Resume Templates - Do not Forget the Message

While a resume template can be a very useful tool in the right situation, it is important to evaluate numerous resume templates before deciding if this is the best approach for you. And, if using a resume template does make sense for you, then it is important to know which of the resume templates you review will be most useful to you.

In my over 40 years in business I have hired experienced and highly skilled warehouse workers, truck drivers, printing press operators and other highly accomplished tradesmen. I have also hired accountants, auditors, Controllers, Directors and VP’s among others.

In the case of the skilled workers, what was always most important to me was their ability to do the job I needed to have done at the proficiency that was required. Usually it was easy to determine their ability level, many times by the use of testing. So, for those candidates, I did not focus very much on the "look" of the resume. I was most concerned with matching the ability I needed with the proven ability of the candidates. For these candidates, the use of a resume template made a lot of sense. And, over the years I reviewed more different types of resume templates than I can recount.

On the other hand, when I was interviewing for accountants, auditors, VP’s and such, I was very focused on the look and layout of the resume. I wanted to understand the message the candidate was delivering in his or her resume. The message being delivered about the items listed below are the ones that mattered to me:

The resume Summary statement – did it convey to me what I could expect from that candidate in the way of their value proposition.

The resume Objective – did it tell me what the candidate was looking for in the way of her/his next career move

Companies and job titles held – could I determine easily the candidate’s industry expertise, what roles they played in that industry and what they likely learned in those roles – in other words could I determine the candidate’s Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA’s)

Accomplishments – in most positions, did the candidate communicate what they Made, Saved and Achieved (MSA’s) in that position and did it appear that they could perform at the same or higher level in the position for which they were applying.

Using those criteria, I found few resume templates that always made it easy for me to get the above questions answered. And, those resume templates generally followed the listing above, starting with the resume Summary and ending with MSA’s. There were differences in fonts and font sizes, for example, but the candidates that used this type of template always were aware of the message they were delivering.

My advice to accounting and finance job seekers is this - stay away from using numerous resume templates in your job search. Use a straightforward and professional resume template designed to provide the important information that hiring managers want to know. If you do that, the hiring manager will be able to match up the value proposition you offer with what the hiring manager needs, and with what you want.

By doing this the hiring manager can easily connect the dots. If the dots connect, you get called for an interview. It is that simple. And, if you get called for an interview, your resume has fulfilled its objective – which is to get you the interview that other jobs seekers are not getting.

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