of the Page?

It may seem obvious. Nonetheless, take a break from reading and try this quick exercise. It will show you where the “visual center” of the page really is. You’ll need two pieces of paper, a ruler, and your thumbnail.

1. Take two pieces of paper, standard size, 8½ by 11 inches.
2. Fold one sheet in half (top to bottom).
3. Fold the other in thirds (a trifold), as you would for a regular business-size envelope.
4. Give both of the papers good creases, using your thumbnail.
5. Now unfold the papers.

The first paper, with just the one fold, will show you where the vertical center of the page is. The second paper, the trifold, will give you the visual center of the page. It’s where the upper fold was made. For résumé-design purposes, you’re interested in the visual center of the page. This is where the reader’s eye will typically stop first. This is where you should pack your punch!

Obviously, it will be difficult to fit much on the exact line where your thumbnail made the uppermost crease. So, take out your ruler. Measure approximately 1 inch above the crease and draw a horizontal line across from left to right. Now measure 1 inch below the crease. Draw a second horizontal line from left to right. This will provide you with a 2-inch-high band. Another way to find this band is to measure 25/8 inches down from the top of the page (mark it off) and then add another 2 inches from that point. The following example is what your paper should look like:

This formula is not a magic measurement, but it will give you an idea of where you should place strategic information.

A Visual-Center Strategy Worked for Sean

The following example illustrates how the visual-center technique helped an applicant earn an interview with an employer that had previously screened him out. Sean, a construction-management professional, was with a company that was headed south, and not in the geographic sense.

Despite Sean’s accomplishments, market factors beyond his control led corporate execs to close the Boston office. Sean was working with a headhunter who presented Sean’s résumé for a business-development position. The company said it wasn’t interested.

Place Supporting Information Below the Visual Center

Use the area immediately below the visual center of the page for supporting or secondary information. If you still have your ruler out, this measurement is the four-inch horizontal band of space from approximately 45/8 to 85/8 inches down the page.

Don’t be misled by the words supporting information. I am not saying that you should relegate filler material to this area of the résumé. To the contrary, you can and should include accomplishments and contributions here. You’ve already caught your readers’ attention by packing great copy at the visual center of the page. They have a vested interest in reading on and learning what makes you uniquely able to meet their needs. Reward them in their quest.

Using Supporting Material Worked for Veronica

Veronica wrote the following paragraph. Look closely for the 11-word phrase that indicates her accomplishments as regional manager.

Regional Manager:

Responsible for operation of Dallas and Fort Worth facilities; broker of auto salvage for major insurance companies. Develop and monitor operational budgets; surpassed company goals in sales and service while decreasing operational costs. Develop and organize biweekly auction sales. Client development and ongoing services. Recruit, train, evaluate, and supervise staffs in Dallas and Fort Worth offices. Report directly to company vice president.

Did you find it? Good job. Now, write the accomplishment on the blank line below the job description:

Regional Manager:

Responsible for operation of Dallas and Fort Worth facilities; broker of auto salvage for major insurance companies. Develop and monitor operational budgets. Develop and organize biweekly auction sales. Client development and ongoing services. Recruit, train, evaluate, and supervise staffs in Dallas and Fort Worth offices. Report directly to company vice-president.

Accomplishments:

——————————————————————————–

It’s amazing how repositioning information can improve your résumé. Veronica’s accomplishment now stands out simply by separating it from her daily responsibilities and introducing it with the brief heading “Accomplishments.” It gives it a fresh look, sort of like rearranging the furniture in your living room.

Skimmable Material Goes at the Bottom of the Page

Your readers will rarely take the time to read a block of thick, paragraph-formatted information at the very bottom of the résumé-at least not on the first read. So make it easy on them. Reserve your final 1 to 1½ inches of the page for list-driven material—that is, information that lends itself to a listing of items rather than full-sentence descriptions. Categories such as Education, Training, Affiliations, Travel, and Computer Skills are good candidates for lists.