Resume Example Critique – Paul Sampson

“Paul Sampson’s” example resume is effective by being simple, concrete, informative, but easy to skim over quickly. 

Resume Critique (#13)

This sample resume has both strong and weak qualities. It is well formatted and designed with clear visual elements that separate  ideas logically and readably. The three column bullet points under “core competences” is an interesting element that you might not find elsewhere. The horizontal lines give the resume a  set of rectangles the divide the sections and the increase in size from top to bottom gives a stable weight, with the heaviest square on bottom. The information is organized in a way where the potential employer can find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. Tho choice of font and sizing works well. They are readable and professional. The use of all capital letters for certain titles and pieces are also effective in stressing importance and dividing sections.

While the use of italics might be useful for some eyes, they tend to distract and confuse. They look little unprofessional or at least it would look better without them. The use of two separate types of bullet points is also an element that makes the resume look a little busy. The arrow style bullets are probably the ones worth losing, as, again, they come of a little cheesy like the italics. Most of the body texts are well justified to the right margin, giving the text blocks a nice geometric shape. However, the date lines that list the periods the resume holder worked, are strangely unjustified, with an awkward placement. If you look closely, there is also a bullet point under “Key Achievements” that is missing a period at the end, unlike all the others of that section. Finally, the bottom right corner has the word “continued…”, signifying the resume continues for at least another page. This is a potential issue, as the most ideal resume consists of a single page. That is readable and digestible. Someone extremely accomplished may not be able to fit all relevant information onto one page, but when you go over that limit, especially when you already have a pretty text heavy first page, you risk frustrating or boring the potential employer. This person likely has a lot of these on his/her desk and you don’t want to piss them off by making them read a russian novel of a resume.

The writing style of this resume is very formal and very strange to any other kind of writing. Rather than building a flowing work of prose, the sentences themselves are firm and basic, sometimes not even being a full gramatical sentence. For example, the sentence, “Created responsive market driven department increasing market share from 25% to 50% over 3 years.” There is no subject, such as “I”, and if you were to use AP writing standards the latter part should read “…25 to 50 percent over three years.” Granted this is not news writing or essay writing, and space is an issue. However, this abbreviated style seems to exclude any sense of personality or human individuality, merely giving the most basic points for why this person is qualified for the job. It reads like the technical specifications of a robot, as if the human being behind the paper is not even relevant.

Resume Evaluation

http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/resume-example.html

The resume for Jennifer Rivers is clear and well organized.  We immediately know who the resume is for and how to get in contact with her. Right off the bat Jennifer’s resume loses my interest, as her initial paragraph is wordy and hard to follow. Jennifer tries to provide her current job description, but the paragraph overwhelms the reader a little. From her job description, Jennifer moves to her business skills, which are equally as overwhelming. Jennifer tries to divide her qualifications between marketing, market planning and product planning, when all of those qualifications are related and could be addressed at once. Jennifer’s work experience is complete, as well as her education. The problem with Jennifer’s resume is that it is hard to read and hard to understand. This is probably due to the fact that Jennifer graduated college in 1988 and is not applying for an entry-level job, but rather is accomplished in her field. If someone were reviewing her resume that was looking to hire a marketing executive, maybe they would see the resume in a clearer manner. Jennifer is also not very clear about what her goal is.  She provides her current job title and her qualifications, but she does not make it clear if she is applying for a new job.

In this resume the white/black contrast tells how much information to expect.  It is important to have a very even balance of white versus black throughout the document. Too much black means too much wording, and that can create a negative impact on the reader. On the other hand, too much white means not enough substance. The black and white balance needs to take place not only from top to bottom but also from left to right. The resume needs to invite the reader in with a proper balance, steer the reader through without having to take too much time. Clarity and readability can be dictated by this white/black balance. A resume is targeted towards an informed person that wants some information, but not too much. It is directed at a reader that should know what is going on already, which is probably why we did not understand Jennifer’s entirely. This tells us a lot about business culture.  We are a society that values time,that wants to keep everything simple, but at the same time wants information.

Resume Review (Blog Entry 13)

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I think this resume has a fairly good lay out. The woman’s name is bold and at the top so it is the first thing the employer sees. Her contact information such as email, phone number, and address all come next and have some white space around them making it easier to find and read. Next Mary Smith states what position she wants to hold and tells the employer how much experience she has in that area. She then lists her traits that she believes she stands out in and underlines the important parts of the sentences to emphasize her essential qualities. She goes on to list her two most recent jobs and includes descriptions of what she did in those jobs. Once again she underlines the most important part of the sentence.

I think that the resume may look a little cluttered; there is quite a lot of information for only including two recent job descriptions. From looking at the resume as a whole, the underlined material makes it easier for the viewer to read. It allows the viewer or the employer to read it fast and make a quick judgment. I like how the job titles are bold but I think that they need maybe a little more separation from the rest of the underlined information.

This resume was intended to be viewed by a business operation looking for a specific position. I think that is what many resumes are written for, once someone has been working for a while. Most people coming out of college, or who are still in college, have a broader resume. They would include any job that they held, which would probably be more than two. A student would want to put as much information on the resume that would make them stand out from the rest of the people who are applying for the same job.