Audiences
When you reach a higher level position and have quite a bit of relevant experience behind you, it can be a challenge to create a great resume that shows the depth and breadth of your abilities without overwhelming readers.
This director of IT’s resume packs a lot of information into two pages. Because this resume is so packed with information, a clear organization and legible font size are critically important. This resume summaries basic job duties under each position, and then highlights particular projects or successes in bulleted list, adding further detail where needed. This detailed breakdown is visually accessible, and keeps the information from overwhelming the reader. And this resume saved in a standard file format that makes it unlikely to appear scrambled due to version compatibility issues.
What makes this particular resume a good example?
1. General experience and core competencies are pulled out at the top of the page. Readers can immediately see that Mike Smith is a technologist strategist who has experience coordinating mult-department projects and staffs. Mike has also highlighted some of his business and management abilities.
2. The experience section includes brief descriptions of each company, giving readers a context for Mike’s experience.
3. In addition to specific quantifiable facts (i.e., decreased custom development budget by $1.2M), the resume points out behavioral characteristics, like leadership, communication and strategic planning through the descriptions of Mike’s experience as a manager, consultant and director.
This director-level resume clearly shows the progression of Mike's career and highlights his management skills, especially problem solving and strategic thinking. In response to specific jobs that John will apply for, he may want to take additional time to include keywords in his descriptions and perhaps trim some of the details that don't directly relate to the position.