A lot of people just starting out go to great toil and trouble to put together a long resume. The trouble is they don't have much, if any, related experience. Still, they feel they'll look like they don't have enough to offer if their resume is brief; so, in lieu of related job experience, and in an effort to look like they're totally prepared and qualified, they list every college course they ever had, under whom they studied, and exactly what they feel they got out of each course.
Having finished that, they move on to other areas which can lengthen and fatten their resume, such as hobbies and references. Novices will often rack their memories to recall every sport they ever played, every organization to which they ever belonged, and every collection of anything they ever had. Then they list those hobbies, sometimes even writing a description of their interest, all in an effort to make themselves look well-rounded.
When they hit references, they really go berserk. They mention mothers, scout masters, clergy, coaches, and invalid aunts. It seems no one is safe.
The saddest part of all this is that this kind of resume can cripple your chances for getting a job. No one expects you to have the same qualifications as the account supervisor on McDonald's when you're just starting out. A beginner's resume doesn't have to tell his life story.
In fact, it shouldn't.
It should be as brief as you can make it, yet still include the basic information that any would-be employer would want, such as your name, address, phone number, age, and marital status. If you were in the armed services, list the branch under which you served and for how long. You should also be sure to include the kind of job you want so your resume gets to the appropriate department head should you be asked to mail it or drop it off somewhere.
Next should come your educational background. But don't list every course you ever had. No one really cares. Just include where you went to school, what your major was, when you graduated, and what degree you earned. If, however, there was a particular course you took which has a special relevance to the job you want, or if you studied under a particular person who has made a special contribution to your field and is quite well known, you could include that information, because it will mean something to everyone who sees it.
Just be honest with yourself. If you want to be a broadcast producer, went to U.C.L.A., and took a film course instructed by Robert Altaian, that's something to spell out on your resume. But if you went to Ole Miss, and took a film course from the best 8mm movie maker in Mississippi, you may want to list that course, but not the instructor, because the people who interview you will probably not be familiar with that instructor.
After your educational background is complete, it's time to discuss your employment record. If you have any experience in advertising or a related field, write it down. That goes for any advertising experience: running errands for an agency, delivering type, or writing copy if you've had the chance. Experience in advertising will mean something to a prospective employer and should definitely be included on your resume.
But there is no shame in not having any advertising experience. Everybody has to start sometime. If you're starting now, all you need put on your resume are those jobs that you've had. Maybe you were a clerk or a waitress, or maybe you've had only summer jobs. Fine. Beginning with the most recent, list them in the order in which you had them, with a brief description of what your duties were.
And brief means brief: don't get carried away with a complicated explanation of a simple job in an effort to make an impression. Just lay things out the way they are. Everything will work out fine.
What about hobbies? Here's where it really pays to be brief. List only those hobbies that you currently pursue. That will definitely keep your list short enough. It will also guarantee that you'll be able to speak intelligently about those hobbies, just in case one of them should also be a hobby of an interviewer.
Another item that could go on your resume is any interesting experience that has somehow enriched your life. Maybe you've traveled, or done work with the retarded. Or maybe you were a bum for a while and just hung out. But once again, you've got to be honest with yourself. If you say you learned something by straddling a mail box, be prepared to explain what you learned.
As for references, the most intelligent thing to do is supply them on request.
There are a number of ways you can design your resume. It may even be a good idea for creative people to turn their resume into an ad for themselves. You could give it a headline, visual, and body copy containing all the pertinent information that will make you stand out from all of your competition.
How do you make yourself stand out? Well, no one knows you better than you. No one else really knows what you have to offer. But a word of caution here: if you think you'll make yourself stand out above everyone else simply because you were president of your college advertising club, or because you fancy yourself as being better than your competition and feel sure that everyone else will recognize your brilliance at first glance, you're fooling yourself. It's important to take pride in yourself and your accomplishments, but it's ludicrous to think everyone else will think you're great solely because you say you are.
