Government Resume Makeover: Bradley Olin Edition

This month’s spotlight is on Bradley D. Olin. Here’s Bradley’s situation:

I’m currently employed full time but have been reduced to a half-time employee with reduced benefits, effective August 8, through budget cuts (no fault of my own). I am looking to advance in local government, preferably out of planning and into a policy/management generalist role. While I’m not dying to work in the private sector, I am also considering it as an option due to the limited opportunities in the public and non-profit realm.

I have applied for jobs with over 40 local government agencies, many of which would be considered promotions, or lateral moves for slightly better pay. I have received mostly rejection letters in response, and a small handful of interviews.

In almost all cases I’m meeting or exceeding the minimum qualifications, but am not getting interviews, likely due to competition in my estimate.

Bradley submitted his resume, hoping to make it “a bit more eye-catching and attractive” as it mostly appeared as a “big wall of text.” You can review his original resume here.

Then our expert reviewer Camille Roberts made the following suggestions (just 20% of the detailed assessment), which Bradley used to re-shape his resume:

Overall your résumé is very good. If you are getting interviews, the résumé is working. However, in my opinion, the two most important sections are missing from your résumé. These sections could be named Qualifications, Professional Summary, Summary of Qualifications; and Key Competencies or Core Competencies.

The headline, profile summary, and first two “sections” on the traditional résumé are the most critical in terms of capturing and keeping the attention of the reader. Does your résumé pass the 5-second skim test? When creating a traditional résumé using a Word document, it is important to address the needs of the employer—quickly!

Think of those first few seconds like reading the title to a book. Will the “title” to your book compel the reader to open the book and read your story?

Begin with your headline, then a brief 3 to 4-line profile summary, incorporating keywords. Create the Qualifications Summary to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities—qualifications.

You can read the rest of the review here.

And here’s his resume with all the suggested edits if you want to take a look: