Your resume will be tossed within 60 seconds of being read. That’s precisely what you want to keep in mind when writing a resume. Knowing that an employer is going to review your hard-earned work history in under 60 seconds (if you even get that much) is why writing a clean and concise resume is critical. Thousands of articles have been written over the years telling you how to write the perfect resume to land you the job. Truth is, a lot of really talented guys fail to understand what employers are most looking for when they are “in front” of them. On paper, that is.

Be Better Guys isn’t in the resume writing business, but we have a few tips that have worked for us.  They’re simple – hey, as my rocket scientist friend says when something’s not too challenging, “It’s not brain surgery.” So follow these tips to writing a great resume to get you in the door so you can shoot your shot. From there, use our interviewing tips to land the job.What you need on a resume:

Some more on what you need:

Action (Verbs) Speak Louder Than Words. What you don’t say: “Was responsible for overseeing a staff of twenty.” What you do say:  “Managed a staff of twenty employees and handled issues relating to performance, HR, forecasting” …you get the picture. List what you did directly, using words like “increased,” “saved,” “grew,” “managed,” “reduced,” and so on, and don’t be passive about it.

Quantify, Quantify,  Quantify. What jumps out at employers first and foremost are numbers, such as “128% of revenue quota,” “saved $1.2 MM year-over-year,” “44% increase in growth.” Whatever you did in your previous jobs, try to attach numbers to it that demonstrate your productivity.

Cover Yourself. You should always send a cover letter with your resume. Even a cover email is fine.  And it should contain the following: the position you’re applying for, the position you have now, the company at which you’re employed, and some brief highlights of your past performance and experiences that show off your uniqueness. That’s paragraphs one and two. Paragraph three should be tailored to the company and the position for which you’re applying. Give the “why.” Why do you want this job at this company? Why should the company consider you over thirty other applicants?  And don’t say it’s because you love a new challenge. Then sign off by saying, “Thank you for your serious consideration and I look forward to hearing back from you. Respectfully, Arvind.”

Read on for more specifics:

No One Cares About the Softball Team. No employer wants to see that you organized the company picnic or headed up the firm’s blood drive. Your employer wants to know what you’re going to do to make him or her more money or save more money.  All that touchy-feely stuff that people list as part of their job achievements is resume filler and your interviewer knows it.
 

Toss the “Career Objective” Introduction. Look, the whole “I’m a motivated worker and I want to gain greater exposure to more experiences and diversified workplaces to become a better human being and save the poor in southwest Africa” pitch is unnecessary. Employers get it. You have big goals in life and want to get rich as Warren Buffet in the process. No employer I’ve ever known reads the objectives and instead, gets right to the meat of the meal – your accomplishments. Save them the trouble and yourself the ink and serve up the meat.
 

Do. Not. Lie. Ever. Once you commit it to paper, know that you can be researched. People know people, and when you say you sold $15 million worth of stuff last year at ‘X’ company, you never know if your employer at ‘Y’ company is third cousins with someone at ‘X’ company who can check up on your “facts.” Yes, it’s ok to round numbers up. No, it’s not ok to make stuff up or lie.
 

Fall Into the Gap. Sometimes a guy leaves a job and can’t find another one for a year.  It happens. It’s ok to put that gap in your timeline on your resume, so long as you have a damn good explanation why no one would hire you for 12 months. Don’t make up some fake job to cover for your gap in your work experience (see the conversation about lying); give a good reason when you are on the interview, other than you just needed some “time off.”

I Like the Tin Man!  Truthfully, no employer cares about your “personal interests.”  So even though you dig the fact that you collect stamps, build model trains, coach 6-year-old tee ball (oh, right, that’s me), are really into your twin ferrets, or have a passion for Patsy Kline, you should keep that to yourself.  Talk about your interests during the interview to build a connection with the interviewer, if it’s appropriate. Your hobbies listed on your resume won’t land you the job.

Book It, Dan-o. Unless you are a senior executive, your resume should be no longer than one page. You shouldn’t be handing over a book, or even a two-pager, unless you have such a comprehensive work history that no amount of font shrinkage and margin expansion can capture all of the cool stuff you’ve done. Trim the fat and keep your resume lean.

Resume writing is an art, no doubt, but it’s an art that the regular guy can master. The key is never to try to BS a busy, harried employer or recruiter with filler content that doesn’t bear any impact on your ability to do the job. You’re being hired for a specific reason because of specific skills you bring that can make that company or organization better. Be direct in your wording, hammer on the highlights of your career, keep it lean, and state your case for why they should hire you.