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Fans of the old Dragnet
series remember Joe
Friday interviewing witnesses who rambled or offered unsolicited
conjecture. When they did, Friday inevitably uttered his catch
phrase, "Just the facts, ma'am."
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Advertisement
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Friday's words offer sound advice for resume
writers, as well.
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Stick
to the facts. Nothing rankled Friday's feathers more than a witness who
rambled. He once had to wrangle a witness' digressions
in three times during the same interview. You could see his eyes
roll. That's the least that
happens when hiring managers read overly verbose resumes. Whereas
Friday had to suffer fools to get information, employers won't.
Don't
waste words. Jack
Webb’s Friday spoke in sparse verbiage and preferred his interview
subjects to do the same. Employers prefer it on resumes, as
well. Eliminate first person pronouns, modifiers and the word
"the" whenever possible. Starting sentences with action
verbs is a great way to start.
Keep
receiver in mind. Nothing
bent straight-laced Friday more than slang and odd sentence
structure. Ditto, hiring managers. Reread your resume when
you're done. Better still, have several people read your resume over
strictly for grammar and syntax.
Communication, after all, involves the sender and receiver.
IN THE CARAVAN: Take the Joe Friday approach to writing your resume by sticking to
the facts, wasting words and keeping the receiver in mind.
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bSafari.c
The Lion’s Pride: Resumes
