31 August, 2015 Markels principles of resume design

What struck me the most about the resume design prompt was the message regarding
show, dont tell.

Using specific examples of your qualifications really struck me as an

important lesson. There really is no information that can be gained from a sentence or bullet
point that reads something along the lines of Great with kids, other than the fact that the
applicant wants their potential employer to think that they are great with kids. But to list years
that the applicant babysat for a young child, or volunteered with a local school sports team, these
are real experiences that demonstrate the Great with kids idea and can potentially connect with
experiences the employer may have had. Essentially, I like the fact that it can make an employer
think that an applicant is Great with kids, without outright stating it. I think I took the most
from this portion of the lesson because recently I applied to a job with a company that I very
much would like to work for. I technically met the requirements for the position that I applied
for, but there were many things listed as sort of bonuses that I did not have. I attempted to
make up for this lack with sheer enthusiasm, and tried to boost up my few achievements as much
as possible without actually providing content or demonstrating a qualification. However, a
strong resume must provide clear, specific information, without generalizations or selfcongratulation (Markel, pg. 244).