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The first step in writing a great resume? Think positive! That’s why I’m going to show real examples from some of the most effective resumes we’ve gotten at Spec On The Job.
August 17, 2018
This “Resume Greatest Hit” comes from an applicant for a Fabricator position:
[First Name] [Last name]
xxx@gmail.com
(555) 123-1234
[City], [State]
• Experienced, certified forklift and crane operator
• 3 years of experience in warehouse and manufacturing
• 2 years of experience in machine operation (drill press and grinder)
• 6 months experience working with mills and lathes
• Responding to customer complaints in a constructive way
• Shipping & Receiving
This applicant didn’t include an Objective statement on his resume. Instead, he used the space to include a list of skills that are relevant to the position.
Many resume how-to guides advise applicants to include an Objective after their contact information. But for many positions, resume Objectives are overrated. Here’s an example that hiring managers see all too often:
Objective:
To obtain a position where I can use my excellent communication skills and strong work ethic to add value to your company.
Objective statements like these don’t really tell a hiring manager anything about an applicant’s skill set or work experience. So if in doubt, skip the Objective completely. Instead, use the limited space on your resume to fill in more detail about your skills and relevant work experience.
August 16, 2018
Today’s “Resume Greatest Hit” comes from an applicant for a warehouse position:
EDUCATION
XYZ High School
September 2011 to June 2015
I chose to feature this applicant’s resume because she followed one of the most important rules of resume writing: keep it simple.
When some applicants note their high-school-level educational experience on their resumes, they add unnecessary information. For example, hiring managers sometimes see:
High School Diploma – General Studies
or
XYZ High School – Standard Classes
Unless you went to a vocational high school and specialized in a field of study relevant to the position you’re applying for, there’s no need to specify which type of high school diploma you received.
You should only include your area of study for a certification program, Associates’ degree, or higher. At the high school level, a hiring manager is only concerned with whether or not you earned your high school diploma or GED.
August 14, 2018
Today’s “Resume Greatest Hit” comes from an applicant for a Forklift Operator position:
OTHER SKILLS
Aside from being bilingual, fluent in writing and speaking Spanish, most of my special skills are mechanical.
I am certified to operate a sit down fork lift, a stand up forklift with a reach and a cherry picker machine. I am a fast learner and very responsible with work.
If you’re fluent in another language, make sure to include that information in your resume, even if language skills aren’t strictly relevant to the position.
In this case, the ability to speak Spanish isn’t directly applicable to driving a forklift. But the facility where the applicant will be driving the forklift might employ many bilingual workers, making this candidate’s language skills a plus.
An employee who’s proficient in another language can be a great asset to a company and set you apart from other applicants who have a similar skill set to yours, but without the additional language proficiency.
August 13, 2018
Today’s “Resume Greatest Hit” comes from an applicant for a Warehouse Sanitation position:
Work Experience
Foreman
XYZ Movers
2005 to Present
Hired as worker and promoted to foreman. Oversaw crews in preparation of furniture for commercial and residential long-haul and local moves.
Even though the applicant applied for a Warehouse Sanitation position, he included on his resume his work experience at a moving company.
Experience as a mover isn’t relevant to the position the applicant applied for. However, in this case it’s good that the applicant included it. Because he wasn’t just a regular employee at the moving company, he was promoted to foreperson.
Make sure to include on your resume any work history that shows you were promoted from a regular employee to a supervisor, even if the position wasn’t in the same industry as the position you’re applying for. A hiring manager is going to take a second look at any applicant whose work performance was impressive enough to earn a promotion to a position as a team leader.
