1) Resume Power: Getting the most out of your resume

2) Screen strategies to resume writing

3) Writing skills resume/no work experience

4) Writing a cover letter

5) Job interview skills

6) Building a rapport with a mask

7). How employees can combat covid19 communication fatigue

Each student to write a 1 PAGE summary (YOUR UNDERSTANDING) of the articles/pdf Kes sent out by email on FEB26th.

Due on APRIL 9th.

You have to consult with the STUDENT SERVICES AND GET ASSISTANCE WRITING YOUR SUMMARIES. I AM LOOKING FOR PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS STYLE WRITING, SPELLING, GRAMMAR, APA STYLE CITATION.

30

CHAPTER 3
Resume Power: Getting the Most
from Your Resume

Y
our resume is a main focal point for much of
your job search. In many ways, the success of
your job campaign is dependent on its impact

and effectiveness. Writing your resume is not something you will want to leave
to chance.

Whether you are e-mailing it to a hundred search firms, responding to a want
ad in the Wall Street Journal, posting it on an Internet job board, e-mailing it
to an employer, using it as a networking tool, or simply handing it to a hiring
manager at the time of a job interview—your resume is the key marketing tool
by which you are marketing yourself. So, it needs to be good.

A successful job search demands an outstanding resume. If your resume is bor-
ing or run-of-the-mill, it will be quickly buried in the masses, and your job
candidacy will likely never see the light of day. On the other hand, if it is well
designed and carefully written, your resume will immediately seize the reader’s
attention, stimulate interest, and present a compelling case for the employer to
meet you and, later, to extend an offer of employment.

A Snowflake in a Blizzard
The need for an outstanding resume was recently driven home to me during a
conversation with a close friend who has been in the executive search business
for a number of years. At the time we had been discussing job search on the
Internet and the importance of a good resume when attempting to compete in
this environment. The following is the analogy he used as a way of visualizing
the level of resume competition when using this medium:

Imagine you are standing outside in a blizzard, during white-out
conditions, and are looking up at the sky. There are millions upon
millions of wind-driven snowflakes coming down in sheets of

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R E S U M E P O W E R : G E T T I N G T H E M O S T F R O M Y O U R R E S U M E

white. Now, imagine these are resumes, and yours is only one of them.
This is what it is like for your resume to compete on the Internet.

To me, this was a great way to visualize the intensity of this competition, and to
make a strong point about the need for a solid resume. Unfortunately, this visual
is closer to reality than you might initially think! Consider the following: A few
years back, when employers simply ran a single classified ad in the employment
section of a single newspaper, such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer or the
Philadelphia Inquirer, they might have received a hundred resumes or so. Now,
posting the identical ad on an Internet job board or two, at a fraction of the cost,
can easily generate several thousand resume responses. Think how this alone
reduces your chances of getting that job.

The Internet allows the employer to instantly reach a huge global audience. There
are no more geographical boundaries. A single ad can literally reach millions.
Moreover, employers may choose to supplement their Web advertisement by simul-
taneously searching one or two of the huge online resume databases (some of which
contain more than a million resumes), looking for “just the right candidate.” Your
resume is now among a cast of millions—that single snowflake in a blizzard of white.

In order to put this into more tangible perspective, consider the following. At the
time of this writing, the popular Internet job board Yahoo! HotJobs boasted more
than 20 million registered job seekers (most of whom had posted resumes on the
site). Many of these people could be searching for the same or similar job as you.
Moreover, CareerBuilder, the second largest job board, states that “millions of
unique visitors” visit its Web site monthly, many of whom have posted their
resumes for viewing by employers. Now, consider that, beyond Yahoo! HotJobs
and CareerBuilder, there are an estimated 40,000 job and career sites on the
Internet, and you begin to get some idea of the magnitude of the challenge you face.

Considering the extent of today’s competition and the huge numbers involved,
resume writing is not a process you can afford to leave to chance. Designing the
right resume can make all the difference in the world. It will determine whether
your candidacy rises to the top or sinks to the bottom of the stack.

Today’s Resume—A World of Change
How long ago did you write your last resume? Was it three years ago? Five years
ago? Perhaps 10 or more? If so, you are likely in for a few surprises! While you
were sleeping, the world has changed! The digital world of the Internet, coupled
with extensive use of “talent management software” by employers to screen
resumes, has greatly changed the world of resume design. So, if it’s been a while
since your last resume, you might want to throw away that old, standby resume
book and start anew. You have a lot of new things to learn.

Diverse Viewpoints—Who Is Right?
When it comes to resume writing, perhaps one of the more difficult challenges fac-
ing you is getting sound, professional advice on resume design from those who

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C H A P T E R 3

“really know.” Who are these experts? It seems these days, everyone has an opin-
ion on resumes. Just ask!

Couple this need for sound resume advice with the need for solid writing skills
and, for some job seekers, you have a recipe for “anxiety attack.” For even the best
of writers, the task of writing one’s own resume can be a challenge. And, for those
who don’t have the best writing skills, the very thought of writing a resume is
enough to send chills up the spine and cause dry palms to sweat!

What should I put in it? What should I leave out? How long should it be? Should
it be electronic or paper-based? How should it be worded? Should I e-mail it to the
employer or send it by snail mail? These are but a few of the many questions likely
rattling around in your head.

To make matters worse, there is a huge diversity of opinion out there. Just go onto
the Internet and have a look. There are thousands of pages on the subject of
resume writing, and almost as many views on the “right way” and the “wrong
way” to do it. What to believe? Who to believe? Where to start?

This chapter provides well-researched answers to these and other questions con-
cerning resume writing. It is based not solely on my own experience as a seasoned
career consultant and former Fortune 100 staffing manager, but also on the results
of a large survey of employment professionals. These observations and recom-
mendations are further refined through individual discussions with some of
America’s top corporate staffing and employment managers.

Who else could be more authoritative on this topic? These human resource and
staffing executives are the same professionals who screen each candidate’s resume
and determine who gets interviewed and who gets screened out. They certainly
know the topic well. They read resumes by the thousands—and yours will be one
of them!

So let’s blow away the myths and the fog and see what these experts have to say.

The SHRM Survey
A few years ago, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) con-
ducted a survey of some 582 human resource and staffing professionals on the sub-
ject of resumes and cover letters. Here are some key observations from this study:

■ Seventy-four percent (74%) prefer the “reverse-chronological resume” over
other formats.

■ Ninety-nine percent (99%) consider a “detailed job history” important to
resume effectiveness.

■ Ninety-one percent (91%) find a two-page resume acceptable, with some
preferring it over a single-page resume.

■ Sixty-two percent (62%) prefer that a resume not exceed two pages.
■ Eighty-nine percent (89%) prefer that a job seeker provide a stated objec-

tive in some form.

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So, this data suggests that job seekers should adhere to the following universal cri-
teria when developing their employment resumes:

■ Use a “reverse-chronological” format (which I explain later in this chapter).
■ Include some form of job objective statement (the type of position you seek).
■ Utilize a two-page format.
■ Provide a detailed job history.

Advice from Top Corporate Staffing Executives
Although the SHRM survey is quite useful in addressing questions concerning resume
style and format, it provides limited insight into resume content. In order to address
the matter of content, I therefore discussed this topic with a select group of top cor-
porate staffing executives, to see what their recommendations were on this subject.

Discussions with this group were very beneficial. Especially helpful was Virginia
(Ginger) Moore, Director of Staffing—Global Outsourcing for Unisys Corporation
in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, who gave generously of her time to discuss this topic in
some depth. Here are some key findings from these informal discussions.

Make It “Results” Focused Rather than “Activity” Focused
Modern resumes need to be focused on “results,” not “activities.” Simply provid-
ing a description of your position (functions you managed/performed, principal
accountabilities, size of staff, and so on) will not suffice. Instead, today’s employ-
ers want to know about your accomplishments. What problems did you tackle,
and what results did you achieve? Results provide “tangible evidence” of perfor-
mance. Activity statements or simple job responsibility descriptions provide no
such evidence, and leave employers guessing about your ability to use your talents
to make meaningful contributions.

Show Your Personal Impact
Resumes need to spell out your “personal impact.” Don’t simply describe yourself
as a member of a team that produced a significant accomplishment. State what you
personally contributed to this effort. What specific contribution did you make?
What value did you personally add to this end result? Your resume needs to make
this distinction. The employer is not hiring the team. They are hiring you!

Recommended Resume Styles
There are essentially two recommended resume styles, both of which are accept-
able to the professional employment community. These are the reverse-
chronological resume and the skills-based functional resume. Although it is clear
that the reverse-chronological resume is preferred, there are times when the skills-
based functional resume is the recommended format.

Note: You can purchase a summary of the full SHRM resume and cover letter survey
report directly through the Society’s Web site at www.SHRM.org.

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34

C H A P T E R 3

So that you can understand the difference between the reverse-chronological for-
mat and the functional format, I will begin with a brief comparison of the key
components of these two formats. Additionally, I will discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of both resume formats, so that you can decide which style best suits
your needs. I will follow this discussion with a detailed description of the key com-
ponents of each of the two resume types so that you will know how to construct
one and what to include in each section.

To make the job easier, I’ve included a sample of both reverse-chronological and
functional resumes for your reference (see figures 3.1 and 3.2). Spend a few
moments looking over these two resume samples. This will help you better visual-
ize exactly what I’m recommending. As they say, “A picture’s worth a thousand
words.”

Comparing the Two Resume Types
A brief comparison of the two sample resumes (reverse-chronological and func-
tional) illustrates that the key components are as follow:

Reverse-Chronological Resume Functional Resume

Heading (name, address, etc.) Heading (name, address, etc.)

Qualifications Summary Qualifications Summary

Skills Profile Skills Profile

Professional Experience (detailed job history) Major Accomplishments

Education Work History

Education

As this comparison reveals, the first three sections of both resume styles are iden-
tical. They both start with a Heading, followed by Qualifications Summary, and
then a Skills Profile. From this point on, however, they differ.

In the case of the reverse-chronological resume, the next component is the
Professional Experience section. This is the heart of the reverse-chronological
resume. As you can see from the sample resume, this section provides a detailed
history of each position you’ve held, arranged in reverse-chronological order. This
includes a brief description of principal job accountabilities, followed by a bulleted
list of key results or achievements. The focus of this resume style is on jobs.

In the case of the functional resume, however, the next resume component is titled
“Major Accomplishments.” Unlike the reverse-chronological resume, the focus of
this resume style is on functional skills rather than on specific jobs. So, as you can
see from the sample resume, the resume lists four to five major skill areas each fol-
lowed by a list of specific accomplishments related to the highlighted skill area.
The focus of this resume is on skills, not jobs. In fact, as you will notice, the Work
History section does not appear until the final page of the resume.

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R E S U M E P O W E R : G E T T I N G T H E M O S T F R O M Y O U R R E S U M E

Linda A. Johnson

435 Boston Road LAJohn@AOL.com Phone: (614) 877-9437
Appleton, WI 21811 Cell: (614) 866-9087

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

Seasoned Procter & Gamble lead project engineer with 8 years of experience in the successful
engineering design, installation, and startup of towel and tissue paper machines. B.S. Mechanical
Engineering, University of Michigan. Expert in wet-end forming equipment design. Hold 2 U.S. patents.

SKILLS PROFILE

Paper Machines Engineering Design Wet-End Design
Towel Machines Tissue Machines Transpiration Drying
Sheet Formation Pulp & Paper Yankee Dryers
Paper Converting Paper Finishing Charmin Tissue
Paper Machine Installation Paper Machine Startup Machine Design
Project Management Control Systems G.E. Motor Controls

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
PROCTER & GAMBLE 2003 to Present

Lead Project Engineer (2005 to Present)
Report to Engineering Project Manager. Lead team of 12 project engineers and 55 contract
personnel in the engineering design, installation, and startup of a $150 million tissue paper machine
and allied converting equipment at the Appleton, Wisconsin plant.

� Completed paper machine design phase in record time (delivered 2 months early).
� Modified existing forming section design, resulting in the award of 2 U.S. patents.
� Controlled project costs resulting in $2 million savings in Phase 1 of project.
� Assisted in resolving major labor dispute with contract workforce, avoiding costly project delay.
� Redesigned automated control systems application, resulting in savings of $1/4 million.
� Led engineering design and successful installation of novel transpiration dryer section on time.
� Headed cross-functional team responsible for evaluation of new paper converting equipment.
� Initiated use of new project planning software, improving planning and project cost control.
� Built and led high-performance work team, achieving high employee morale and efficiency.

Senior Project Engineer (2003 to 2005)
Reported to Lead Project Engineer. Supervised project team of 6 professionals (1 designer, 2
engineers, and 3 technicians) in the successful redesign, rebuild, and startup of the wet end of the #5
paper machine at the Winslow, Maine, plant.

� Redesigned and successfully installed wet-end section of #5 paper machine (a $25 million capital
project) on time and 5% under budget ($1/4 million savings).

� Led cross-functional team (engineering professionals and operating technicians) in highly
successful machine startup, achieving all production and quality benchmarks in under 6 weeks.

� Facilitated team project planning meetings using group problem-solving techniques to shorten
project delivery time and contain costs.

Figure 3.1: A sample reverse-chronological resume.

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36

C H A P T E R 3

Linda A. Johnson Page 2

WILSON PAPER COMPANY 1999 to 2003

Senior Project Engineer—Converting (2001 to 2003)
Reported to Plant Engineering Manager with responsibility for the engineering design, installation,
startup, and troubleshooting of towel and tissue paper converting and finishing equipment at the
Appleton, Wisconsin plant.

� Engineered and successfully installed the Prince Towel paper converting and finishing line
($18 million capital project) on time and within budget.

� Rebuilt Shop Towel bagging line with resultant savings of $1 million annually.
� Engineered and successfully installed TSI 2000 control system on #4 tissue converting line,

reducing machine downtime and saving over $1/2 million in labor costs annually.
� Automated warehousing distribution system (a $32 million project), reducing warehouse labor

costs by 20% ($3 million annual savings).

Project Engineer—Paper Mill (2000 to 2001)
Reported to Paper Mill Superintendent. Responsible for all engineering troubleshooting and
maintenance in support of an 800 ton per day, 4-machine papermaking operation.

� Installed preventive maintenance program, with scheduled online servicing, reducing machine
shutdown time by 20% ($2 million annual savings).

� Initiated predictive maintenance plan, allowing just-in-time parts replacement and reducing
machine failure and non-scheduled downtime by an estimated 10%.

� Assisted Senior Project Engineer in the successful startup of the #3 paper machine.

Engineer (1999 to 2000)
Entry-level engineering position. Provided assistance to senior engineering staff in a wide range of
engineering projects in papermaking and converting operations.

EDUCATION

B.S., Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, 1999
Dean’s List Student (4 years)

Wilson Scholarship Award (3 years)

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

2 United States Patents (Paper Forming Devices)

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Figure 3.2: A sample functional resume.

Linda A. Johnson
435 Boston Road LAJohn@AOL.com Phone: (614) 877-9437
Appleton, WI 21811 Cell: (614) 866-9087
QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY
Seasoned Procter & Gamble lead project engineer with 8 years of experience in the successful
engineering design, installation, and startup of towel and tissue paper machines. B.S. Mechanical
Engineering, University of Michigan. Expert in wet-end forming equipment design. Hold 2 U.S. patents.
SKILLS PROFILE

Procter & Gamble Project Management Wet-End Design
Towel Machines Tissue Machines

Team Building

Sheet Formation Pulp & Paper Yankee Dryers
Paper Converting Paper Finishing Charmin Tissue
Paper Machine Installation Paper Machine Startup Machine Design
Engineering Design TSI Control Systems G.E. Motor Controls

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Project Management—Paper Machines

� Led project team (12 engineers, 55 contractors) in the successful engineering design, installation,
and startup of $150 million Beloit twin-wire forming paper machine, on time and under budget ($4
million savings).

� Managed $35 million redesign and rebuild of #4 paper machine wet end, increasing machine
speed by 25% and improving quality of sheet formation ($5 million annual savings).

� Spearheaded project team that successfully replaced #3 tissue machine instrumentation and
control systems, reducing annual labor costs by 22% ($2 million annual savings).

� Led cross-functional team (engineering professionals and operating technicians) in the successful
startup of the new, 250 TPD #6 paper machine, beating all operating and quality objectives within
6 weeks of machine startup date.

� Built and motivated several high-performance, cross-functional work teams, providing key
leadership in both engineering and operations startup environments.

Project Management—Paper Converting

� Led team of 3 engineers in the successful design, installation, and startup of a complete tissue
converting and finishing line (project completed 1 month ahead of schedule and $120,000 under
budget).

� Managed project team in the reengineering and rebuild of Gordon Towel converting line,
increasing machine speed by 30% and reducing labor costs 15% ($1 million annual savings).

� Directed design team in the complete redesign of the Tailor Tissue converting and finishing line,
completing project ahead of schedule and demonstrating potential cost-saving of about $1.3
million over initial design proposal.

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38

C H A P T E R 3

Linda A. Johnson Page 2

Engineering Design

� Designed entire wet end of the #5 paper machine (a $30 million project), resulting in a 20%
increase in machine speed and improved sheet formation. (Awarded 2 U.S. patents.)

� Redesigned the dryer and after-dryer section of the #4 paper machine, reducing steam
requirements by 30% and increasing paper machine speed by greater than 10%.

� Designed the complete Wilson Towel paper converting and finishing line to include cutters,
slitters, winders, and gluing and packaging operations (a $25 million project), meeting all
deadlines.

� Designed full instrumentation and control system for an $18 million rebuild of the Stay-Dry Diaper
line, scheduled to go online in 6 months.

Team Building

� Trained, facilitated, and led cross-functional team (engineering and operations personnel) in the
successful startup of the #5 paper machine.

� Trained, developed, and led more than 6 different engineering project teams, meeting or beating
all project deadlines, and with an estimated $16 million in cost savings to my employers.

WORK HISTORY

PROCTER & GAMBLE 2003 to Present

Lead Project Engineer (2005 to Present)
Senior Project Engineer (2003 to 2005)

WILSON PAPER COMPANY 1999 to 2003

Senior Project Engineer—Converting (2001 to 2003)
Project Engineer—Paper Mill (2000 to 2001)
Engineer (1999 to 2000)

EDUCATION
B.S., Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, 1999
Dean’s List Student (4 years)
Wilson Scholarship Award (3 years)
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

2 United States Patents (Paper Forming Devices)

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So the key difference, as you can see from this comparison, is that the reverse-
chronological resume shows a clear connection between jobs and accomplish-
ments, whereas the functional resume does not. Instead, the functional resume
focuses on functional skill areas and related accomplishments, but deemphasizes
specific jobs, which are not shown until the second page of the document.

As illustrated by the same resumes, the final section of both resume formats is
Education.

Which Style Should You Pick?
Both resume formats are quite acceptable; however, as you saw from the SHRM
survey, the preferred style is reverse-chronological. As you will recall, this survey
showed that 74 percent of respondents prefer the reverse-chronological resume
over other resume styles. So, with a few exceptions, the reverse-chronological for-
mat should clearly be your style of choice.

To be sure that you select the right format for your specific situation, however, let’s
take a more in-depth look at the strengths and drawbacks of each of the two styles.
Let’s first examine the reverse-chronological resume format.

The Reverse-Chronological Resume Format:
Strengths and Drawbacks
Key characteristics of the reverse-chronological resume style, including strengths
and drawbacks, are as follow:

■ Highlights companies. Because company names are highlighted and stand
out in this resume style, using this format is advantageous if you have
worked for well-respected companies that are known leaders in their field.

■ Highlights job/career advancement. Because job titles and dates are promi-
nently displayed, it is to your advantage to use the reverse-chronological
resume format if you have had good career progression. A reasonable his-
tory of promotions and advancement provides prospective employers with
tangible evidence of your past productivity and value.

Note: Conversely, this could work to your slight disadvantage if your past employers are
lesser known, have a poor reputation in the industry, or are known to lag significantly
behind in the adoption of modern practices and technology.

Note: Lack of career progression and advancement is not of concern if you have
worked in a technical field and have a history of solid contribution. However, you will
probably not want to use this format if your job history shows a “downhill trend.” This
might suggest that your career has peaked and you are no longer as productive as you
once were.

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C H A P T E R 3

■ Highlights job stability. Because employment dates and job chronology
stand out, you might not want to use this style of resume if you have a
spotty employment record. It will enable the employer to easily see a his-
tory of many jobs in a short time interval, or gaps in employment dates.
This might raise concerns about your past performance and job stability.

■ Connects jobs with specific accomplishments. The reverse-chronological
resume makes a direct connection between jobs and specific accomplish-
ments. Employers, for the most part, want to know what you accomplished
in specific positions—especially in positions that are similar to their own
and in the same industry. The functional resume does not make this
connection.

■ Highlights recent results. What have you done lately? Employers like to see
what significant contributions you have made recently. They are less inter-
ested in achievements from 10 and 15 years ago. The reverse-chronological
resume allows the employer to make that determination.

The reverse-chronological resume is a great format to use if you can demonstrate
some good achievements in recent years. However, if this is not the case, and most
of your significant achievements occurred much earlier in your career, you might
want to consider using the functional resume format instead.

From the discussion thus far, you probably already have a pretty good idea which
format to use. However, let’s now take a look at the functional resume format.

The Functional Format: Strengths and Drawbacks
Key characteristics of the functional resume format, including strengths and draw-
backs, are as follows:

■ Highlights key functional skills. The primary focus of the functional resume
format is on key functional skills and their related accomplishments. This
style of resume therefore allows you to highlight your strongest skill areas,
drawing immediate attention to them. This can be an advantage if the skills
you choose to highlight are those that are considered most critical to job
success.

Note: Job stability is of much less concern if you have been working in an industry

or

occupation where high job turnover is commonplace. For example, high turnover or
employment gaps in engineering project management, aerospace, and information
technology is considered normal and would not raise undue concern.

Note: You will probably not want to use the reverse-chronological resume format if you
haven’t worked in your target industry or occupation for quite some time. This is also
true if you are making a complete career change into an entirely new occupation or
industry. In both cases, you will want to use the functional format.

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■ Connects key skills with results. This resume format does a good job of
connecting key skills with specific accomplishments. In doing so, it not only
draws attention to these key skills, but also provides the employer with
“evidence” of your skill level and proficiency by making the direct connec-
tion between the highlighted skill and specific achievements or results. This
is perhaps the strongest argument for using the functional format.

■ De-emphasizes spotty work history. This style of resume is recommended if
you have a spotty work history. If you have had several periods of unem-
ployment, extended unemployment, or a recent, prolonged period of under-
employment (employment in jobs that are sufficiently below your skill
level), these issues are immediately evident to employers if you use the
reverse-chronological resume format. In such cases, you will want to use
the functional resume and first draw the employer’s attention to your key
skills and accomplishments before revealing your employment history.

■ De-emphasizes job stability issues. This resume format is recommended
when you have had a history of frequent job turnover. If you have had a
number of positions, of short duration, in a relatively short time span, the
functional format is clearly the recommended resume style. Using a reverse-
chronological resume in this instance would highlight this issue and cause
many employers to move on to the next resume. When using the functional
format, the intent is to draw the employer’s initial attention to your key
skills and accomplishments, thereby generating interest, before revealing
employment history.

Note: You will not want to use this resume style if your strongest skills are not relevant
to your target position, or if you lack any critical skills, because it will draw attention to
their obvious absence. You will also want to remember that most employers prefer the
reverse-chronological resume format because they want to connect skills and accom-
plishments with specific jobs and industries (especially similar jobs in the same industry
as their own).

Note: Again, however, the majority of employers (74%) prefer to see a detailed job his-
tory showing the direct connection between specific jobs and their related accomplish-
ments. They especially want to know what you did in those jobs that are most like the
one they have to offer. The functional format does not provide this linkage.

Note: Seasoned employers are sometimes suspicious when this format is used and may
immediately go to the second page of the resume to check your work history.

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■ Recent results and accomplishments. If you haven’t accomplished much
of substance in recent years, or your most significant accomplishments
occurred much earlier in your career, you will want to go with a functional
resume. Unlike the reverse-chronological resume format, the functional for-
mat allows you to position your most relevant accomplishments “front and
center,” on page 1 of the resume.

By now, you should have enough information about these two resume styles to
make a clear choice. If for any reason you remain undecided, however, I recom-
mend that you use the reverse-chronological resume because the majority of
employers prefer this format.

The balance of this chapter provides a detailed description of each of the two
resume formats, so that you will understand exactly what they require in terms of
both layout and content. We will first begin with the chronological resume. So if
you will be preparing a functional resume, skip this next section and move directly
to the section entitled “Preparing a Functional Resume.”

Preparing a Reverse-Chronological Resume
Before beginning discussion of the chronological resume, spend a minute or two to
carefully review the sample resume in figure 3.1. Reviewing this resume shows that
it is organized into the following major sections and sequence:

■ Heading
■ Qualifications Summary
■ Skills Profile
■ Professional Experience
■ Education

The following sections explore each key resume component in detail, and in the
order shown on the resume sample, so that you will understand what is required
in its development.

Heading
The content of the Heading section is evident. It includes your name, address,
phone numbers, and e-mail address. In addition to home telephone, the heading
should also include a cell phone number, provided that you are able to take tele-
phone calls during the day without tipping your hand to your boss or fellow
employees who may be within earshot of your workstation or office. Do not
include your current work phone number.

Note: As with spotty work history, seasoned employers are sometimes suspicious when
the functional format is used, and therefore may immediately jump to the second page
of the resume to review work history.

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Qualifications Summary
The Qualifications Summary immediately follows the resume Heading. It provides
a concise, one- or two-sentence overview of your principal job function and indus-
try experience. It can also include one or two other major qualification highlights
such as name of a prestigious school from which you graduated, unique language
skills you possess, or brief statement of a major accomplishment.

A typical Qualifications Summary might read as follows:

Skills Profile
The Skills Profile, which immediately follows the Qualifications Summary, is
sometimes called by other titles, such as Skills Summary, Core Skills, Core
Strengths, or Core Competencies. Regardless of title, the Skills Profile is a list of
key job-relevant skills or skill areas that are crucial for performing the target posi-
tion. The Skills Profile is either written in narrative form or presented as a simple
listing. I recommend using a list because it is much easier for the employer to
quickly scan and spot keywords that are relevant to the qualifications sought. The
narrative presentation is also quite acceptable and is used frequently.

When developing your Skills Profile, include important skills or skill categories
that are widely recognized as core skills and competencies required for successful
performance of your targeted position. Avoid listing any extraneous skills that are
unrelated to the work you are seeking.

When choosing key skills for inclusion in this resume section, stick to nouns or
noun phrases. For example, if you are seeking a position as a control systems engi-
neer, you might include such nouns or noun phrases as control systems design,
G.E. control systems, motor controls, computer controls, instrumentation, and so
on. Or, if you’re seeking a position as a business development executive, you might
include such skill areas as joint ventures, channel partnerships, mergers and acqui-
sitions, due diligence analysis, and so on. When employers perform a keyword
search to screen resumes, they invariably use nouns or noun phrases as the focus

or

Qualifications Summary
Accomplished senior-level financial executive with 10 years of Fortune 100 and
major international consultancy experience in the chemical and petrochemical
industries. Harvard MBA. Trilingual: English, French, and Spanish.

Qualifications Summary
Seasoned senior project engineer skilled in the design, installation, and suc-
cessful start-up of paper machines in the consumer products industry.

Led

three major machine installations ($100+ million range) with consistent deliv-
ery on time and under budget. M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech.

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C H A P T E R 3

of their searches. Therefore, by using these in your resume, you greatly increase the
probability of a match.

As you develop your Skills Profile, avoid overusing subjective self-descriptions
such as “outstanding” team leader, “highly-strategic” manager, “dynamic” execu-
tive, “results-oriented” professional, “exceptional” interpersonal skills, “strong”
project-management skills, and the like. These, and others like them, are subjec-
tive qualities that serve no real purpose in the modern resume. They are meaning-
less! In fact, corporate recruiters often read these descriptions with skepticism,
wondering whether the person who walks through the door for an interview will
look anything like the resume description. Experience has shown that this is usu-
ally not the case.

If you are going to include personal traits or qualities at all (and you should), make
sure that they are truly relevant to the job. Ask yourself, “Are these traits and per-
sonal characteristics truly essential to performance of the job? Are these the per-
sonal qualities most employers would universally agree are essential to a high level
of performance?” If not, discard them! They are of no value and simply take up
precious resume space.

Moreover, avoid using such overused, hackneyed expressions as “team player,”
“strong leadership skills,” “excellent interpersonal skills,” “excellent communica-
tor,” “hardworking,” and the like. Everyone uses these same old, shopworn
expressions and they are now perceived as hollow and worthless.

Use your Skills Profile to showcase job-specific functional areas in which you have
expertise, techniques you have mastered, tools you have used, equipment you can
operate, special knowledge or skill areas in which you excel, and so on. For exam-
ple, a senior project engineer working in the paper industry for a consumer prod-
ucts company that manufactures facial tissue, toilet tissue, and paper towels might
use the Skills Profile section to list the following as hard-skill areas in which he or
she is competent or excels:

Note: I have provided a more comprehensive discussion of keywords, and how best to
select them, later in this chapter. Read this section carefully before completing the Skills
Profile section of your resume.

Project Management Machine Design Paper Machines

Wet End Design Transpiration Drying Machine Start-Up

Control Systems Yankee Dryers Towels

Facial Tissue Toilet Tissue Capital Projects

Machine Installation GE Controls Paper Company

Pulp and Paper Industry T.A.P.P.I. Cost Control

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Or an Internet marketing executive, for example, might include the following job-
relevant skill and competency areas in his or her Skills Profile:

On the other hand, a manufacturing operations or production manager might
show the following hard-skill categories in his or her Skills Profile:

By viewing these examples, you can clearly see the focus on using noun and noun
phrases. These are the same kinds of keywords employers will use when searching
for qualified persons to fill the positions highlighted in these examples. Note how
easy it is to spot job-relevant key qualifications in the list format.

Tip: This example uses the term “re-engineering” as well as “process re-engineering.”
Because digital resume screening often tallies the number of times a particular skill
area is mentioned in the resume and prioritizes resumes on this basis, such redun-
dancy is actually beneficial. Additionally, the employer might elect to use “process re-
engineering,” which might eliminate the candidate who used only “re-engineering.”
I recommend that you use several different name variations for the same skill area so
you are not automatically bypassed because you used only a single word to describe
an important skill area.

Internet Marketing Lead Generation Channel Partners

Online Acquisition Affiliate Management Vendor Management
Programs

ROI Metrics Strategic Partnerships Business
Development

Advertising Online Media Buys Financial Reporting

Budgeting Cost/Benefit Analysis Sales Channels

Market Strategy Competitive Analysis Account Penetration

Process Improvement Production Control Inventory Control

Re-engineering Process Re-engineering System Improvement

Change Management Cross Functional Teams High-Performance
Teams

Self-Directed Work Teams Lean Manufacturing Juran Quality
Improvement

Process Malcolm Baldridge QS/ISO
Optimization

Cycle Time Reduction Six Sigma Quality Production Planning

Cost Reduction Continuous Flow
Manufacturing

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C H A P T E R 3

Professional Experience
The Professional Experience section of your resume is the guts of the chronologi-
cal format, and is critical to the resume’s impact and success as a marketing docu-
ment. It is here that you either make the sale or lose out to the competition.

In this resume section you have the opportunity to showcase your major accom-
plishments and provide the employer with “evidence” of your skill proficiency and
ability to make relevant contributions. If your resume is to be compelling and have
meaningful impact, as the centerpiece of your overall job search, you will need
to spend some quality time making sure that this section is exceptionally well
written.

Modern interview theory is based on the concept that “the best predictor of future
performance is past performance.” If a job seeker has been highly productive and
a strong contributor in past jobs (particularly those of a similar nature to the
employer’s opportunity), the likelihood is high that this behavior will continue in
the future. So, employers focus heavily on this section of the resume, looking for
evidence of a consistent pattern of productivity and contribution when performing
this type of work.

As you can see from the sample resume, the chronological resume presents job his-
tory in reverse-chronological order. It begins with the current or most recent posi-
tion and then sequentially lists each position held, going back in time, so that the
last position shown on the resume is the first job you held.

While studying the sample resume, take particular note of its layout and format-
ting. Additionally, you will note how capital letters, bold print, bullets, and white
space have been used consistently throughout the resume to create good visual sep-
aration of the various resume components, making it visually pleasing and very
easy to read.

When viewing the sample resume, you will notice that the company name is in cap-
ital letters and is highlighted using bold type. Company employment dates, as illus-
trated, are positioned at the extreme right margin of the page and are also
highlighted in bold type. Job dates, on the other hand, are positioned immediately
adjacent to the job title and are enclosed in parentheses. Separation of dates, in this
fashion, thereby avoids any confusion as to which dates are company employment
and which dates pertain to specific jobs you’ve held at the same company.

Immediately following each job title is a brief job description that spells out your
reporting relationship and principal job accountabilities. As shown, you can easily
accomplish this in a single sentence.

Following the job description, highlighted with bullet points, is a list of approxi-
mately four to eight major accomplishments or results you’ve achieved. Although
to some it might seem laborious, it is extremely important that you spend quality
time recalling those specific accomplishments that the prospective employer will
see as both meaningful and significant. This is where some extra effort on your
part will have a huge payoff.

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When citing key accomplishments, start each such accomplishment statement with
a verb (for example, managed, directed, built, and so on) followed by a specific
end result. Note how this has been done on the sample resume.

An extensive list of key verbs is provided in table 3.1 for your reference and use.
When selecting a verb, pick the one that best describes exactly what you actually
did. For example, did you “manage,” “lead,” “direct,” “coordinate,” or what?

Not every result can be measured quantitatively, but where it can, it is a good idea
to include a quantitative measurement to convey the magnitude of the change or
improvement, especially if the result represented a significant improvement.
For example, note the difference in impact between the following two result
statements:

■ Implemented process-improvement program.

■ Implemented process-improvement program that resulted in a 30% cost
reduction ($2 million annual savings).

As you can see, a quantitative results statement has far greater impact on the
reader than a simple results statement that excludes a quantitative dimension.

When you plan this section of your resume, make sure that you first list those
accomplishments that are most significant and will have the greatest impact on the
reader. Then, organize the rest of your accomplishment statements in order of
descending priority based on their significance or impact. Adhere to the old adage,
“Lead with your strength.”

Table 3.1: Example Verbs for Your Accomplishments
Statements
Accelerated

Achieved

Acquired

Acted

Adapted

Addressed

Administered

Adopted

Advised

Allocated

Analyzed

Answered

Appointed

Appraised

Approved

Arbitrated

Arranged

Assembled

Assessed

Assigned

Assisted

Attained

Audited

Authored

Avoided

Balanced

Beat

Began

Bid

Blended

Brought

Budgeted

Built

Calculated

Capitalized

Catalogued

Chaired

Championed

Changed

Chose

Clarified

Classified

Closed

Coached

Co-founded

Collaborated

Collected

Co-managed

(continued)

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C H A P T E R 3

Combined

Commenced

Communicated

Compiled

Completed

Computed

Conceived

Conceptualized

Conducted

Confirmed

Consolidated

Contracted

Controlled

Converted

Coordinated

Counseled

Created

Critiqued

Crystallized

Customized

Defined

Delegated

Delineated

Delivered

Demonstrated

Deployed

Designed

Determined

Developed

Devised

Diagnosed

Digitized

Directed

Discovered

Dispatched

Doubled

Drafted

Drove

Earned

Educated

Enhanced

Enlisted

Entered

Envisioned

Established

Evaluated

Exceeded

Executed

Expanded

Facilitated

Focused

Formed

Formulated

Founded

Functioned

Gained

Generated

Grew

Guided

Halted

Handled

Headed

Held

Helped

Hired

Identified

Implemented

Improved

Increased

Initiated

Installed

Instilled

Instituted

Instructed

Integrated

Interpreted

Introduced

Invented

Investigated

Invigorated

Issued

Joined

Jump-started

Laid

Launched

Led

Leveraged

Litigated

Lowered

Maintained

Managed

Marketed

Mentored

Merged

Met

Monitored

Motivated

Moved

Negotiated

Networked

Opened

Optimized

Organized

Outlined

Overcame

Overhauled

Overrode

Overruled

Oversaw

Participated

Partnered

Penetrated

Performed

Piloted

Planned

Positioned

Predicted

Prepared

Presented

Prioritized

Processed

Produced

Programmed

Projected

(continued)

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Education
The final section of the standard or core resume is typically Education, although,
as you will see, there are some additional optional sections that may or may not
be added to the resume.

There is occasionally some question as to where this section of the resume belongs.
Does it belong on the first page, or on the last page of the resume? The answer is,
“It depends.”

If your education is relatively recent and from a highly regarded school, and your
job experience is relatively light, I recommend that you position Education on the
first page of the resume, immediately following the Qualifications Summary. On
the other hand, if your recent work experience is particularly strong and directly
related to the position for which you are applying, Education is best positioned
after Professional Experience. This becomes a judgment call, however, and it will
depend on which credential (education or work experience) is more marketable in
the context of the position for which you are applying.

As shown on the sample resume, the Education section is relatively straightfor-
ward. It includes degree earned, school, date of graduation, and any scholarships
or honors earned. If you are a new or recent graduate, it might also show

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Promoted

Proved

Provided

Published

Raised

Realized

Reallocated

Received

Recommended

Recovered

Recruited

Redesigned

Reduced

Reengineered

Reevaluated

Reformulated

Refueled

Rehabilitated

Renegotiated

Replaced

Repositioned

Represented

Researched

Resolved

Restored

Restructured

Retained

Reversed

Reviewed

Revised

Revisited

Revitalized

Salvaged

Saved

Scheduled

Screened

Secured

Selected

Served

Shaped

Shortened

Simplified

Sold

Spearheaded

Sponsored

Stabilized

Staffed

Started

Streamlined

Strengthened

Structured

Supervised

Supported

Surpassed

Systematized

Tamed

Teamed

Took

Trained

Transformed

Transitioned

Tripled

Updated

Utilized

Validated

Won

Wrote

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C H A P T E R 3

activities in which you were involved, as well as any leadership positions you held
while on campus.

Miscellaneous Sections
Although I have covered the typical sections of the standard or core resume docu-
ment, you need to understand that your resume is essentially a marketing docu-
ment and needs to include any other information that is relevant and helps to
“make the sale.” This is again a judgment call, and you should make it based on
the relevance or importance of this information to the industries and companies
that you have targeted.

If you are a research scientist, for example, you would probably want to list any
patents you hold, scientific books or papers you have published, technical presen-
tations you’ve made, and the like. Additionally, if you have held leadership posi-
tions in your professional society or trade association, you might want to include
a section titled Professional Affiliations, in which you list positions you’ve held and
the dates. Moreover, if you have received specific licenses or certifications in your
field, you would want to include these under a resume section titled Professional
Licenses and Certifications. Or, if you have taken a number of courses that distin-
guish you in your occupational specialty, you could list these in a special section
titled Relevant Courses and Training.

The Need for a Plain-Text Version
Although you should use the paper version of your resume for resume mailings,
job interviews, and networking, you will also need an electronic (plain-text) ver-
sion of it for use in various Internet job search activities. As you will see in the next
chapter, however, you can very easily convert your paper resume to an electronic
format.

The Keyword Conundrum
I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the importance of using keywords in your
resume. Because of the huge number of resumes pouring onto employer Web sites
through myriad sources (such as direct application, major job boards, search firms,
print ads, and the like), employers have been forced to use computers to do the ini-
tial screening. Without it, they would be buried alive! The process used for this
electronic screening is known as “keyword search.” It is believed that more than
80 percent of all resumes processed by employers are now electronically searched
for job-specific keywords before a human ever sees them.

What Are Keywords?
In reality, keywords are any words for which an employer digitally searches
resumes, as the means of identifying qualified candidates for a given job opening.
More specifically, keywords are typically nouns or noun phrases representing
specific areas of skill or competency that the employer feels are important to job
performance. You have just seen several examples in the Skills Profile section.

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Although these examples are right on target, keywords can fall into any of several
categories including the following:

■ Industry names (for example, chemical process, pulp & paper, automotive,
electronics, and so on)

■ Company names (usually the names of competitors or prized customers)
■ Business functions (for example, finance, accounting, engineering, law,

packaging, and so on)
■ Job titles (for example, engineer, physicist, project manager, plant manager)
■ Job levels (for example, supervisor, manager, vice president, and so on)
■ Job functions (for example, production planning, scheduling, salary admin-

istration, and so on)
■ Product names/types (for example, digital cameras, corn flakes, satellites,

whiskey)
■ Services (for example, consulting, financial planning, contracting, nursing,

and so on)
■ Certifications/licenses (for example, CPA, RN, MD, PE, and so on)
■ Educational level: (for example, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D.)
■ College major: (for example, English, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics,

Physics, and so on)
■ School name (for example, Harvard, Princeton, Penn State, University of

Alabama, and so on)
■ Professional skills (for example, machine design, architectural drawing,

heart surgery, and so on)
■ Equipment experience (for example, forklifts, cranes, computer control sys-

tems, furnaces, and so on)
■ Techniques (for example, behavioral interviewing, statistical process con-

trol, and so on)
■ Buzzwords (for example, customer focused, high-performance teams, chan-

neling, and so on)
■ Traits/characteristics (for example, aggressive, self-motivated, creative, dili-

gent, detailed, and so on)

As you can see, the possibilities are numerous. The challenge, however, is to choose
the right keywords, so that your resume will float to the top of the stack.

Winning at “Keyword Roulette”
So, as you can see, you are being forced to play “keyword roulette.” It’s a life-or-
death struggle. Choose the “wrong” words, and your candidacy is dead in the
water. Pick the right words, and you’re the grand prize winner! So, your career is
now in the balance. It rests on your ability to carefully select just the right

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combination of keywords for use in the Skills Profile section of your resume.
(Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?) So how do you play these odds and still come out
a winner? Is it possible to stack this deck in your favor? Absolutely! Here is what
you do and how to do it.

Study Employment Ads
Go onto a large Internet job board (such as Monster, CareerBuilder, or Yahoo!
HotJobs) or use an Internet job aggregator (such as Indeed.com, Simply Hired, or
Jobster) and conduct a job search for the type of position you are seeking. Print
several of these ads and lay them on the table in front of you. Then, using a high-
lighter, highlight the nouns and noun phrases (the key skill and competency areas)
displayed in each of these ads.

Now, list these nouns and noun phrases on a sheet of paper. Then, as these same
skill areas are repeated from ad to ad, simply put a check mark beside the keyword
each time it appears in an ad. Repeat this process for a couple of dozen ads. (Hint:
Take special note of any skill areas that seem to be emphasized repeatedly. Words
like “must have,” “preferred,” “highly desirable,” and so forth should give you a
clue.)

Now, step back and have a look. Obviously, those skill and competency areas that
have the greatest number of checkmarks are the ones that most employers are seek-
ing. You can consider these skills to be the universally valued skill set that most
employers consider important to successful job performance. These, then, are the
same words you will want to list in the Skills Profile section of your resume. You
can bet these are the same ones employers will be using as keywords for resume
screening purposes.

Job Descriptions
Try doing a similar analysis using job descriptions. Take a look at your own job
description as well as those of professional colleagues who hold the same job as
you. Again, go through and highlight nouns and noun phrases and perform the
same analysis as in the preceding section.

If you are unable to access a physical job description, try pulling up some job
descriptions using Internet search engines. Simply type your job title (and varia-
tions of it), along with such terms as “job description,” “job responsibilities,”
“skills,” “competencies,” “key skills,” “core skills,” “core competencies,” and
“core skills and competencies.” Be sure to put quotation marks around any two-
word terms to ensure that the search engine finds just the pages that include the
two words used together. In most cases, you will find what you need.

Note: Although it will take longer, you can do the same thing using newspaper ads.

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Professional Associations
Some professional organizations have done studies to identify the core skills and
competencies required for successful performance of various types and levels of
positions within their profession. This information may be readily available on the
association’s Web site. If not, call the association and inquire whether this infor-
mation exists and how to access it.

Company Web Sites
Check out company Web sites, particularly those companies in which you are espe-
cially interested. In addition to your target job, study other company job listings
for particular themes or trends. Are you seeing some of the same candidate quali-
ties and traits continuously repeated across a variety of the ads? This might sug-
gest a certain kind of profile that the company feels is most compatible with its
culture or business strategy. Also read the company’s annual report and select press
releases looking for similar themes. If you are seeing a consistent trend, you might
want to incorporate these as keywords in the resume you send this firm.

So, as you can see, this is not quite the game of keyword roulette I mentioned ear-
lier. There are some intelligent ways to play and win this word game. It just
requires a little extra work on your part. But it can have a huge payoff.

Repetition Counts!
This is one of the few times that repetition really counts. When employers use dig-
itized computer scanning to select resumes, the software not only looks for certain
keywords, but will often count the number of times these keywords appear in the
resume document. The greater the count, the higher the probability that the
resume will be selected.

Therefore, when writing your resume, you will want to repeat these keywords
numerous times throughout the body of the resume document so that you increase
the odds of having your resume selected as one of the finalists and positioned clos-
est to the top of the stack.

Additionally, you need to be alert to the use of synonyms (words having the same
meaning). For example, the words “recruiting” and “staffing” mean the same
thing as “employment.” Employers use these terms interchangeably. The same is
probably true of certain keywords you will be using in your resume. Be aware of
these synonyms and alternate using them throughout the resume.

Likewise, if you are using acronyms such as JIT (just-in-time), SPC (statistical
process control), or SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), you will

Tip: Don’t overuse keywords, however, to the point that it is nonsensical or hilariously
obvious that you are trying to load up your resume just so that it will be selected.
Although such a tactic might impress a computer, it will not be very impressive to the
human being that will be reading your resume. Overdoing this trick could well rele-
gate your resume to the “dead bones” pile, so use this tactic wisely.

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also want to use the full name, in addition to these abbreviations, to be sure you
have all of your bases covered.

Preparing a Functional Resume
As previously discussed, there are times when you should choose a functional style
resume over the reverse-chronological format. By now, you have probably made
that decision.

Before I provide a detailed description of the functional resume format, take a few
moments to study the functional resume sample in figure 3.2. Take particular note
of the general resume layout as well as specific sections and the sequence in which
these sections appear in the document.

Reviewing this sample resume shows that it is organized into the following major
sections, in the order shown:

■ Heading
■ Qualifications Summary
■ Skills Profile
■ Major Accomplishments
■ Work History
■ Education

I will describe each of these resume sections so that you understand what is
required in each and how it is best developed and written.

Heading
As with the reverse-chronological resume, the content of the heading section is
obvious. It includes your name, address, phone numbers, and e-mail address. You
should include your cell phone number as well, unless doing so could a cause an
embarrassing or compromising situation. You would certainly not want your boss
or a co-worker to overhear you discussing the possibility of a new position with a
different employer.

Qualifications Summary
The Qualifications Summary follows the resume heading and provides a concise
overview of your functional and industry experience. Sometimes it might also be
used to highlight a unique qualification, such as a degree from a well-known
school, a unique skill, or an exceptional accomplishment. The following is an
example of a typical Qualifications Summary.

Qualifications Summary
Creative Procter & Gamble packaging design engineer with 10 years of experi-
ence. M.S. in Packaging Engineering, Michigan State. Awarded four (4) U.S.
patents.

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or

Skills Profile
The Skills Profile immediately follows the Qualifications Summary. Other head-
ings you might use for this section include Core Skills & Competencies, Skills
Summary, Key Skills, Core Strengths, or Core Competencies. Regardless of which
title you use, the Skills Profile contains a listing of key skills or skill areas consid-
ered vital to job performance. It can be written using either a narrative or a sim-
ple list format. Employers might have a slight preference for the simple skills listing
because it is easier to read and also makes it easier to spot specific skill areas for
which the employer has a preference.

The Skills Profile is designed to highlight important skills or skill categories that
are readily recognized and universally accepted as critical to successful job perfor-
mance. When preparing this skills listing, you will want to avoid including unre-
lated skills that are not relevant to the position for which you are applying, as these
distract rather than add value to the resume.

As emphasized earlier, when selecting key skills for inclusion, I strongly encourage
you to use nouns or noun phrases that represent particular areas of strength or
competency. This is because when employers use a keyword search to screen
resumes, they typically use nouns or noun phrases as the basis for their searches.
They are searching for concrete things, such as company names, specific job titles,
specific skills, names of specific business functions, names of specific technologies,
specific methods or practices, and so on. They are focused on searching for con-
crete things rather than descriptive phrases comprised principally of adjectives.

Avoid overuse of subjective self-descriptions such as “charismatic” team leader,
“highly motivated” manager, “solid” producer, “results-focused” professional,
“outstanding” communicator, “strong” contributor, and the like. These expres-
sions, and similar ones, are subjective qualities, which, from the employer’s per-
spective, are essentially meaningless. Recruiters pay little or no attention to such
subjective self-evaluations, and, in fact, often joke that the candidate who walks
through the door seldom resembles the superlative description contained in the
resume. Subjective self-descriptions of this type are simply not believable. They
add no value and only take up precious resume space that you could utilize more
effectively.

If you feel compelled to include personal traits or qualities at all, make sure that
they are truly job-relevant. Ask yourself, “Are these traits or characteristics really
important to performance of the job? Are these the traits most employers would

Qualifications Summary
Wharton MBA with three years of portfolio management for Western Asset
Management, a leading bond investment company with more than $500 bil-
lion under management. Recipient of Top Trader Award three years running.

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C H A P T E R 3

universally agree are critical to a successful job performance?” If not, eliminate
them. They add nothing of value to the resume.

Be sure to especially avoid use of certain overused, hackneyed expressions. For
example, everybody is a “team player,” has “strong leadership skills,” has “excel-
lent interpersonal skills,” is a “good communicator,” is “hardworking,” and the
like. If you feel you must use such subjective descriptors at all, restrict their use to
the cover letter rather than include them in the resume document. Conserve valu-
able resume space for displaying key accomplishments or other important qualifi-
cations that have real meaning and value to the employer.

In place of these meaningless self-descriptors, you are better served by including
only non-subjective “hard” skills in your Skills Profile. Use nouns and noun
phrases to list job-specific functional areas in which you have expertise, techniques
you have mastered, tools you have used, equipment you can operate, special
knowledge or skill areas in which you excel, and so on. For example, a financial
executive might list the following “hard” skill areas as areas in which he or she has
strong expertise:

On the other hand, a telesales account executive working in the field of fund-
raising might show the following hard skill categories in his or her Skills Profile:

Or, a director of business development might list the following skills in his or her
Skills Profile:

Financial Management International Finance Mergers

Acquisitions Capital Financing Debt Reduction

International Taxation Financial Planning Asset Leveraging

Capital Acquisition Financial Analysis Risk Management

Shareholder Value Cash Management Strategic Financing

Call Center Management Subscription Fulfillment Sales/Marketing

Financial Management Inventory Management Account Development

Fund-raising Donor Base Building Relationship Building

Donor Benefits Market Analysis Team Building

Partnership Management Channel Partners Competitor Analysis

Joint Ventures Market Analysis New Market Identification

Due Diligence Negotiations Marketing Strategy

Capital Funding Acquisitions Mergers

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Major Accomplishments
The Major Accomplishments section of the resume is really the “guts” of the func-
tional resume. The purpose of this section is to highlight your major achievements
and accomplishments in the key skill areas that you highlighted in the Skills
Profile. Employers will read this section carefully in search of hard evidence that
you not only possesses the key skills required of the position, but that you can
also use these important skills to achieve the results expected of the person in the
position.

The basic premise on which modern interviewing and employment selection the-
ory is based is that “past performance is the most reliable predictor of future per-
formance.” So, if a candidate is skilled in the right areas, and has used these skills
to continuously achieve significant results in past jobs, the likelihood is that this
pattern will continue into the future, after the candidate has been hired.

When preparing this section of the resume, begin by selecting four or five key skills
from the Skills Profile to highlight. I strongly recommend that you choose these
skills areas carefully and that you choose those considered most critical to overall
job success. Moreover, when listing them on your resume, position them in order
of their relative importance to performance success, going from most important to
least important.

The “Winning at ‘Keyword Roulette’” section earlier in this chapter provides an
excellent process for deciding which primary skill areas (keywords) you might
want to highlight. There are certain skill areas most employers recognize as essen-
tial to successful performance of your targeted position. You will want to include
these among the skill areas you choose to highlight.

Once you have chosen those key skill areas you want to highlight, list at least three
to five (or more) specific accomplishments or results you have achieved for each
skill area. A quick look at the sample resume in figure 3.2 will give you the right
idea.

Each key accomplishment or results statement should begin with a verb (for exam-
ple, leveraged, launched, consolidated, expanded, reengineered, and so on) fol-
lowed by a “quantitative” result. Some examples of good result statements are the
following:

or

■ Consolidated two divisions into a single unit, reducing headcount by 32%
($5 million annual savings).

■ Funded new venture in record time, raising over $.5 million in 3 days.

or

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C H A P T E R 3

A listing of commonly used verbs is provided on page 47 for your reference. When
selecting a verb to introduce your result statements, try to be as precise as possi-
ble. Select the verb that most accurately depicts the action you took. For example,
did you “lead,” did you “direct,” did you “supervise,” or did you “coordinate”?
Which verb most precisely represents the action you took?

As cited earlier, not every achievement can be measured quantitatively. If possible,
however, where you cannot furnish an exact measurement, try to ascribe an
approximate measurement. For, example, it is okay to say you improved some-
thing by “approximately 30%” rather than simply stating that you improved it.
This is especially true when the improvement was a significant one. Certainly the
addition of the words “approximately 30%” has far greater impact than not
including this particular qualifier.

Education
The Education section of the resume is relatively simple and straightforward. It
includes degree earned, school, and date of graduation. It may also include any
scholarships awarded and honors earned. If you are a recent graduate, the resume
should also list any campus activities in which you were involved, as well as cam-
pus leadership positions you held.

Miscellaneous Sections
Because the resume is intended as a marketing document, you might want to
include additional sections beyond the Education section, if doing so will enhance
your overall qualifications in the eyes of the employer. The decision whether to add
such sections should be based on the relevance of this additional information to
the industries and companies you have targeted.

If you are an engineer or other technical professional, for example, you should
probably list any pertinent patents you hold, relevant papers you have published,
technical presentations made, and the like. In doing so, you might want to title this
section “Publications and Patents,” “Professional Achievements,” or some other
appropriate heading. Additionally, if you have held leadership positions in your
professional society or trade association, you might want to include a section titled
Professional Affiliations, in which you list the dates and positions held.

Moreover, if you are licensed or professionally certified in your field, include this
information under a section titled Professional Licenses and Certifications. Or, if
you have taken a number of special courses that serve to uniquely qualify you for
the position you seek, you might want to include a listing of these courses under a
special section titled Relevant Courses and Training. This is especially true if this
additional training is well recognized in your profession and would cause you to

■ Reduced manufacturing costs from $4 per unit to $3.50 ($300,000 annual
savings).

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stand out from other job seekers with who you must compete. However, avoid list-
ing courses that have no relevance to your targeted position. Such extraneous
information is essentially meaningless to an employer, and may cause the employer
to wonder about your judgment.

The Need for a Plain-Text Version
Although the resume formats described in this chapter are ideal for use in the job
interview, for a direct-mail campaign, and for networking, you will also need a
plain-text version of your resume for use on the Internet. Fortunately, the formats
covered in this chapter are fairly Internet-friendly and can easily be converted into
a plain-text (ASCII) resume version, as you will see in the next chapter.

Chapter Summary

Key points to remember when designing an effective resume are the following:
■ Choose the resume style (either reverse-chronological or functional) that best

markets you to your target employers.
■ Remember that most employers (74 percent) prefer the reverse-chronological

resume format over other resume formats.
■ Use the standard format and resume sections recommended in this chapter.

They are those with which employers are most familiar and comfortable.
■ Make effective use of universally accepted keywords throughout your resume

to increase the probability that your resume will pop to the top of the stack
when it is scanned by a computer.

■ Be sure that your resume is “results focused,” not “activity focused.”
Employers are looking for your achievements, not a job description.

■ When describing results you achieved, be sure to include quantitative descrip-
tions that illustrate the magnitude and importance of your accomplishments.

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Business Communication Quarterly
76(4) 427 –445

© 2013 by the Association for
Business Communication
Reprints and permissions:

sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

DOI: 10.1177/1080569913501860

bcq.sagepub.com

Article

Updating Best Practices:
Applying On-Screen Reading
Strategies to Résumé Writing

Charlsye Smith Diaz1

Abstract
The best practices presented in textbooks and professional publications provide
separate guidelines for paper-based and electronic or “scannable” résumés. This
article recommends changing these practices so that writers can prepare one résumé
for both paper and electronic delivery. These recommendations focus on three
areas. Résumés should be formatted based on eye-tracking research about on-screen
reading. Specific guidelines should help writers decide when to include an objective or
summary. Keywords should be prioritized over active verbs. Last, résumés still must
be formatted for paper but designing for on-screen reading is now equally or more
important, and best practices need to reflect this change.

Keywords
résumé, résumé design, electronic résumés, job-search communication

There are stories on the Internet about people who send out their résumés stuffed in a
shoe (to get a foot in the door) or in a pizza box (to deliver a top-notch candidate).
Students want to know: Should I do that? They are really asking: What should a
résumé look like in 2013?

•• What expectations about traditional résumés still exist? Are U.S. employers
ready for sneaker résumés? Résumés in color? Image-based résumés?

•• If an objective is optional, what criteria should be used to decide when to
use one?

1University of Maine, USA

Corresponding Author:
Charlsye Smith Diaz, Department of English, University of Maine, 5752 Neville Hall, Room 304, Orono,
ME 04469, USA.
Email: charlsye.diaz@maine.edu

501860BCQ76410.1177/1080569913501860Business Communication QuarterlyDiaz
research-article2013

428 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

•• Is the practice of using active verbs and parallel construction to “emphasize
your vitality, and help you stand out” (Lannon, 1994, p. 481) still important
today?

•• Do employers really use optical character recognition (OCR) software to scan
résumés so that they can be “read” by computers?

In this article, I identify current résumé-writing practices and then recommend
practical changes to these practices based on research about the way people read from
computer screens and on employer preferences for receiving résumés.

Establishing Current Practices: Materials Consulted

To determine the current best practices for résumé writing, I collected and examined
materials that students are likely to encounter. These materials include approximately
30 textbooks, a magazine distributed by campus career centers, trade books, and
advice that students might encounter online. The collection focuses on printed and
online materials for which college students are the main audience. Students also may
seek advice about résumés from advisors, relatives, internship supervisors, and others,
but information from these types of sources was not collected.

The textbooks examined were published between 1982 and 2013 for business and
technical communication courses. Current best practices were established based on the
materials published between 2010 and 2012; materials published in or prior to 2009
were used to place practices in historical context.

I examined the articles about résumé writing published in the 2011 and 2012 edi-
tions of Job Choices, a magazine published annually by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers (NACE; 2011a, 2011b) and distributed through career cen-
ters at 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities. NACE publishes three print and
digital editions of each issue: a business and liberal arts edition; a science, engineer-
ing, and technology edition; and a diversity edition. Each edition includes the same
articles related to résumés. Job Choices is free for students.

Another free resource is information available online. While impossible to capture
and catalog all information available online, I drew on information published on
RésuméEdge.com, a professional résumé preparation company operating online, and
information curated on CareerBuilder.com.

Alison Doyle’s Job Search Guidebook (2011), authored by the curator for About.
com’s Job Searching site, is one of two trade books referenced in this study. Doyle’s
ebook is available at times for free download to Kindle. Communications consultant
Arthur D. Rosenberg (2008) authored the second book, The Résumé Handbook: How
to Write Outstanding Résumés & Cover Letters for Every Situation. These books are
representative of information available in the trade press.

Review of Current Practices

Some readers may find a review of current résumé-writing practices to be unneces-
sary; however, these practices need examining specifically because they have become

Diaz 429

an unquestioned part of how we teach and talk about résumés. Current résumé instruc-
tion focuses on four topics:

•• Résumé structures: chronological or functional (skills-based) résumés
•• The résumé objective and career summary
•• Active verbs and parallel construction
•• “Electronic” and “scannable” résumés

Since 1981 (the starting point of my study), one practice has remained consistent
over time: employers continue to prefer traditionally structured résumés. Other prac-
tices have changed considerably. Personal computing, fax machines, and the Internet
have changed the way résumés are delivered and received. Applicants no longer worry
about typing a “perfect” original résumé or pay expensive lithography fees to prepare
excellent copies, but instead must worry about what a résumé looks like when pasted
into an online textbox. Our résumé-writing practices need to be updated based on cur-
rent technologies and the way résumés are submitted and shared within organizations.
The four most common practices and topics of instruction are reviewed below.

Current Practice: Use a Chronological or Functional Résumé Structure

Research shows that employers prefer conventional résumé structures and do not like
“creative” résumés, which include almost any résumé that differs from a conventional
structure: one with color, photos, images, graphs/charts, or with pictographic displays.
This preference suggests that any updates to current practices must support conven-
tional structures.

Conventional structures include chronological and functional résumés.
Chronological résumés present education and employment in reverse chronological
order, and in the 1980s, résumés were ordered as follows: name and address; career
objectives; educational background; work experience; personal activities, interests,
awards, and special skills; and references (Lannon, 1982). Now, personal activities,
interests, and references are not included on a résumé. People with a “solid” work his-
tory might put their work history before their education. A functional résumé, some-
times called a “skills-based” résumé, “focuses on a candidate’s skills rather than on
past employment” and “groups skills and accomplishments in special categories . . .”
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 504). Employers continue to prefer conventionally struc-
tured résumés over “creatively” formatted résumés.

Arnulf, Tegner, and Larssen (2010) confirmed employers’ preferences for conven-
tionally structured résumés. Arnulf et al. evaluated which layout of a résumé influ-
enced an applicant’s chance to be shortlisted for an interview. During this study,
résumés were presented in “creative” and “formal” formats. Formal formats followed
a traditional ordering of information, based on a template from Microsoft Word. In
“creative” formats, “the contents of the résumé such as education, work experience,
etc. were written into a graphical pattern of circles and squares that conveyed a more
dynamic, but less orderly, shaped presentation” of a person’s credentials (p. 225). The
study found that “[t]he same candidate was nearly twice as likely to be shortlisted

430 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

when [the résumé was] presented in a formal as opposed to a ‘creative’ layout” (p. 227).
Textbooks consistently advise students to use chronological or functional résumés,
and any changes to current practices should occur with this preference in place.

Current Practice: Consider Using an Objective, Qualifications Statement,
or Summary

Almost every résumé writer asks: Do I need an objective or a summary statement? A
1983 survey of personnel administrators of 500 top-ranked organizations in the United
States confirmed that 90% expected to see an objective (Hutchinson, 1984). The cur-
rent consensus among textbook authors is that the objective and career summary are
optional, but none of the sources examined explain how to decide when to use an
objective or summary statement.

Some current textbooks examined maintain that the objective is necessary, but do
not support their assertions well. Gerson and Gerson (2012) recommend using both an
objective and a summary of qualifications, advising applicants to list their top three to
seven most marketable credentials. Flatley, Rentz, and Lentz (2012) and Locker and
Kaczmarek (2011) promote using an objective, and out of the books reviewed, provide
the most specific instructions for composing the objective, but still do not provide
instructions for deciding when to use an objective. Flatley et al. provide the best infor-
mation for composing an objective, recommending that the applicant use the “exact
job title” or “[use] words to convey a long-term interest in the targeted company” or
“[word] the objective to point out your major strengths” (p. 312). Locker and
Kaczmarek suggest using an objective that reads like the advertised job description
and contend that the objective is optional, but hold that every résumé should have a
statement of qualifications. Anderson (2011) also holds that résumés need an objec-
tive, and cites a 2003 publication, but this source is not listed in his reference list. A
Google search leads to a post on a job-search website. Have we accepted résumé prac-
tices as so commonplace that we do not question the source of such advice or whether
the advice is complete, as the following examples show?

Other textbooks wander around the subject of objectives, but never explain when to
use an objective, as this discussion illustrates:

A career objective identifies either a specific job you want to land or a general career track you
would like to pursue. Some experts advise against including a career objective because it can
categorize you so narrowly that you miss out on interesting opportunities, and it is essentially
about fulfilling your desires, not about meeting the employer’s needs. In the past, most résumés
included a career objective, but in recent years more job seekers are using a qualifications
summary or career summary. However, if you have little or no work experience in your target
profession, a career objective might be your best option. If you do opt for an objective, word it
in a way that relates your qualifications to employer needs. . . . Avoid such self-absorbed (but
all too common) statements as “A fulfilling position that provides ample opportunity for career
growth and personal satisfaction.” (Bovée & Thill, 2010, pp. 537-538)

Diaz 431

This description, like others, assumes the student already knows which criteria to use
when deciding whether to use an objective, qualifications statement, or career summary.

Also sharing this assumption are Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu (2011), who write, “A
job objective introduces the material in a résumé and helps the reader quickly under-
stand your goal. If you decide [emphasis added] to include an objective, use a heading
such as ‘Objective’ . . .” (p. 243). In this description, the underlying assumption is that
students already know that the objective is optional and that they know how to decide
whether or not to use one.

Similarly to textbooks, trade press publications agree that the objective is optional,
but they do not explain how to decide when to use one. Doyle (2011) holds that the
objective “is optional, but taking time to write a customized objective that matches the
job you are applying for will definitely help you stand out from the other candidates”
(loc. 843). Without clear guidance about when to include an objective or summary, the
current best practice is vague and not useful. An updated best practice needs to explain
how to decide when to include an objective, qualifications statement, or career
summary.

Current Practice: Use Active Verbs and Parallel Construction

As conflicted as experts are about the use of an objective or summary, experts agree
that the job descriptions listed in the work history/employment section of a résumé
should be formed using active verbs and parallel construction. But where did this
advice originate? For what purpose? Is using active verbs and parallel construction
still important today?

In the mid-1970s, résumé writers were advised to use phrases instead of sentences
to describe work history. The Advanced Management Journal (“Writing your first,”
1975) explains that “the writing style . . . should be short, telegraphic phrases. You
should think of the résumé as a telegram; every word is costing the reader time and
energy, so all unnecessary verbiage should be eliminated” (p. 53). This article included
this sample job description from a résumé’s work history:

Assistant Director of Marketing. For international iron smelting company, 200 employees,
$75 million annual sales. Major responsibilities include assisting marketing director in
spurring new-product research, developing strategy for new marketing areas, and
coordinating advertising and promotion campaigns. Also have responsibility for
implementing marketing department directives and keeping financial records for department.
Supervise personal staff of five. (“Writing your first,” 1975, p. 57)

Eventually, all textbooks began advising résumé writers to use sentence fragments
with active verbs and parallel construction to enhance the readability of paper résu-
més, and this advice remains in place today.

Textbook authors Tebeaux and Dragga (2012) explain that “[t]o save space and to
avoid the repetition of I throughout the résumé, use phrases rather than complete sen-
tences. . . . Use nouns and active verbs in your descriptions” (p. 308). Guffey and

432 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

Loewy (2011) point out that the use of active verbs ensures the parallel construction of
job descriptions, advising that “[s]tatements describing your work experience can be
made forceful and persuasive by using action verbs. . . . Starting each of your bullet
points with an action verb will help ensure that your bulleted lists are parallel” (p. 507).

Using active verbs and parallel construction to make résumés more forceful worked
well in the 1980s and 1990s when résumés were composed on typewriters, and later,
word processors that offered few options for enhancing the readability of a résumé.
However, with today’s technology, résumé writers can emphasize specific informa-
tion by changing typefaces and font sizes. In addition, very slowly, textbook authors
are beginning to advise résumé writers to use specific nouns—or keywords—to
describe job duties. But this advice is always related to creating “scannable” résumés
and not related to writing clear and specific work histories. We need to determine
whether either practice is effective, and if so, when each should be used.

Current Practice: Achieve Visual Appeal Through a Balanced Layout

Current practices related to visual appeal have changed the most since the 1980s. Early
practices related to visual appeal focus on the quality of paper and reproduction. In
1982, Lannon recommended that “[w]hen fully satisfied with your résumé, have your
model printed by a lithographer or printer. For about forty dollars, you can obtain a
better-looking copy than you could produce on a typewriter” (p. 379). Current advice
focuses on how to achieve a visually appealing résumé as it is laid out on paper.

Pfeiffer and Adkins (2013) advise students to “arrange information so that it is
pleasing to the eye and easy to scan” (p. 606). To make the résumé easy to read,
Tebeaux and Dragga (2012) recommend that writers “leave generous margins and
white space. Use distinctive headings and subheadings. The use of a two-column
spread is common, as is the use of boldface in headings” (p. 316). The underlying
assumption about guidelines for balanced and well-designed résumés is that résumés
need to be designed as paper documents. In reality, today’s résumés are often elec-
tronic texts first, emailed to potential employers, and read on screen as electronic texts.

Balderrama (2010) urges job seekers to consider how résumés look when they are
received and displayed on a screen:

Make sure the formatting looks good on your computer screen. Before hitting the “send”
button, check hyperlinks, turn off the spell checker so that proper nouns don’t have red
squiggles underlining them, and pick a font that’s easy to read. (para. 7)

The way a résumé looks on screen after it has been sent electronically is important to
updating résumé writing practices.

Current Practice: “Scannable” and “Electronic” Résumés Need to Be
Prepared Differently

Many textbooks and trade books advise applicants to prepare a second, “scannable”
résumé. A “scannable” résumé is scanned by a corporation into a database using OCR

Diaz 433

software. One major difference between a scannable résumé and a regular résumé is
that authors recommend including a list of keywords at the top of the scannable
résumé. Gerson and Gerson (2012) describe the technology used to do this work:

The company’s computer program scans résumés as raster (or bitmap) images. Next, the
software uses artificial intelligence to read the text, scanning for keywords. If your résumé
contains a sufficient number of these keywords, the résumé will be given to someone in the
human resources department for follow up. (p. 246)

Kolin (2012) explains that “the more matches, or hits, [employers] find between
appropriate keywords on your résumé and those on their list, the better your chances
are of being interviewed” (p. 177). What few texts ever explain is how an applicant
could possibly know which type of résumé to submit—a regular résumé or a scannable
one. Only one text of those reviewed advises calling the company to find out whether
it uses scanning software (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).

But, more interesting is that approximately half of private-sector nonfarm workers
are employed by small businesses, which account for 99.7% of all employers, accord-
ing to the U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2012).
These employers are unlikely to have software that reads résumés. Of the companies
that do have such software, Schullery, Ickes, and Schullery (2009) found that only 3%
of U.S. and multinational company survey respondents preferred résumés that could
be read by an optical reader. Most knowledge about how the optical readers work is
speculative because companies tend to keep these types of processes proprietary, but
Schullery et al. found that companies using an optical system often find them unreli-
able and maintain redundant systems or input data manually. In other words, the résu-
més are read by human eyes and data from each résumé is gleaned by a person.

The idea of the “scannable” résumé with a string of keywords listed across the top
is outdated, but the idea that résumés are manipulated in multiple ways by employers
needs more attention. Markel (2012) acknowledges that OCR scanning of résumés is
“less common,” but Markel still differentiates between a résumé read by a person and
one that is searched: “However, if you submit a printed résumé to a company, you
should consider how well the document will scan electronically” (p. 421). Zambruski
(2008), writing for RésuméEdge.com, suggests using keywords throughout the
résumé, which eliminates the need for a list across the top. Anderson (2011) advises
“[putting] your keywords in nouns, even if your scannable résumé becomes wordy as
a result” (p. 47). Although this instruction is not clarified further, the emerging idea is
that keywords need to be included throughout the résumé.

Flatley et al. (2012) instruct applicants preparing scannable résumés to change
generic terms to specific keywords. For example, “[i]nstead of listing a course in com-
parative programming, you would list the precise languages compared, such as PHP,
C++, and Java” (p. 328). Today, this advice should apply to every résumé, and updated
best practices need to focus on writing one résumé without knowing precisely how the
employer, or even a specific résumé reviewer, will approach the résumé.

Any change to résumé practices needs to be made with the assumption that once an
applicant submits a résumé, the applicant loses control over what happens to it: A

434 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

paper résumé may become an electronic document read by a computer search engine,
and an electronic résumé may become a paper résumé read by a ballerina doing temp
work between productions.

Updating Résumé-Writing Best Practices Based on How
People Approach On-Screen Texts

Eye-tracking research provides the most scientific evidence for guiding how we should
write and format résumés that work as paper and electronic documents. Nielsen (2006)
found that people read web pages in an “F-shaped” pattern. Shrestha and Lenz (2007)
confirm Nielsen’s finding, further explaining that this reading pattern suggests that
“pages should be structured so that the important content falls in the ‘F’ pattern” (para.
14). Both studies rely on heat maps to measure how the eye travels around a website
that has few or no pictures, and this “F-pattern” approach to online texts provides
insight regarding how résumés might be examined on screen.

F-Pattern Reading

According to Nielsen (2006), the “F” stands for “fast,” but also represents the way
readers approach online texts. Nielsen describes this F-pattern reading style as
follows:

•• Users first read in a horizontal movement, usually across the upper part of the
content area. This initial element forms the F’s top bar.

•• Next, users move down the page a bit and then read across in a second horizon-
tal movement that typically covers a shorter area than the previous movement.
This additional element forms the F’s lower bar.

•• Finally, users scan the content’s left side in a vertical movement. Sometimes
this is a fairly slow and systematic scan that appears as a solid stripe on an
eyetracking heatmap. Other times users move faster, creating a spottier heat-
map. This last element forms the F’s stem.

The “F” pattern is a phenomenon that applies specifically to text-based web pages
or web pages with few images or photos. Shrestha and Lenz (2007) conclude that “the
‘F’ pattern style of viewing does not seem to hold true while browsing or searching a
picture-based webpage” (para. 13). Nielsen and Pernice (2010) explain that “users
look at more words at the beginning of a line than at the end, and more words toward
the top of the text section than the middle or bottom” (p. 422). This reading practice
does not hold every time for every website as Nielsen (2006) points out.

Nielsen (2006) explains that a reader sometimes extends the F-pattern reading into
an “E” or “L” pattern, scanning across the screen at the top and lower down on the
screen. When a screen has two columns, Shrestha, Owens, and Chapparo (2008) con-
firm that the right column does not receive as much attention as the left, but the top
right side of a two-column page receives more attention than the bottom of a single-
column page. When designing résumés, we can infer two principles from these

Diaz 435

studies: First, résumé text receives the most attention when located across the top and
down the left side of a page. Second, using a two-column design for a bulleted list of
relevant courses, technical skills, or certifications might work well at the top or at the
bottom of a résumé.

The F-pattern provides a distinct formatting guideline for preparing a résumé that
might be read on screen. A résumé’s most important information should appear in the
space where the F-pattern reading occurs, or what could be called a résumé’s “F-zone.”
Figure 1 shows how Nielsen’s (2006) F-pattern of screen reading might apply to a
paper document, such as a résumé, when examined on a screen. The “F-zone” in
Figure 1 is based on the reading patterns found by Nielsen and confirmed by others
(Shrestha & Lenz, 2007; Shrestha et al., 2008).

The résumé in Figure 2 shows how a résumé designed with the F-zone in mind
might be scanned by a human eye. A typical reader’s eyes might scan across the top of
the page in the gray area and then down the page in the gray area. The most important
information should appear in this area.

Second, we might infer that if two columns are used, the columns should be used at
the top of the “F” or at the bottom of the “L” or “E” pattern. We would not want to
include information on the right side of the page in an area that is least “scanned” by a
person reading on screen. Aligning less important information to the right, such as job
locations and dates of employment may pull the eye in that direction, distracting from
the more content-rich areas of the résumé (see Figure 2).

When a reader is pulled away from the main text to the right side, the reader
employs a “hot-potato” reading strategy (Nielsen & Pernice, 2010, p. 422), jumping
around the page and simply may miss information in the content-rich area of the
résumé. Résumé writers need to place the most important information in the locations
on-screen readers tend to browse first—across the top and down the left side, taking
care to remember that the bottom left side typically receives the least attention by on-
screen viewers (Shrestha et al., 2008).

Maximizing the F-Zone with Keywords

Nielsen (2009) holds that when looking at online content, people tend to use the first
11 characters of a line to make decisions about whether or not to continue reading
website headlines. Nielsen calls these words “a signal for the scanning eye” (Nielsen,
2009). So, for example, people tend to consider the first two to three words of a head-
line when deciding whether to click a link. This tendency suggests that the first two
words of a line on a résumé are of the utmost importance. Nielsen (2006) advises using
“information-carrying words that users will notice when scanning down the left side
of the content,” and points out that users “will read the third word of a line much less
often than the first two words” (Nielsen, 2009, para. 8). In résumé-speak, these
information-carrying words are the keywords that relate to a specific job or industry.

Using specific keywords down the left side of the résumé increases the likelihood
that a potential employer will see them. A bonus to focusing on the F-zone and using
keywords toward the beginning of each line is that these strategies are effective for
paper résumés as well as résumés read on screen. This means résumé writers can

436 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

Figure 1. The “F”-pattern reading area for resume design is based on eye-tracking research
(Nielsen 2006; see also Shrestha & Lenz, 2007; Shrestha et al., 2008).
Note. The most important information should appear within or near the gray areas that compose a
resume’s “F-zone.”

Bold Name
356 Cyprus Avenue, AnyCity, AC 03200 999-888-7777

boldname@email.com

The most important information that potential

employers should remember about you should go

in the F-zone—the gray areas of this page.

prepare one résumé and not worry about whether it will be read on a screen or on
paper, diminishing the need for a separate “scannable” résumé. The following updated
best practices rely on this research as well as research about employers’ preferred
résumé structures, as described earlier.

Diaz 437

Figure 2. A paper-based resume designed to be read on-screen or on paper.
Note. Johnson uses the F-zone to highlight her professional writing education, courses, and internship.

JENNIFER JACOBSON

123 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468

(999) 123-4567 jennifer.jacobson@email.com

EDUCATION
University of Maine Orono, ME

Major: English Graduation: May 2012
Concentration: Professional and GPA: 3.4
Technical Writing

EXPERIENCE
Oregg, Ltd., Lowell, MA
Intern for Information Development June 2012-present
• Write, edit, and update information files for software programs using DITA and text-editing

programs
•• Prepare documents for different audiences, including users, administrators, and

developers
•• Design and provide programming examples, graphics, developer-intro talks (Java, Eclipse,

PowerPoint)

Repair.com Virtual
Writer August-December 2011
•• Designed and wrote a repair manual for small electronic device
•• Used small tools to replace battery, screen, and keypad
•• Worked collaboratively with team of writers and designers

Freelance Graphic Designer Orono, ME
“How to be One Cool Kid” Spring 2011
•• Designed and created an instructional infographic using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
•• Inspired children’s audience through colorful comic-book style instructions

Records Technician Orono, ME
University Admissions Office Fall 2011-Spring 2012
•• Adapt to change and manage projects on a daily basis
•• Use extensive knowledge of University databases to help potential

students on phone and through email
•• Answered telephone and responded to email messages from parents

and potential students

Student Assistant Orono, ME
University Admissions Office Fall 2010-Spring 2011
•• Answered telephone and routed phone calls appropriately
•• Made changes to documents using InDesign and PowerPoint

SKILLS
Microsoft Word and Excel Adobe InDesign
Adobe Acrobat Editing tools Adobe Photoshop

RELEVANT COURSEWORK
Technical Editing Business & Technical Writing
Proposals and Reports Persuasive Writing
Grants Preparation Document Design

438 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

Updated Best Practice: Construct Purpose and Movement With a
Résumé’s Structure

Using the F- or E/L-pattern approaches to on-screen documents as a guide, résumé
writers should choose a conventional structure that allows placement of the most
important information in the F-zone. For example, when choosing a chronological
résumé, a student might place education first, whereas a seasoned professional might
place work history first. Other choices should support the way a human eye might
approach an on-screen text:

•• Choose a conventional structure (Arnulf et al., 2010) that places the most
important information in the area that Nielsen identifies as the top of the
“F”-Pattern, or F-zone (Nielsen, 2006).

•• Use a regular, readable font, like Times New Roman or Tahoma.
•• Make the first 11 characters count by beginning with keywords whenever pos-

sible (Nielsen, 2009).
•• Align elements to the left to honor on-screen reading practices (Nielsen, 2006).
•• Use bold or italics to emphasize important keywords or details (Nielsen, 1997).
•• Use only one column, except at the bottom of a résumé (to create an E- or

L-pattern of reading; Nielsen, 2006, 2009; Shrestha et al., 2008).
•• Do not use tabs or tables because résumés loaded into a database could become

distorted.

If the résumé is scanned and searched electronically, the keywords will still garner
“hits,” eliminating worry about whether a company uses such software. If the résumé
is pasted into an online box or into the body of an email message; however, the special
codes used by some word processing software do not translate well, causing bullets to
disappear, spacing to change, and unintended characters to appear. Instead of creating
an entirely different résumé, writers can simply change the way emphasis is created by
using these strategies:

•• Replace bolded text with all caps.
•• Replace bullets with asterisks.
•• Replace “rules” (the line that can be inserted above or below text) with a line

created by using hyphens.

The résumé in Figure 3 is ready for pasting into an online form or into the body of
an email. This résumé is a revised version of the Jacobson résumé shown in Figure 2.
Critical information has been placed in the F-zone, and the information aligns on
the left.

Deciding which information should appear in the résumé’s F-zone is crucial, and
one way to begin making this decision is to determine whether the résumé needs an
objective or summary statement.

Diaz 439

JENNIFER JACOBSON
123 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468

jennifer.jacobson@email.com * (999) 123-4567

EDUCATION
—————————————————————————————————————————

University of Maine, Orono, ME, May 2012
B.A, English, May 2012 (GPA: 3.4)
Concentration: Professional and Technical Writing

RELEVANT COURSEWORK
—————————————————————————————————————————

* Technical Editing
* Proposals and Reports
* Grants Preparation
* Business & Technical Writing
* Persuasive Writing
* Document Design

PROFESSIONAL WRITING PROJECTS
—————————————————————————————————————————

INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT INTERN
Oregg, Ltd., Lowell, MA, June 2012-present
* DITA and text-editing programs used to write, edit, and update information files for software

programs
* Audience analysis: Structure documents for users, administrators, and developers
* Java, Eclipse, and PowerPoint used to prepare programming examples, graphics, and

developer talks

WRITER: INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Repair.com, Virtual Project, Aug.-Dec. 2011
* Repair manual design, writing, and editing for small electronic device
* Used small tools to replace battery, screen, and keypad
* Collaborated virtually with technical writers and designers

FREELANCE GRAPhIC DESIGNER
“how to be One Cool Kid,” Orono, ME, Spring 2011
* Adobe InDesign and Photoshop used to create instructional infographic geared for children
* Combine graphics and instructional text to inspire children through 1-page comic-book style

design

WORK EXPERIENCE
—————————————————————————————————————————

RECORDS TEChNICIAN
University Admissions Office, Orono, ME, Fall 2011-Spring 2012
* Flexibly collaborate with busy student-recruiting staff
* Access university databases to help potential students on phone and by email

STUDENT ASSISTANT
University Admissions Office, Orono, ME, Fall 2010-Spring 2011
* Answered telephone and routed phone calls appropriately
* Used InDesign and PowerPoint to edit documents

COMPUTER AND TEChNICAL SKILLS
—————————————————————————————————————————

EDITING: One-on-one feedback; close editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, & style;
Office & Acrobat editing tools
DESIGN: Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
TOOLS: Small tools to disassemble/reassemble small electronic devices

Figure 3. Jacobson’s resume is ready to be pasted into an online box or into the body of an email.
Note. This resume uses all caps, asterisks, and hyphens to replace bolded text, bullets, and “rules.”

440 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

Updated Best Practice: Use an Objective or Summary Statement When
Persuasive

An objective or summary should be included only if it can be used persuasively to
show how an applicant might fit with a company. If, on the other hand, an applicant
is trying to make a vague connection between chemistry courses and a laboratory
research position, this is a waste of valuable “F-zone” space. The space would be
better served by listing courses or laboratory experience, showing a diligence
toward being a good chemistry student rather that attempting to already be a lab
researcher.

The following questions and examples can be used to help students decide whether
to include an objective, a summary of qualifications, or a career summary.

Can you use a definitive, memorable descriptor? A descriptor is akin to a career
summary and serves as a memorable, repeatable description of the applicant, which
are also elements of a good “pitch” statement:

Lindsey A. Becker, ACP
1234 South Street, Forest City, IA 50436

(641) 585-1313
Lindsey.A.Becker@email.com

Advanced Certified Paralegal: Discovery and Trial Practice

In this example, Lindsey holds a specific credential and is seeking work as a litigation
paralegal, a position for which this credential has value. A bold, headline-style descrip-
tor provides an immediate snapshot of the résumé writer. While this descriptor does
not include the traditional language seeking paralegal position, these words are under-
stood to be true. This credential would be persuasive enough for a trial department to
examine the résumé further.

Do you hold a required prerequisite or qualification for the position? Immediate
disclosure of required qualifications is akin to providing a hybrid objective-qualifi-
cations statement. Some positions have specific requirements or qualifications. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for example, requires applicants for the
position of soil scientist to meet certain educational criteria. In the following exam-
ple, Lindsey communicates that she has researched the position and states that she is
qualified:

Lindsey A. Becker, M.S.
1234 South Street, Forest City, IA 50436

(641) 585-1313
Lindsey.A.Becker@email.com

Glacial geologist seeking soil scientist position.
Education and experience exceed USDA’s Qualification Standards

for Professional and Scientific Positions.

Diaz 441

While this information can be confirmed or found by examining her transcripts, she
helps the USDA find a reason to review her résumé further without first stopping to
check her minimum requirements.

Are you seasoned in a specific profession? Or do you have experience that would
benefit the company? If so, the descriptor is akin to a career summary. This time,
Lindsey summarizes her qualifications and possibly addresses qualifications requested
in the advertisement, such as experience in mediation or arbitration:

Lindsey A. Becker, CP
1234 South Street, Forest City, IA 50436

(641) 585-1313
Lindsey.A.Becker@email.com

Certified Paralegal offering:
● 12 years of experience providing estate planning and estate administration services to

attorneys
● Advanced Paralegal Certification in Alternative Dispute Resolution
● Notary Public

This statement provides the employer a snapshot of the potential employee.
If an applicant cannot answer yes to any of these questions, then the F-zone might

be better used in other ways: listing coursework, technical skills, and training that
show an applicant’s field-specific abilities. As the most valuable space on a résumé,
the F-zone leaves little room for including an objective or summary statement that
does not contribute to the persuasiveness of the résumé.

Updated Best Practice: Lead Work History Descriptions With Keywords

The way that people approach on-screen texts suggests that résumé writers need to con-
sider violating the current active verb/parallel construction practice by placing keywords
at the beginning of lines. (When these ideas were presented to career consultants at the
University of Maine Career Center and to Eastern Maine Development Center, this rec-
ommendation was the most difficult to consider. The active verb/parallel construction
rule has been followed for 30 years, and it is one rule on which everyone seems to agree.)
The best way to violate this rule is to try to work keywords into the first two or three
words of a description so that the first 11 or so characters of the line matter, similarly to
the way Nielsen (2009) holds that the first 11 characters matter when reading online.

For example, the Jacobson résumé shown in Figure 2 follows the current best prac-
tice of using active verbs and parallel construction. Some readers may find their eyes
drifting to the right side, where the city, state, and dates of employment are because
that area has more white space and is less cluttered. Moving away from the content-
rich area means a reader is using a hot-potato reading strategy and may not go back to
the content-rich area of the résumé.

The résumé in Figure 4 is a revised version of Jacobson’s résumé that places key-
words at the beginning of lines whenever possible.

442 Business Communication Quarterly 76(4)

Figure 4. A paper-based resume designed to be read on-screen or on paper.
Note. Jacobson uses the F-zone to highlight her education, courses, and internship.

JENNIFER JACOBSON
123 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468
(999) 123-4567 jennifer.jacobson@email.com

EDUCATION
University of Maine, Orono, ME
B.A, English, May 2012 (GPA: 3.4)
Concentration: Professional and Technical Writing

RELEVANT COURSEWORK
•• Technical Editing •• Business & Technical Writing
•• Proposals and Reports •• Persuasive Writing
•• Grants Preparation •• Document Design

PROFESSIONAL WRITING PROJECTS
Information Development Intern
Oregg, Ltd., Lowell, MA, June 2011-present
•• •DITA and text-editing programs used to write, edit, and update information files for

software programs
•• Audience analysis: Structure documents for users, administrators, and developers
•• •Java, Eclipse, and PowerPoint used to prepare programming examples, graphics, and

developer talks

Writer: Instruction Manual
Repair.com, Virtual Project, Aug.-Dec. 2011
•• Repair manual design, writing, and editing for small electronic device
•• Used small tools to replace battery, screen, and keypad
•• Collaborated virtually with technical writers and designers

Freelance Graphic Designer
“how to be One Cool Kid,” Orono, ME, Spring 2011
•• •Adobe InDesign and Photoshop used to create instructional infographic geared for

children
•• •Combine graphics and instructional text to inspire children through 1-page comic-book

style design

WORK EXPERIENCE
University Admissions Office, Orono, ME
Records Technician, Fall 2011-Spring 2012
•• Flexibly collaborate with busy student-recruiting staff
•• Access university databases to help potential students on phone and by email

University Admissions Office, Orono, ME
Student Assistant, Fall 2010-Spring 2011
•• Answered telephone and routed phone calls appropriately
•• Used InDesign and PowerPoint to edit documents

COMPUTER AND TECHNICAL SKILLS
EDITING: One-on-one feedback; close editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, style; MS
Office & Adobe Acrobat editing tools
DESIGN: Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
TOOLS: Small tools to disassemble/reassemble small electronic devices

Diaz 443

In the revised example, a reader’s eyes should travel down the left side of the
résumé and pick up keywords and phrases without much effort. Notice, too, that the
dates of employment have been aligned to the left to keep our eyes from wandering
over to the right and away from key information. Some readers may not “see” or pause
to read this information, but on the first pass of a résumé, this information is the least
important. Overall, the recommended changes to best practices are subtle and reflect
that employers continue to prefer conventionally structured chronological and func-
tional résumés.

Conclusion

The way that people engage with online texts provides an emerging set of best prac-
tices for résumés that are read on paper or on screen. To summarize, these new best
practices should encourage writers to use a single résumé for paper or electronic deliv-
ery; to use the F-zone to make decisions about structure; to determine whether to
include an objective or summary; and to let go of using active verbs and parallel con-
struction in favor of using keywords throughout the résumé, especially at the begin-
ning of lines. While résumés still must be written using a frame of 8.5-by-11-inch
paper, designing for reading on screen is now equally or more important than design-
ing for the printed page, and best practices need to reflect this change.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and sugges-
tions. I would also like to thank Pat Burnes for her numerous readings of this article and the
University of Maine Career Center for allowing me to present these ideas and receive their
feedback about them.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.

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Author Biography

Charlsye Smith Diaz is an associate professor and coordinator of Professional & Technical
Writing in the English Department at the University of Maine. She teaches undergraduate and
graduate courses in business and technical writing and communication for small business and
innovation.

Copyright of Business Communication Quarterly is the property of Association for Business
Communication and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a
listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print,
download, or email articles for individual use.

719

(Reserarch Feature aimed at developing new-economy skills in
higher education))

Job Interview Skills and Techniques
– A Practice set in Communication

Riya Rupani

Introduction

An interview is a verbal and visual interaction between two or more
individuals. An interview is to view the internal skills of a candidate & to

match candidates with jobs. The objective of this paper is to emphasize on

the interview skills and techniques to be acquainted by the candidate hunting

for jobs both in private and public organizations. This paper has been

bifurecated into four parts before the interview, interview day, during the

interview and after the interview. It also includes some commonly asked

questions along with suggestions for giving the appropriate response. Two

model interviews are also given in this paper. The author concludes by stating

that these skills and techniques cannot be mastered overnight but can be

developed with sheer hard work and conviction. Today’s corporate scenario

is characterized by high paced life, cut throat competition and skyrocketing

aspirations. The formula for success goes beyond technical and domain

expertise . There is a sheer necessity for personal effectiveness that stems

from effective communication.

SENSE – AND – RESPOND

Dale Carnegie, in his famous bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence

People, writes that most successes in life are achieved by men who

possessed, in addition to their knowledge, the ability to talk with people

according to their way of talking and sell themselves and their ideas. This is

very apt for the interview, candidates have to sell their ideas, sell their skills

& talents to prospective employer. Interview is more a test of a candidate’s

personality rather than an examination of his personal achievements & level

of his general education. It is also a chance to candidate to find out if the job

is right for him or not. One of the key parameter for success in an interview

is methodical preparation. By and large interview process can be segregated

in to four levels.

Before the interview : • Interview day • During the interview • After the
interview. Here is the quick check list of some do’s and don’ts at every level

or stage.

Before the interview : Know the company : • Collect the details from
company website. • Study annual report. • Get details of main
production/services. • Get details of any new product/service launched. •
Study organizational structure of the company.

Dress outlook (DRESS TO IMPRESS!!) : • It should be formal • It should
be ironed • It should be clean • It should be comfortable • Simple
accessories • Strong perfumes should be avoided.
Hair style : • Hair should be neatly combed. • If one wears turban it should
be clean and properly tied preferably should match with the color of shirt.

Foot wear : • Shoes should be polished • Avoid new footwear • Be
comfortable in your footwear.

Maintain folder : • Carry original testimonial • Take 2-3 copies of resume
• One set of photocopied testimonial • Inculcate habit of reading newspaper.
Interview day : • Read the newspaper or see the latest news bulletins. •
Reach the venue at least half an hour before. • Avoid heavy meal. • Talk to
the fellow candidates. • Be positive, don’t live in the past.
During the interview : • Go with confident walk. • Smile on the face.
• Ask permission before you go. • Greet the Board, if female member is
there in the panel, greet her separately • Do not sit down on your own

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3720

• Do not start on your own. • Keep your gestures under control • Try
to avoid monosyllable answers. • Be a good listener. • Be relaxed. •
Maintain eye contact but don’t gaze chairman or any particular member of

the panel all the time. • Voice should be moderate. • Do not accept
tea/coffee if offered • Do not shake hands. • Do not interrupt interviewer.
• Do not enter into any arguments. • Do not bluff.
After the interview : •Keep sitting, get up only when any board member
asks you to do so • Thank the board. • Put the chair in proper place with
grace and confidence. • Firm handshake, only if it is offered • Do not turn
back to look at the member • Do not forget to close the door after you. •
If not called by the company calls up the company and collect feedback.

Through an interview the Selection Committee gets an opportunity to

analyze a candidate personality as well as intelligence. It is done through

exposing some questions to candidate of a general nature as well as those

pertinent to his area of specialization. Some frequently asked general

questions and expected questions can be prepared beforehand by the

candidate. Here are some frequently asked questions along with suggestions

for giving the appropriate response.

Question 1. TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

• Tell your academic records. • Your qualification. • Your skills etc.
•Talk about things you have done. • Talk about jobs you have held

Question 2.WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR PREVIOUS

JOB?

• Better job prospects. • Better monetary returns.

Question 3.WHAT APPEALS TO YOU ABOUT THIS JOB?

• To achieve through heights. • To learn, work hard & quench of thirst
of knowledge.

Questions 4.WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS?

Highlight following : • Your positive attitude. • Strength of your subject
knowledge. • Your ability of work under pressure. • Your Professional
expertise. • Your leadership skills. • Your Problem solving skills. •
Your ability to focus on projects.

721Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

Questions 5.WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSESS?

• Tell your weakness as your strength.
Example:

1. I am work alcoholic so I expect the same from my team members.

2. I am committed to assigned work, which I expect from my co-workers.

This leads to affect the interpersonal relationship. But the outcome of

the work is satisfied.

Question 6.WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS COMPANY?

• Collect the information from the sources like website, annual report,
publication, etc.

Question 7.WOULD YOU ACCEPT THE JOB, IF IT WERE OFFERED

TO YOU?

• Yes, certainly, I will accept this job.

Question 8.DON’T YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE INEXPERIENCED

FOR THIS JOB?

• Admit that you are inexperience, but explain your strength.
Question 9.WHAT SALARY DO YOU EXPECT?

• Be acquainted with the company’s salary structure.
• Suggest a little higher salary to your achievements/experience to justify
Question 10. WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?

• Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs.
• Do not mention any other candidate to make a comparison.
Question 11. ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT THE INTERESTS OF THE

ORGANIZATION AHEAD OF YOUR OWN?

• Always say ‘YES’
Question 12. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR

MISTAKES?

• Be sure to give examples that turn a negative (a mistake) into a positive.

Examples:

1. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is persistence. Not

to give up too soon, because the solution is probably right in front of me.

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3722

2. I have learned to give every person a second chance, because first

impressions can often be misleading.

3. I used to think that there was one best solution to a problem, but I’ve

learned that that kind of thinking limits the possibility of great success.

Question 13. WHAT PROBLEMS HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED AT

WORK AND HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THEM?

• Be sure to include a positive outcome to the problems you refer in your
reply.

Examples:

1. I feel that the best way to deal with any challenges is to meet them head
on. When I found that one of my colleagues was saying things that

weren’t true behind my back, I went to him and talked it through. It

turned out that he had misunderstood what I had said and I was able to

set the record straight with him Once I found a major flaw in the work

of one of the most senior members of the department, which could have

been very costly to the company if it had been overlooked. I went

directly to him and called it to his attention so he could fix it before it

affected the final outcome.

Question 14. ARE YOU APPLYING FOR OTHER JOBS?

• Be genuine • Answer it short and straight and then focus on this job
application and what contribution you can make for this firm.

§ Anything other than this can be a distraction.

Question 15. ARE YOU A TEAM PLAYER?

• Always say “Yes, I am a team player.” • Elaborate the answer with
some examples. • Do not drag the answer; just make it short and sweet.

Question 16. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO DO YOUR BEST ON THE

JOB?

• This is purely a personal attribute that only you would know
• Some good examples include – Recognition, Achievement, Challenge

and so on.

723Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

Question 17. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?

• It is always good to have some questions ready with you.
• Questions that are related to your association with the organization will

be good.

Examples:

1. What sort of assignments will I be handling to assist on?

2. How soon can I be ready to be productive?

A careful study of the model interviews given here, coupled with some

more effort on the part of the candidate, can be taken almost as a guarantee

of success. The questions and answers given here are based on the feedback

received from the candidates who have appeared for the interviews.

Psychotherapist once asked a world-class marksman about qualities that

make for success. He repiled“The secret is mental conditioning, every day I

played a movie in my head in which I see myself shooting a perfect score.”

These model interview are meant for mental conditioning.

MODEL INTERVEIW-I

(Mr. Sunil Karekar is a candidate for the recruitment of bank
probationary officer. He is soberly dressed, has a pleasant personality and
becomes friends with the other candidates waiting for the interview.)

Candidate : (Enter the hall and say with a pleasant smile) Good morning to
you, sir.

Chairman : Good morning, Mr .Karekar. Please take your seat and be

comfortable.

Candidate : Thank you very much, sir. (On not finding any chair nearby, he
politely asks) May I take the chair lying in that corner?
Chairman : (Look at the candidate and say)Yes you may do so, Mr Karekar.
Candidate : (Brings the chair close to the chairman’s table and sit down
comfortably). Thank you.sir
Chairman : So, Mr Karekar .I see from your bio-data that you passed your

BA and appeared for MA final in economics. Why did you opt for

economics?

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3724

Candidate : Check Sir, I think for a career for banking, economics is more

useful than English literature or political science which was the other two

subjects I could have opted for in my MA. Banking itself is an economic

activity and knowledge of economics would help me perform my duties well.

Member : Mr. Karekar, we agree with you as far as your choice of economics

is concerned for your MA. But the term economy is derived from the Greek

word oikumene, meaning household. How does it help in banking

Profession?

Candidate : Sir, every housewife performs an economic activity when she

decides how to spend her limited resources and budget the expenses of the

family. Money and Banking is important and inter-related parts of any

economic activity. Economic as a science is concerned with increasing

production and wealth to satisfy human wants. Wealth takes the shape of

money and then banking comes into picture. Hence, banking and economics

are closely related.

Chairman : Can you tell us when a regular central banking system was

instituted in India?

Candidate : Sir, with the promulgation of Reserve Bank of India act 1934, a

central banking System was launched in our country.

Member : When did the Reserve Bank of India come in to being?

Candidate : The Reserve Bank of India was officially inaugurated on 1April,

1935.

Member : Could you briefly explain the role of Reserve Bank of India in the

country?

Candidate : Sir, Reserve Bank of India plays a dual role in the country’s

economy, that is, Promotional and regulatory. In promotional capacity it

helps the government in its developmental projects by raising loans and in the

regulatory role; it looks after the monetary policy of government of India.

Member : What about issuing of bank notes?

Candidate : Sir, issuing of bank notes comes under the regulatory function

of the Reserve Bank of India. All bank notes above one rupee denomination

are issued by this bank.

725Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

Chairman : Some of our banks were nationalized when Mrs. Indira Gandhi

was our prime Minister. How many times the nationalization of bank has

taken place and in which year did the first nationalization take place?

Candidate : Sir, so far bank have been nationalized twice. The first was in

the year 1969

Chairman : How many banks were nationalized in 1969 and when did the

second nationalization takes place?

Candidate : Sir, with the first nationalization in 1969, 14 leading banks were

nationalized And the second nationalization took place in 1980.

Member : So how many banks are nationalized now?

Candidate : At present, there are 20 nationalized banks in India.

Chairman : Mr. Karekar, you must have heard the name of the Imperial

Bank of India. What has happen to this bank?

Candidate : Sir, the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India in 1934

necessitated a change in the status of Imperial Bank .Now the state bank of

India is the Successor of the Imperial bank of India

Member : Have you heard the term “lead bank”? What does this term refers

to?

Candidate : The lead bank system was introduced in 1969. It was based on

the concept of “Area banking”. Each lead bank is allotted a district(s). The

lead bank has to Study the condition in the area allotted to it and prepares a

development plan which includes credit policy and other requirement. The

lead bank system is also referred to in the area of industrial financing. When

two or more bank with the maximum share in the project is also called the

lead bank.

Chairman : You have not fully answered my question concerning the

Imperial Bank of India. Give us some more details regarding this bank

renamed and so on.

Candidate : Sir, the Imperial Bank of India was nationalized and renamed as

the state bank of India in 1955. This is done by the Imperial Bank of India

(amendment) act of 1934.By this amendment the imperial bank lost its status

as a central bank but remained the sole agent of the Reserve Bank of India.

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3726

Member : What do you understand by the term “differential interest rates”?

Candidate : Sir, the scheme of differential interest rates is meant primarily

for the benefit of the weaker section of society. They are provided easy

finance for productive purposes at a concessional rate of the interest which is

four percent per annum.

Member : Under the government‘s scheme of self employment, loans are

given to unemployed people through the Department of industries. Do you

know how? These loans are disbursed and what is the role of bank?

Candidate : Sir, earlier this scheme was meant for unemployed graduates

and professionals Such as engineers. The government has extended the

benefit to matriculates for the purpose of self –employment. The department

of an industries grant loan to an individual in consultation with one of the

nationalized bank called the lead Bank, the Employment exchange and the

district industries officer/manager. Once the loan is sanction, it is disbursed

by any of the nationalized banks for which the loanee has to complete certain

formalities as required by the bank. The loan is given at a differential rate of

interest and without security. The Government give s a subsidy of upto25 per

cent and the loanee is required to repay only 75 percent of the loan amount

to the bank.

Chairman : Mr. Karekar, may we know what your hobby is? How do you

pass your free time?

Candidate : Sir, frankly speaking, whenever time I get time, after my work

and studies, I spend listening to musical instruments

Chairman : Music is a good pastime. Are you also a singer yourself or plays

some musical Instrument or do you only listen to music?

Candidate : Sir, I am a singer myself .I also know how to play the tabla and

electric guitar.

Chairman : Very Good, Mr Karekar. Do you like classical music or film

song?

Candidate : I am fond of old film songs and ghazals

Chairman : Mr. Karekar, from what you have told us so far, we have come

to the conclusion that you know quite a lot about banking. However, one last

727Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

question. Could you Please tell us why you have opted for a career in

banking?

Candidate : Sir, my qualification and interest in banking together prompted

me to look for a Career in banking .With the nationalization of bank, jobs

in bank have become at Par with any administrative government job

.Moreover, banking offers good Prospects for really hardworking people I

have some friends who joined as clerks but now they hold position of

accountant, sub- manager and even manager.

Chairman : That’s all, Mr, Karekar. You can leave now.

Candidate : Thank you, Sir.

MODEL INTERVIEW-II

(Mr. Suraj Singh is an aspirant for an I A S job. He has qualified in the
written examination and is called for the interview by the Selection Board of
the UPSC. He is dressed in a simple but well-tailored and ironed suit with a
matching tie and turban.)

He arrives at the venue for the interview nearly 20-25 minutes earlier.

He comes and greets the other candidates present there and shortly he is able

to strike up a conversation with them. He exchanges views and various news

items with the other candidates and keeps them engaged in cordial and

friendly discussions. After sometime, a peon comes and calls the name and

roll number of Mr. Suraj Singh and escort him to the interview hall.

Candidate : (Opens the door and says) May I come in, sir?
Chairman : Yes Mr. Suraj Singh, please come in and take your seat.

Candidate : (Enters the room and says) Good morning to you all, sir (and
takes the chair saying) Thank you, sir.
Chairman : Mr. Suraj Singh. I can see from your file that you have a ood

academic record right from pre- university onwards.

Candidate : Thank you for the compliment sir. However, sir it seems you

have not seen my matriculation record. I secured 86 Percent marks in

aggregate and three distinctions in the Main subjects, that are Science, Math

and English.

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3728

Chairman : Yes, you are correct, I didn’t see that. After obtaining two MA

degrees and also an LLB, what prompted you to opt for a government job?

You could have done well in any private sector where you would have got

more money except, of course, security.

Candidate : Well, sir, I preferred an IAS cadre due to the status one enjoys,

the authority and command one gets and, above all, the job satisfaction that

one gets due to the challenging nature of the assignments. In the private

sector you only have a status within your institution whereas an IAS officer

holds a high status in an entire district or even state. As far as security is

concerned, if a person is hard working and takes interest in his job, he is

secure in the private sector also. No doubt, in the private sector you have

more money and liberal perks, but I am not looking for only a well-paid Job.

I am looking for a challenging job in which there is authority and status.

Chairman : That’s fine, Mr. Suraj Singh

Member : Being a student of economics, you should be good at Statistics

also. Could you tell us which state has the highest female-to-male ratio?

Candidate : Sir, the highest female-to male ratio is in the state of Kerala

Member : Which state can claim to have the highest literacy rate?

Candidate : Sir, it is again Kerala.

Member : But what about Chandigarh?

Candidate : Sir, it is a Union Territory and your question relates to a State.

(Note: The member has tried to confuse the candidate. However, the
candidate has shown his alertness and knowledge in tackling this question.)

Chairman : Good, Let us now turn to other points.

Member 2: (Another member intervenes and says) As a post-graduate in
economics, can you give us a brief definition of the concept of mixed

economy?

Candidate : Sir, in a mixed economy both the public and private sectors are

allowed to exist side by side. As a matter of policy, they complement each

other. A mixed economy is beneficial for developing countries such as India.

Chairman : I see that you have also done your second MA in history. Is there

729Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

any useful purpose of history in our day- to- day life? (Before the candidate

can answer this question, one of the members intervenes and says)

Member : And how is it going to help you as an IAS officer.

Candidate : (Addressing the member and says) Sir, I will answer your
question after answering the first question.

(Now the candidate addresses the chairman)

Sir, history serves a very useful purpose in our life. We cannot

understand the present and plan for the future without having sufficient

knowledge of the past. Through a study of history we learn the causes behind

our country’s rise and fall and the mistakes committed in the past which

resulted in its downfall and decline. We can learn a lesson from history and

avoid repeating past mistakes.

(Now he turns towards the member and says)

Sir, no doubt history will not directly help me as an IAS officer, but as

I have said earlier, through a study of history, we learn what were the causes

of downfall or which policies resulted in the downfall of rulers. As an IAS

officer, I may be required to take certain decisions, I would, therefore, be able

to avoid committing the same errors in the present and be able to take better

decisions.

Chairman : As a student of history, could you tell us how the policies of

Samudra Gupta differed from those of Ashoka, the Great?

Candidate : Sir, Samudra Gupta did not follow the pacifist and the religious

policies of Ashoka. He did not believe in conquest by Dharma as Ashoka did.

Instead, Samudra Gupta tried to extend his empire by military conquests.

Member 2 : Mr. Suraj Singh, could you please tell us how your law degree

is going to help you in your career as an IAS officer? Isn’t it a degree useful

only for lawyer and others in the judiciary services?

Candidate : Sir, I believe law is a subject of interest for every citizen. Every

citizen of India should be familiar with the laws of the land. For an IAS

officer, it is specially useful to have a detailed knowledge of law. Suppose, as

an IAS officer, I am appointed to manage a public sector industry, my

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3730

knowledge of labour, industrial and commercial laws would prove to be very

helpful. If appointed as the head of district administration, knowledge of IPC

CRPC, etc. will help me to maintain law and order. Some knowledge of law

will be helpful in any type of work, especially administrative tasks.

Chairman : This means that to become an efficient administrator, you

should be MA in economics and history with LLB?

Candidate : Sir, I did not mean that. I only said that a study and knowledge

of these subjects are going to help me perform my duties more efficiently.

People like J.R.D. Tata and the Birlas did not possess any of these

qualifications, yet they efficiently managed large industrial houses. To be a

good administrator, one has to be a good leader and possess other managerial

abilities. These subjects are of secondary importance but would definitely

help.

Member : Mr. Singh, from our discussions so far, I have observed that you

are not worried about this interview and it gives us a feeling that you are

carefree. Why is it so?

Candidate : Sir, I am sure you don’t want to see long faces in interviews. A

cheerful smile is loved by everyone. Moreover, any amount of worrying is

not going to help me in this interview. One is worried or tense when one is

lacking confidence. I am extremely eager to be selected but for that I do not

think I need to have a long and serious face. Also, when I entered the hall, I

found all of you very happy and cooperative right from the beginning to our

decision. Whatever little fear or worry I had before coming here vanished due

to your cheerful and friendly discussions.

Member : Very good. Your explanations about your cheerfulness and

carefree attitude have satisfied us.

Candidate : Thank you for the compliment, sir.

Chairman : Do you read newspaper every day?

Candidate : Yes, sir, even if I don’t get the time in the morning, I ensure that

I read the day’s newspaper in the evening or at night.

Chairman : Which newspaper do you read?

Candidate : Sir, I read the Indian Express and The Times of India.

731Job Interview Skills and Techniques…

Member : What is the most important news item you have read in today’s

newspaper?

Candidate : Sir, there was no newspaper today as yesterday was 26th

January which is observed as a national holiday all over India. (This question
was put just to confuse the candidate and see his mental alertness in
answering it.)
Chairman : What is your favorite pastime or hobby?

Candidate : Sir, I read novels in my spare time.

Chairman : Don’t you think you are simply wasting your time by reading

novels?

Candidate : You may be right. Sir from one point of view but as I said, it is

only a pastime. I do not waste my useful time on reading novels. I read them

only when I need some change or relaxation. (With a smile) sir, you will
appreciate that everyone needs some hours of peace and relaxation.

Chairman : Well done, Mr., Singh. That will be all.

Candidate : Thank you sir. (He gracefully stands up, puts the chair in its

original place and confidently walks out.)

Conclusion

Job interview skills & techniques have a direct bearing on whether

candidate will get the job or not. It’s the gate pass to the good job. By being

prepared, presenting a professional demeanor candidate can make the most of

the opportunity. Job interview skills & techniques cannot be mastered over

night but can be developed with sheer hard work & conviction.

References:

1. Edgar Thorpe and Showick Thorpe (2006), “Winning at Interviews “ Second Edition.
2. Michele Brown and Gyles Brandreth “ How to interview and be interviewed”.
3. Programmerworld.net/career/interview.

4. http://www.Job-search-mentoring.com/job-interview-skills.html.

The Author:

Riya Rupani is Assistant professor, N.E.S Ratnam College of Arts, Science &

Commerce, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Email : riya_rupani@yahoo.com • Received on : Apr, 06.2013

Journal of Commerce and Management Thought IV – 3732

Copyright of Journal of Commerce & Management Thought is the property of SSK Busilink
and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without
the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or
email articles for individual use.

MANAGING YOURSELF

How to Build Rapport …
While Wearing a Mask
by Dustin York
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

SKY-BLUE IMAGES/STOCKSY

Nonverbal communication in the workplace is extremely important. Whether you’re trying to sell a
car, pitch a project to your boss, or nail a job interview, what you convey beyond words can
determine the difference between success and failure. This makes communication in the age of
Covid-19 more challenging for the obvious reason that masks, a necessary component of fighting the
pandemic, hide the parts of our faces that display facial expressions — particularly those micro
expressions that we use without thinking to convey as well as perceive sincerity, trustworthiness, and
good intentions.

2COPYRIGHT © 2020 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/502144-how-covid-19-is-changing-the-way-we-communicate

https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/502144-how-covid-19-is-changing-the-way-we-communicate

In situations where there’s an incongruity between what’s spoken verbally and what’s displayed
nonverbally, people instinctively lend greater weight to the latter. Unfortunately, if your expressions
are concealed by a mask, that can happen more often. A case in point is a 2013 study which found that
when doctors wore face masks during consultations, patients had more negative perceptions of
them.

Of course, from a public health perspective, wearing masks is a must in the midst of this pandemic,
and we mustn’t stop doing so just because they present certain challenges. Here, then, are some tips
for how to communicate effectively and build rapport while still doing your part to keep everyone
safe.

Avoid Clear Masks Unless Necessary

Clear masks may seem like a good solution, but some people find them unsettling, and they also tend
to fog up. A situation when it may still be worth using clear masks is when the person you’re speaking
to is deaf or when you’re addressing an audience that may include deaf individuals. Otherwise, it’s
usually best to stick with regular, non-clear masks and compensate for the covering up of your micro
expressions by using the other suggestions provided here.

Practice Your “Mask Voice”

The quality of your voice makes a big difference in how people respond emotionally to what you say,
and this is true in both personal and professional interactions. Even if we say the exact same things
but in different tones, people will respond differently. When we wear masks, our voices must play an
even bigger role than usual. Fortunately, there are research-backed ways to make them more
effective. I call it using our “mask voice,” and I use the acronym PAVE to help people remember four
key elements: pause, accentuate, volume, and emotion.

• Pause: Normally, visual cues of the mouth help us to see when a speaker is pausing for a response.
Since we can’t see that now, make a conscious effort to noticeably pause here and there to give
people opportunities to jump in or respond. This also breaks up your message into digestible
chunks.

• Accentuate: Avoid monotony by accentuating key phrases and information, but don’t always
accentuate in the same way. Use different intonation.

• Volume: Masks have a slight muffling effect so speak up (but don’t shout, obviously).
• Emotion: In appropriate moments, try to make your voice more expressive by conveying positive

emotions like excitement, awe, gratitude, and sympathy. Do this in moderation since you don’t
want to come across as if you’re performing Shakespeare.

Practice Active Listening

3COPYRIGHT © 2020 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2420010307

https://bmcfampract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2296-14-200

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52764355

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52764355

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10919-007-0038-2

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-57532-001

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-57532-001

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563216304873

Now that you’ve adjusted your voice, you can also adjust the actual words you use. This starts with
active listening. When your conversation partner is speaking, show interest by periodically nodding
and making sounds of understanding like “Mm hmm.” If the speaker pauses but isn’t finished
talking, you can again affirm understanding or interest with phrases like “I’m listening” or “And then
what happened?” If the speaker expresses emotions, especially negative ones (e.g. frustration or
disappointment), paraphrasing can be a powerful way to affirm their feelings. You can start with a
phrase like “So do you mean…” or “What I hear you saying is…” and then say what you think they’re
feeling with your own words instead of just parroting what they said. This kind of active listening and
paraphrasing helps build rapport and increases your perceived likeability.

Use Gestures and Body Language

Let’s move on to body language. Try to make full use of gestures while speaking to convey meaning
and emotion—a little more than usual wouldn’t hurt. Obviously, you don’t want to overdo it to the
point where it distracts your audience or you look like a mime. A good rule of thumb would be to
increase the level of your gesturing by about 10%.

Since we can’t shake hands, one gesture you should use often to build rapport is waving your hand
when greeting people. The ritual of handshaking goes back centuries and served important
psychological functions, for example, showing that you weren’t carrying any weapons and could
therefore be trusted. While the reason for handshaking has evolved, the importance of it has not. A
friendly, animated wave can go a long way towards conveying that same sense of goodwill.

Mirror Your Counterpart

Mirroring is a non-verbal behavior that involves imitating the body language of a person or group of
people with whom you are interacting. A lot of mirroring happens naturally and unconsciously.
Studies have shown that it helps build rapport between individuals, and the practice of doing it
intentionally has become more popular for this reason. As with gesturing, however, you don’t want
to overdo it to the point where it becomes noticeable or unnatural. In this case, less is more.

Keep the Two T’s Aligned

The “Two T’s” stands for the “toes and torso.” During interactions, your feet have a natural tendency
to reveal what’s really going on in your mind. So if you’re in a meeting but are hungry, your toes
might start pointing in the direction of the door. This can be subconsciously interpreted as a lack of
interest so keep your toes and torso aligned and facing the person or people with whom you’re
interacting. Side note: if you notice the other person’s toes facing away from you, you definitely
don’t want to mirror them.

Smile with Your Eyes

4COPYRIGHT © 2020 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10904010903466311

https://hbr.org/2019/05/when-you-pitch-an-idea-gestures-matter-more-than-words

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-dark-side-of-mirroring-tactics-1476219571

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/spycatcher/200911/what-the-feet-and-legs-say-about-us

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/spycatcher/200911/what-the-feet-and-legs-say-about-us

Smiling is an extremely important form of nonverbal communication in business as well as in
socializing. Research shows that smiles with eyes that look angry, fearful, sad, or neutral are
perceived as not happy and, therefore, not indicative of the friendliness we associate with happy
smiles. When we’re wearing masks it is therefore even more important to “smile with your eyes” —
or “smize” as model Tyra Banks calls it — if you want to create positive feelings.

Simply put, when you smile there’s a wrinkling that occurs at the outer edges of your eyes. This
happens more naturally and noticeably for some people than others, so I recommend intentionally
wrinkling your eyes when you’re wearing your mask, even if it feels awkward at first. To get it right,
practice in front of a mirror with your mask on. As long as you’re actually smiling with your mouth
when you do this, it should look natural.

Know When to Zoom

Generally speaking, in-person communication is preferable to video conference – even when you
have to wear masks during the former and you don’t during the latter. With offices open or opening
around the world, you’ll have to make more choices going forward. And there may still be situations
in which Zoom or other tools make more sense, such as if you’re part of a high-risk group or living
with someone who is, or if slides and graphics play a big role in your presentation.

Masks are here to stay for the foreseeable future. But the time and effort you put into internalizing
these tips won’t just pay off during the pandemic. They’ll continue to help you communicate more
effectively when we’re all able to show our full faces again.

Dustin York is an associate professor and the director of undergraduate and graduate communications at Maryville
University.

5COPYRIGHT © 2020 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001691817305450

https://www.wsj.com/articles/smize-mask-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-tyra-banks-reopen-restaurants-11598463705

https://online.maryville.edu/business-degrees

https://online.maryville.edu/business-degrees

Copyright 2020 Harvard Business Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Additional restrictions
may apply including the use of this content as assigned course material. Please consult your
institution’s librarian about any restrictions that might apply under the license with your
institution. For more information and teaching resources from Harvard Business Publishing
including Harvard Business School Cases, eLearning products, and business simulations
please visit hbsp.harvard.edu.

HCM Sales, Marketing & Alliance Excellence presented by HR.com AUGUST 2020 24 Submit Your Articles

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented change to organizations
– including both the move to a remote workforce
for many companies, as well as an overnight digital
transformation. While this has certainly made for
key struggles across the economy, there are also
pleasant surprises; some businesses are finding that
with good working habits, remote employees are
actually more productive in this digital landscape
than they were pre-pandemic.

Many businesses and employees are adapting faster
than they ever thought possible – I was speaking
to a CHRO recently, who said he never thought his
company would support a work-from-home policy,
but due to the pandemic they implemented it in
just 48 hours. Now, he’s saying it’ll likely stick in
some form.

One of the core components of this new digital
workplace is internal communications. This remote
environment has pushed enterprises to quickly
implement several communications-related
improvements, including:

● More transparency from leaders. Many executive
and c-suite leaders now address their employees
regularly, such as in weekly updates.

Businesses and employees are adapting to
change faster than they ever thought possible

How Employers Can
Combat COVID-19
Communication Fatigue

By Keith Kitani

● New ways to digitally connect. Employees are
making more use of social channels like Slack
or Microsoft Teams to communicate on a
peer-to-peer level, creating what is essentially a
virtual watercooler.

● Shorter, more frequent meetings. At Microsoft,
they’ve found an increase in overall number
of meetings, but a decrease in length of those
meetings – a more productive approach to
meetings that will likely stick around for the
longer term.

● Faster communications and updates. Especially in
times of crisis, the ability to keep your workforce
up to date on global news as well as company
changes has never been more valuable.

However, as part of this change and evolution,
it’s clear that use of digital communications is
increasing exponentially. According to an infobrief
released by IDC prior to the pandemic, employees
at U.S. companies were receiving 576 billion emails
per year, and it has only become worse in this new
era. Microsoft has found a significant rise in instant
messaging use during the pandemic, with 110%
more messages sent from managers, and 50% more
messages sent from employees. This increase, along
with the use of online collaboration tools spiking as
much as 943% in recent months, it’s safe to say this
trend isn’t going away.

https://web.hr.com/7hcy

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15259-working-from-home-more-productive.html

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15259-working-from-home-more-productive.html

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

http://guidespark.com/idc-infobrief/?utm_campaign=pr&utm_medium=article&utm_source=HRcom202008

http://guidespark.com/idc-infobrief/?utm_campaign=pr&utm_medium=article&utm_source=HRcom202008

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

https://hbr.org/2020/07/microsoft-analyzed-data-on-its-newly-remote-workforce

https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/As-Work-From-Home-Numbers-Rise-Due-to-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic-Collaboration-Tools-See-Spikes-in-Usage

https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/As-Work-From-Home-Numbers-Rise-Due-to-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic-Collaboration-Tools-See-Spikes-in-Usage

HCM Sales, Marketing & Alliance Excellence presented by HR.com AUGUST 2020 25 Submit Your Articles

It’s easy to understand, then, that employees are
feeling the effects of this extreme increase in
communications. “Zoom fatigue,” is one example,
becoming a common term after the platform saw an
increase of up to 200 million users daily in March.
While these new and existing communication tools
have certainly helped organizations in their efforts to
connect and drive productivity within a newly remote
workforce, communication fatigue has emerged as a
new obstacle.

However, even in such a noisy, overloaded
environment, we still need to manage the growing list
of priorities businesses are facing today: Handling
the effects of COVID-19 on our organizations,
aligning employees with evolving business
strategies, and continuing to maintain company
culture. On top of this, our core HR programs
must still go on – onboarding, Open Enrollment,
wellness programs, performance management, total
rewards, compensation, HRIS implementations, and
more. In the middle of all of this complexity, one
thing is a clear common denominator – effective
communication experiences will be critical to the
success of any initiative.

Without successful communications, we won’t be
able to drive the business outcomes we need, which
are only achievable through employee buy-in. So, how
can we combat communication fatigue and ensure
our messages get through and drive these important
programs? As it remains unlikely that we can reduce
the number of vital programs, we’ll need to make
our communications more strategic and effective.
Here are two key approaches to reducing employee
communication fatigue:

Create targeted, relevant communications
Most communications today focus on simply hitting
“send” – delivering information, but not necessarily
focused on getting through to the intended audience.
The result is many one-size-fits-all communications
that flood employees with so much non-relevant
information that they start to disengage. Prior to
the pandemic, IDC reported that 34 billion email
messages were going straight to trash annually –
and it’s likely only gotten worse. And, if there’s a lack

How Employers Can Combat COVID-19 Communication Fatigue

of engagement with the first message, another will
inevitably be sent, creating a terrible cycle of more
and more messages.

To combat this, it’s crucial to adopt a strategy that
acknowledges the diverse employee population
you’re engaging with. This means, essentially,
that different groups will require different targeted
approaches for your message to feel make it relevant
and engaging. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

● Personalize your message – Use tone, style, and
even employee names and data to make your
communications tailored to the employee, making
it much more likely that they’ll absorb and engage
with what you’re saying.

● Target your communications – Align your
messaging with the groups of employees who
most need the information. Think about your
communications from a location-specific,
team-specific, or department-specific point of
view, and strategize accordingly.

● Meet employees where they are – The best
way to reach an audience is through a channel
they already use, especially when the message
is time-sensitive. Gartner recently found that
more and more people prefer texting for urgent
communications – including in the workplace –
with text open rates reaching 98%, versus an open
rate of 20% with emails.

● Measure your results – Your employees are the
best source of information as to what is and isn’t
working with your communications. Use data to
understand both engagement and sentiment so
that you can sharpen and iterate your strategy as
you go.

https://web.hr.com/7hcy

https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/zoom-fatigue

https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/zoom-fatigue

http://guidespark.com/idc-infobrief/?utm_campaign=pr&utm_medium=article&utm_source=HRcom202008

http://guidespark.com/idc-infobrief/?utm_campaign=pr&utm_medium=article&utm_source=HRcom202008

https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/insights/articles/tap-into-the-marketing-power-of-sms

https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/insights/articles/tap-into-the-marketing-power-of-sms

HCM Sales, Marketing & Alliance Excellence presented by HR.com AUGUST 2020 26 Submit Your Articles

More engaging, consumer-like
experiences
With this sudden lack of work-life balance, employers
are competing for attention not just with other
workplace communications, but with Instagram,
Facebook, and other social platforms. In other words,
employees live in an environment where content
is always readily available. To keep up, workplace
communications need to employ a consumer-grade
perspective to increase engagement, ultimately
helping your audience to internalize key ideas and
drive the outcomes you’re looking for. Follow these
strategies for your communication experience:

● Organize your message into short, clear ideas –
Your communication experience should be easily
digestible; your employees are likely not interested
in watching a “kitchen sink” video or reading a
paragraphs-long email.

● Put the focus on your audience – Design
communication journeys and experiences
with your employees’ point of view in mind. By
understanding what’s most important to them,
you’re more likely to capture their attention.

● Structure a multimedia campaign – Structure
your communication experience to carry your
messaging over a strategic period of time,
using different elements and media (e.g. videos,

infographics, interactive storytelling) to truly
engage your viewers.

As companies continue to deal with the complexities
of COVID-19, and figure out how to operate in this
new era, communication becomes truly imperative
to keep the workforce aligned and productive. An
effective communication experience will serve
to strengthen the impact of any initiative or core
program you need to implement, opening the door
for the employee buy-in you need to drive your most
crucial programs toward success – all while helping
to reduce the communication fatigue that you and
your employees are experiencing more and more
each day.

How Employers Can Combat COVID-19 Communication Fatigue

Keith Kitani is CEO and Co-Founder of
GuideSpark. He brings over 20 years of
digital communications and eLearning
expertise to creating, building and
leading GuideSpark as it transforms
workplace communications.

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