Natalie Urquhart of iHire discussed how to make a resume into a marketing piece at Expo 2012.

1. MODERN
RESUME
STRATEGIES
Natalie Urquhart, CARW
Resume Writing Supervisor, iHire.com

2. TABLE OF • Past Resume Trends
• Core Elements of a Powerful
CONTENTS Resume
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Three Effective Resume Strategies
• Before & After Examples
• Job Seeker Scenarios

3. PAST • Objective statements
RESUME • “Death by bullets”
• Lists of duties/incomplete
TRENDS TO sentences
AVOID • Months in career history
• Positions from 15+ years ago
• “References Available”

5. CORE • Title and summary
• Key skills/core competencies
ELEMENTS • Concise, dynamic content
OF A written in first person with
“filler” words removed – the, a,
POWERFUL an, I, me, my, etc.
RESUME • Quantifiable achievements

7. APPLICANT • Applicant Tracking Systems
(ATS) scan resumes for specific
TRACKING keywords to determine qualified
SYSTEMS applicants
• Which specific keywords are
employers scanning for?

9. THREE MOST 1) Chronological
2) Functional
EFFECTIVE
3) Hybrid
RESUME
STRATEGIES
Your career history and current objective will determine the
best strategy for your resume.

10. FORMAT #1:
• Title and summary section
• Key skills section
CHRONOLOGICAL • Career timeline with details
covering job duties and
RESUME achievements
• Best for: Consistent objective and
career history, notable
achievements per position

11. Summary
and key
skills
sections
Job duties and
responsibilities
followed by
bulleted
achievements

12. • Title and summary section
FORMAT #2: • Key skills section
FUNCTIONAL
• Highlights section
• Career timeline with company
RESUME name, location, job title, and dates
only
• Best for: Inconsistent and/or
lengthy career history, repetitive
job duties, changing careers,
returning to work

13. Summary
and key
skills
sections
Highlights
section with
experience
details and top
achievements
Career
timeline

14. • Title and summary section
FORMAT #3: • Key skills section
HYBRID • Highlights section
RESUME • Career timeline with details on
job duties/responsibilities and
additional achievements
• Best for: Consistent and lengthy
career history with numerous
achievements, notable
accomplishments from positions
15+ years ago

15. Summary
and key
skills
sections
Highlights
section with
achievements
Additional
details
covering job
duties and
responsibilities

16. BEFORE

17. AFTER

18. BEFORE

19. AFTER

20. JOB SEEKER Mark has been a dentist for
more than 30 years, working for
SCENARIOS 5+ different offices with similar
levels of responsibility. Which
strategy would work best for
Mark?

21. JOB SEEKER Ellen has had a successful 10-
year career in sales, however
SCENARIOS recently went back to school to
earn a degree in social work and
is seeking entry-level positions
within this industry. Which
format would be the most
effective for Ellen’s career
change?

22. JOB SEEKER Andrew has been working for
the same advertising company
SCENARIOS for the past 15 years, earning
multiple promotions and
serving most recently in a
Creative Director role. He is
moving to another state and
wants to find a similar position.
Which format would be the
most beneficial for Andrew?

23. Q&A