Thursday, October 23, 2014

Concise Resume and Cover Letter






The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters That Work by Scott Bennett is a great resource for everyone to have. It is beneficial to all types of job seekers, from the experienced worker to the candidate looking for their first job. This guide is easy to read and follow; it even includes some step-by-step directions on formatting. Bennett includes a lot of information in this book but it is not overwhelming. He uses everyday language that readers of all backgrounds can understand. 


Bennett begins the book by giving eight reasons why job seekers may receive no response or interview, reasons that have nothing to do with the job seeker or their resume. This book discusses a range of topics from using social media sites to writing a concise resume and cover letter to knowing how to prepare for the interview. 


The Elements of Resume Style has many great features. Two of the best parts of this book focus on the vocabulary that resume writers should use and avoid. Bennett gives readers a list of vague claims to avoid and includes a chart that compares vague claims and specific action statements and explains why avoiding vague claims is the way to go. 


Bennett is focused on making things easier for the person that will be reading the resume. Since he has experience with reading resumes and hiring, he knows that making the most of your resume and showing that you value the reader’s time is essential. Bennett (2014) shows job seekers how to do this by giving tips on using shorter heading titles, “work experience” rather than “professional experience” and writing brief statements rather than using bullet points because “neither a bullet nor any other symbol will propel a reader's eyes and interest on a resume as quickly as a thoughtful and succinct paragraph” (p. 29).


Some of the advice in the book goes against the common resume and cover letter information. Bennett encourages job seekers to send a short four-sentence cover letter because he believes it will help make the candidate stand out and will let the reader get through it faster. Most cover letter advice is to write four concise paragraphs addressing why you are interested in the job and company and a few examples of your qualifications, etc. 


Bennett’s dislike of bullet points is also controversial, Alison Green, writer of the blog Ask a Manager, states, “hiring managers will only skim your resume initially, and big blocks of text are difficult to skim (not to mention, they often make employers' eyes glaze over).” 


While The Elements of Resume Style offers a lot of great advice, tips and formatting help, readers should take some of his advice with a grain of salt. 

Bennett, Scott. (2014).  The elements of resume style: Essential rules for writing resumes and cover letters that work. New York, NY: Amacom

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