You may remember a few months ago when Manhattan College basketball coach Steve Masiello was found thrown into the spotlight for lying on his resume.  After applying for a position as a head coach for South Florida, the new college discovered that Masiello never graduated from University of Kentucky, as he indicated on his résumé.  Which leads us to the following question:  How much do résumés really matter?  Do employers really look carefully at every single line item, and base their entire decision on what is written?

The entire concept of the résumé is to get the attention of the hiring manager or recruiter.  A good hiring manger or recruiter will not just skim over the resume, nor look at every single detail, and eliminate candidates based on what is written.  The point is to give a brief overall description of what a person’s experience has been, and how that can relate to the job for which they are applying.   A hiring manager does not appreciate a five page resume that includes excessive detail of the candidate’s accomplishments in their previous positions. The interview itself is where candidates have the ability to showcase their skills, and provide the detailed information.  At the same time, a résumé should include an overall description with key aspects of the position.

Here is a breakdown of what should be included:

Name: Full legal name.

Contact Info: email address should be included as well.  The email address should be a “professional” email (such as [email protected]), and not something such as  “[email protected]”

Objective : Should be tailored for the position for which is being applied to. If one is applying for an accounting role, they should not include their desire to be a helicopter pilot.

Work Experience: The title and name of the organization for which the applicant previously worked must be included.  As mentioned above, each position should include a few lines that highlight the major aspects of the responsibilities for each position.  Minimally, the previous three positions should be included if possible.

Education: Any educational institute that the applicants graduated from should be included.  Graduation dates do not need to be included, and can be provided at a later time (see note below about keep personal information out).   If one is currently pursuing a higher degree, they can include it, with a expected completion date.  This section can also be used for any certifications that may be appropriate for the position (helicopter pilots’ license for the accounting job, will not be beneficial).

Skills: This area can include information on additional skills one has, such as experience with a certain system (like Microsoft Suite), or additional languages that can be helpful.

With regard to references, I always recommend that they not be given until later on in the interview process.  One can, however, include a link to their LinkedIn account, which may have references on their home page.

Here is some information that should not be included in a résumé:

Personal Information: No information beyond your name and address should be included.  Gender, marital status, religious affiliation, etc. should not be included.  Pictures should also not be included in a submission.

Hobbies: A résumé should be about projecting a professional image.  A person’s personal hobbies, likes or dislikes should not be included.  While some believe that adding this information can show how a person is well rounded, the résumé is not the appropriate format for that information.  One may want to include information in the interview, which highlights a person’s commitment to the community (such as being involved in a board of an organization).

Lies: As per the example of the coach above, lying on a resume is a very bad idea.  Many people choose to “stretch” the truth.  This can easily backfire during the interview process, or even cost you the position if information is found to be false.  There is a difference between being able to accomplish goals (such as knowing how to create a PowerPoint presentation) vs. actually doing it at a previous position.

In general, a résumé is supposed to entice the hiring manager or recruiter develop enough interest in the applicant to bring them in for an interview, and move forward in the process.  The interview itself is what will help decide an applicant’s fate (see next article about the interview process).

Yoni Lieber is a certified HR professional with over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources field.  He currently works as the Senior HR Generalist at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley, in Westwood NJ.

By Yoni Lieber, SPHR