(Photo: Bart Claeys)
Take one look at my resume and typically, one of two things will happen. Either you’ll think I have lots of experience or you’ll think I have a commitment issue. I like to believe it’s the former, but maybe I’m in denial. If you’re familiar with ADHD, though, a third possibility may pop up – maybe I just lose interest when the challenge is gone.
Here’s my LinkedIn profile if you want to have a quick look: Jerry Bair | LinkedIn
The truth is that I have always needed a challenge. Like many adults with ADHD, I thrive on growth and excitement. Hell, “challenge” was one of the reasons I joined the Marine Corps. Without that, I get bored and my brain starts hunting for other forms of stimulation. That’s where the vast experience and job hopping comes from.
Many adults with ADHD go through this same issue. They hop from job to job looking for stimulation, adding countless positions to their resume. If you have too many, or any that are irrelevant, it can look bad to potential employers. This hurts your chances of even getting in the door.
Over the years, I’ve actually picked up some useful “rock star” resume tips to counter this. This fine-tuning has done wonders for me. It’s minimized the perceived affects of ADHD on my career and allowed me to stand out more among my competitors.
Below are some of the basic guidelines I stick by. Some are pretty universal for job-seekers in general, but several are particularly beneficial for adults with ADHD. Remember that many hiring managers will look at a resume for no more than 30 seconds before keeping it or trash it. You want to take advantage of that opportunity while you have the chance.
1. Put Your Best in the Top Third
The top third of your rock star resume should showcase your top career achievements, top selling points, and areas of expertise. Just like a search in Google, this top part of the resume gets the most attention by employers.
2. Keep it 1-2 Pages in Length
-If you can get it to under one page, that’s great. A lot of professional resume writers actually recommend this. I wouldn’t go more than two, though. If it goes longer than that, it’s time to do some cleanup.
3. Only Include Relevant Jobs
That’s fairly self-explanatory. If it has nothing in common with the position or field you’re applying to, leave it out. Otherwise, it’s just taking up unnecessary space and opening the door to needless questioning.
4. Only Include Relevant Keywords
Incorporate keywords and phrases from the job description, as well as any that may be related. Many employers use Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan for keywords before they look deeper at the resume.
(Photo: Stefan Leijon)
5. Use Powerful Action Verbs
For example, if you’re applying for a leadership role, use words like “led,” “conducted,” or “coordinated.” If you find yourself using the same verbs a lot, plug your word(s) into an online thesaurus and use those synonyms.
6. Quantify It, Baby!
The more numbers you can add, the better. Saved the company x dollars… Improved operational efficiency by x percent… You get the picture. Employers love measurable statistics. They show what you’re worth to previous companies and give the employer an idea of what value you bring to the table.
7. Update Every 3-6 Months
Rather than waiting until you are desperate for a job and scrambling to update your resume, keep it updated every 3-6 months and keep several copies on hand (either physical and/or digital).
8. Merge Positions
Have you ever transitioned from a temp/contracting job somewhere to full-time employee at the same place? If your roles & responsibilities remained the same, you can easily combine these into one heading. Just use the name of your full-time employer and adjust the dates. Your references will likely be the same anyway.
9. Get Alibis for Any Major Employment Gaps
Any employment gaps of 2+ months have a high likelihood of being questioned, especially if they’re recent. If you worked a different job in a different field at that time, you’ll be fine. If you didn’t work at all, though, try to think of some awesome experiences you had during those droughts. It doesn’t have to be some soul-searching backpacking trip in Europe, but it should be something interesting. If you’ve got nothing, then try to keep the focus on the job experience you do have.
10. Use a Readable Font
Don’t try to use some fancy neon colors or cursive font. You’ll come off as an amateur and hit the trash pile in a heartbeat. Stick with something standard like Times New Roman, size 12, black or Navy blue.
11. Spell & Grammar Check
Typos also make you look like an amateur. Use Word or a similar editing program to check your grammar & spelling before submission. You can also have it checked by family, friends, or peers for readability.
12. No I & Me Statements
They’re already implied and take up space. ‘Nuff said!
If you follow these guidelines, your experience will speak for itself and employers will look at the quality of your experience as opposed to the quantity. You will also worry less about your resume when it comes time to hunt for a job. If you’ve worked at a lot of places, hopefully your resume will be so polished now that employers will focus more on the quality of those jobs as opposed to the quantity of them.
