Focus on the Purpose

The purpose of a resume is to have your skills and accomplishments stand out so you can be scheduled for an interview.

A company hires an employee for only one reason: The company has a problem.  A test engineer is hired because without them product yield and quality fall and the company looses money. The president of the corporation is hired because without them there is no leadership.

 

Management typically spends 60 to 90 SECONDS on the preliminary review of a resume. Their time is valuable and they need to see something of interest to be willing to review it further.  Management is looking for words or phrases directly related to the benefits the candidate can provide to the company, which equate to dollars and beating their competition to market.

 

A technique for highlighting the benefits you’ve provided your previous employers is to use FAB statements. They are extremely effective in resumes and can also be used in interviews.

 

"F" is for "fact":  What’s the problem you’ve been given or hired to handle?

"A" is for "accomplishment":  What did you do to solve it?

"B" is for "benefit":  What was the outcome or bottom line to company?

 

Example:

 

“F”  Needed to verify a Memory System for Cortex A15 with internal

      coherency and external coherence with ACE bus protocol

“A” Completed with 0% post silicon bugs

“B” Saved the company man-hour costs and delivered product ahead of

      schedule

 

By using FAB statements throughout your resume, you give the hiring manager the information they need on a silver platter.

When creating your FAB statements, keep in mind the following list of the top benefits which most interest employers.

 

Benefits:

Increased revenues                                              Increased productivity

Saved money                                                       Provided leadership

Increased efficiencies                                           Penetrated new markets

Cut overhead                                                       Purchasing accomplishments

First spin designs = lower production costs             Developed new technologies

Core design product equals                                   Increased sales

      residual revenues                                           Expand/develop territory

Improved manufacturability                                   New products/new lines

Projects completed on time,                           

      allows introduction of new product to market

 

Emphasizing the benefits of hiring you is the single most important thing to remember in writing your resume. But the hiring manager will also be looking for details of where and when you acquired your experience and education. Finally, you must remember that if a resume is hard to read, confusing, incomplete, too long, or too short it won't survive the first cut.

 

Tips for an Effective & Easy to Read Resume:

• General Considerations:

    •   Emphasize the benefits you provided your previous employers
    •   Keep it simple; but, be sure to include technical details appropriate to the position. List specific disciplines and products
    •   Customize it for a particular position: if you've done both R&D and manufacturing but you're looking for a position in manufacturing, emphasize your                      manufacturing experience
    •   Experience generally weighs very heavily and should be emphasized

• Details:
    •   Two pages is a good number. One page is fine; but, don't cram in too much writing
    •   Use clean, clear type - no fancy fonts - not all caps - and leave plenty of white space
    •   Include your name, address, email and cell or home phone at the top of the first page
    •   List your employment history starting with the most recent employer and working back in time
    •   If you have extensive employment experience, give a detailed account of just the last 10-15 years and briefly list older positions.  However, if you have only            been with 2 to 3 employers, give specific detail
    •   Include the city and state where each company is located and a 1-2 line description of what they do so the reader will know the context of your work
    ​•   If you have longevity, place the dates of employment on the right where they will be visible. If not, you can place the dates less prominently
    •   If you have had several positions with the same company you may include dates for each position if you like; but, be sure that they are less prominent than            the dates of your overall employment with that company
    •   If you have had very similar responsibilities with several employers you may summarize your experience and accomplishments as a whole. Then, below that          section, include an "Employment History" list of the companies, titles, dates, locations, and the companies' products or services

• Personal Information that could be helpful is:
    •    Foreign language and visa skills

 

View SAMPLE Resumes