Each Sunday, the Houston Chronicle publishes a jobs section filled with practical, easy-to-read advice. As a reminder, I teach Professional Communications and Human Resource Management. The assignment I emphasize most is the resume, yet no matter how much guidance I offer, about half the class will not follow directions or accept help. If you remember the television sitcom The Nanny, Fran Drescher’s character wrote her resume on a piece of paper with lipstick. The show still makes me laugh, but it was not her resume that got her the job. It was the 1990s, after all, when short skirts and big hair were in style—unless you were a lawyer or an accountant.
What resume resources do I recommend to students and experienced job seekers? Depending on your age, you may be familiar with Emily Post. Her descendants offer extensive online guidance and have written several books, including one on business etiquette that I now recommend to all my classes. I also subscribe to their Substack emails and share them with my students. This week’s topic was the fourth installment in their Getting the Job series: The Resume, Part 2.
Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning offer practical advice for today’s job seekers. They are Emily Post’s great-great-grandchildren.
Their chapter on getting the job challenges much of what many job seekers think they know—and corrects what should have been taught in the first place. It is never too late to learn the right way to do something.
First, use correct grammar. I use a textbook for Professional Communications that includes a lengthy grammar appendix, because 13 years of English classes (K-12 grades) and even two college courses often do not leave students with a lasting command of the basics. Texting has also weakened written communication; I now sometimes must ask friends of all ages to translate their abbreviations. “OMG” does not belong on a resume any more than “GM” for “good morning” belongs in a professional email.
When you are looking for a job, everything matters. Grammar and punctuation matter. A cover letter matters, and AI can help only so much. Cursive writing is being taught in schools again, and in some ways, what is old is new again, including knowing how to write a strong cover letter.
Your application must be truthful. If you have been working for decades, do not give recruiters an easy reason to dismiss an experienced applicant. Job summaries covering just the last 10 to 15 years are usually enough. You may be asked, later, about your graduation year, but there is no need to highlight your age unnecessarily.
There are several acceptable ways to format a resume, but color and graphics are unnecessary distractions. Graphics take up valuable space, and recruiters often spend less than a minute reviewing a resume. The order of information matters, and so do verb tenses. For past jobs, bullet points begin with past-tense action verbs. Do not use “I,” and do not write in full sentences; use bullets consistently rather than mixing several styles.
Make sure your resume is up to date before you send it out. Submitting an outdated resume looks careless. If you update it every six months or so, you will be better prepared when the next ideal opportunity appears.
Lastly, in your resume, professional summary, and cover letter, highlight what expertise you bring to the table, and make it short and concise.
The key to a strong resume is simple: less is more.
Look for my next article on proper business communication. It is a key component of keeping your job.
Michele Harmon
“Your employees are the heart of your organization.” Dr. Michele Harmon is a Human Resource professional, supporting clients in Texas and New Mexico that range in size from five to more than 3,000 employees. Email: micheleharmon1@gmail.com
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