Operations Management

Résumé Benchmarking Survey:

Résumé Structure and
Organization

by Gary Capone, president,

Palladian International LLC.,
in partnership with
APICS The Association for
by Gary Capone, president,
Operations Management
Palladian International LLC.,
in collaboration with
APICS The Association for
Operations Management
Résumé Structure
and Organization

Contents
About the Author 2

Executive Summary 3

Methodology 4

Résumé Structure 5

Format 5

Length 7

Number of Sections 8

Résumé Section Titles 11

Résumé Structure Recommendations 12

Summary Section 13

Objectives 15

Length of the Summary Section 17

Skills 18

Summary Section Recommendations 20

First Line 21

First Word 23

First Line Recommendations 24

Mistakes to Avoid 25

Best Practices 27

Palladian | APICS 1
About the author

About the author

Gary W. Capone, president of Palladian International, LLC, a career coaching
firm in Waynesboro, Virginia that offers résumé assessment, résumé writing, and
interview coaching services. He has authored two books:

• Résumé Writing for Manufacturing Careers

• Power Up Your Job Search: A Modern Approach to Interview Preparation

Mr. Capone is a graduate of the Management and Technology Program at the

University of Pennsylvania, where he concurrently earned a Bachelor of Science
in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the
Wharton School of Business. Mr. Capone has experience in manufacturing,
distribution, accounting, finance, recruiting, and human resources, gained from
positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Newell Rubbermaid, Kforce, Raymond
James, and Target Corporation.

In 2006, he joined the board of directors of the Blue Ridge Chapter of APICS
and in 2009 was elected Chapter President. Mr. Capone spoke at the 2009 and
2010 APICS International Conferences. In 2010, he became the career coach for
APICS’s “Ask the Coach” in the APICS Career Center at apicscareercenter.org.

Palladian | APICS 2
Executive Summary

The Operations Management Résumé Benchmarking Survey was conducted to

provide a detailed analysis of résumés used in operations management careers. The
survey is intended to help operations management job seekers understand their
competition and avoid common mistakes. The benchmarking survey will also present
best practices on how to design an effective résumé for the operations management
field.

This whitepaper is the first in a series that will present the benchmarking findings.
It deals with issues related to résumé structure. This includes the type of structure,
the sections the job seeker uses to organize their résumé, and how job seekers
should start their résumé. Later whitepapers will focus on specific sections and other
aspects of the résumé.

Palladian | APICS 3
Methodology

To conduct the Operations Management Résumé Benchmarking Survey, four hundred

résumé documents from active Operations Management job seekers were obtained.
Each document was assessed in detail, and the results of the assessments were
compiled.

In reviewing the four hundred documents, it was found that eleven were not résumés.
These documents contained supporting information a job seeker might submit for
a job, but could not be considered résumés on their own. For example, several job
seekers submitted references letters instead of a résumé. Because these documents
were not résumés, they were discarded from the analysis, and the remaining 389
résumés were benchmarked.

The benchmarking process focused on objective, quantitative measures, where

possible. Quantifying the attributes of résumés is a challenge. The style and content
of résumés vary significantly. There are no hard and fast rules job seekers must abide
by in résumé writing. Ultimately, a résumé is a personal document of each job seeker.
This makes it challenging to categorize résumés.

One example of the challenge of categorizing résumés was in determining the

structure. The three most common structures for a résumé are chronological,
functional, and a hybrid of the two styles. Determining which category a résumé falls
into is usually easy. Most résumés have chronological formats and clearly fit this
category. There were a number of résumés that fell in between the categories and
were not easily categorized. To ensure a consistent approach to categorizing the
résumés, the same reviewer assessed each résumé.

Palladian | APICS 4
Résumé Structure

When examining the structure of the resumes, there are several factors that
influence the overall effectiveness of the résumé. The choice of format type, length
of the résumé, number of sections in the résumé and the use of a summary section,
are all important details. Each of these was examined and is detailed in this report.

Format

There are a number of format types for résumés. In operations management, there
are three primary format types: chronological, functional and a hybrid of the two.
Industries outside of operations management utilize other formats. For example,
résumés for government opportunities have a vastly different style and require
significantly different information to be included. Résumés for academic roles
are typically in a curriculum vitae (CV) format that also differs from operations
management résumés.

Each format offers advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right format will
influence the overall effectiveness of your résumé. In operations management, a
chronological format is the most common and usually the most effective.

• Chronological: Organized around the work experience section. This section

presents jobs in reverse chronological order, with the most recent job first.
Each listing in the work experience section will include the company name, job
title, dates of employment, a description of the scope of responsibility, and
noteworthy accomplishments and experiences.

• Functional: Organized around the skills of the job seeker. Skills are presented
with a description of the job seeker’s experience and accomplishments with
each skill. The work experience of the job seeker is presented throughout
the various functional sections. This breaks the experience up, rather than
grouping it by job. The functional resume then has a career history section
providing a list of employers, job titles and dates, with little to no additional
information in this section.

• Hybrid: A hybrid résumé will have a large functional section detailing the
job seeker’s experience with key skills, and a work experience section that
includes details of each position. This format combines attributes of both the
chronological and functional résumé.

In the benchmarking survey, we expected most résumés to have a chronological

format. This was found to be the case, with 89.5 percent of résumés in a
chronological format. Hybrid résumés accounted for 6.2 percent of the résumés,
and functional résumés accounted for 3.3 percent. There were three résumés in the
sample that had a CV format, and one résumé that defied classification and could
only be listed as “non-standard.”

Palladian | APICS 5
Résumé Structure

percent. There were three résumés in the sample that had a CV format, and one résumé that
defied classification and could only be listed as “non-standard.”

Résuméformat
Résumés format type
type

0.3% Chronological
Chronological

0.8% Hybrid
Hybrid
3.3% Functional
Functional

6.2% 89.5% CV
CV

Non-standard
Non-Standard

The chronological format is very effective in an operations management career. This

is a good a choice. The hybrid format can also be effective, and there were several
examples of very well-designed and effective hybrid résumés. The functional format
poses some challenges in operations management.
The chronological format is very effective in an operations management career. This is a good a
choice. The hybrid format
Operations can also be
management effective,will
professionals andtypically
there were
rely onseveral examples
experience and of very well-
designed and accomplishments
effective hybridasrésumés. Thejustification
their primary functionalforformat
being poses some
hired. The skillschallenges
a job seekerin
possesses are important, but are usually secondary to the experience of the job
operations management.
seeker. Hiring managers need to know where you used your skills, how you used them
and what results
Operations management you achieved.will
professionals By typically
separatingrely
the on
discussion of skills
experience from
and the job
accomplishments as
where the skills were used, it becomes very difficult to provide a context for the skills.
their primary justification for being hired. The skills a job seeker possesses are important, but
are usually secondary to thewhere
There are cases experience of the
a functional job seeker.
résumé Hiring managers
can be effective. needarise
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job seeker’s them
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graduates whowere
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have much veryand
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individuals
context for the skills. making a complete career change where their experience provides little
value to the new career. There are also times when very senior executives can utilize
a functional
There are cases where arésumé effectively.
functional résumé can be effective. These situations arise when the
job seeker’s skills are more significant than their experience. This typically occurs with recent
The chronological format is by far the most common. Hiring managers will recognize
college graduates who don’t
the structure have
easily and much experience
it is a very effective way andtowith individuals
organize making
a résumé. a complete
This should be
career changethewhere
choicetheir experience
of almost provides
all operations little value
management to the newAscareer.
professionals. There the
an alternative, are also
hybrid
times when very format
senior can also becan
executives effective
utilizefora an operations
functional management
résumé professional.
effectively.

The chronological format is by far the most common. Hiring managers will recognize the
structure easily and it is a very effective way to organize a résumé. This should be the choice of
almost all operations management professionals. As an alternative, the hybrid format can also
be effective for an operations management professional.

Palladian | APICS 6
Résumé Structure

Length

In a prior APICS whitepaper, we looked at résumé length and discussed how the
length of a résumé will influence its effectiveness. Résumés that are too short will not
have enough detail to sell the job seeker. Résumés that are too long are unlikely to be
read completely, leading the reader to skip large blocks of text. The best option is to
design a résumé in the middle of the range with 400-900 words.

In this benchmarking survey we revisited résumé length, and the results were similar.
Even though the résumés studied in the previous whitepaper were completely
different than the résumés studied in this survey, the average résumé was almost
identical: 753 words versus 748 words. With a larger sample in this survey, we did see
a higher maximum and lower minimum, but other than that, the results were similar.

Results:

• Minimum: 149

• Maximum: 3,271

• Average: 748

• Standard Deviation: 330

• 60 percent of the résumés fell between 445 and 925 words, with 15 percent
below 445 and 25 percent above 925 words.

Conclusion: An effective length of a résumé is between 400 and 900 words.

Note: Refer to the APICS whitepaper Résumé Formatting Best Practices for more
information on selecting the appropriate résumé length.

Palladian | APICS 7
Résumé Structure

Number of Sections
Number of Sections
A critical element in the design of a résumé is the divisions and organization of
information. The sections of the résumé provide the organizational structure,
A critical element in the
allowing thedesign of atorésumé
reader is the
quickly divisions
identify andand organization
focus on the of information. The
information most important
sections of the résumé provide the organizational structure, allowing the reader to quickly
to them. They also provide a signal as what is most important to you. How you
identify and focus on the information most important to them. They also provide a signal as what
organize your résumé into sections will play a significant role in determining the
is most important to you. How you organize your résumé into sections will play a significant role
effectiveness
in determining of your
the effectiveness résumé.
of your résumé.

The typical résumé had three to six sections, although there were résumés with as few as one
The typical résumé had three to six sections, although there were résumés with as
and as high as 14 sections.
few as one and as high as 14 sections.
setup 5/4/11 3:00 PM
Number of résumé sections Comment: Number of Resumes should be
Number of résumés (with accents, lowercas
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The most common résumé sections were work experience and education. Every
The most common résumé sections were work experience and education. Every résumé in the
résumé in the study had at least one section with work experience information.
study had at least one section with work experience information. Almost all of the résumés had
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interest in every job search.
After these two sections, the next most common type of section was an introductory section.
These sections included information summarizing the job seeker’s background, listing key skills
After these
of the job seeker, twothesections,
providing objective the
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or a combination section
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seeker or a combination of these details. 329 of the résumés in the sample, or 85
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The next most commonhadsection
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The skills sections oftenofcomprised
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buzzwords.
objective of the job seeker.
10
The next most common section on the résumés was a skills section, with 48 percent
of the résumés including this section. The skills sections often comprised of a list of
buzzwords. Buzzwords can be useful for résumés posted online, as they can help a
résumé show up in database searches. Interestingly, many job seekers placed this

Palladian | APICS 8
Résumé Structure

section at or near the top of their résumé. For job seekers that qualified their skill
level, this was an effective presentation. For the job seekers who just listed a bunch
of skills, it was not. Anyone can type “project management,” “lean/six sigma,” and
“budget management” on the top of a résumé. Doing so will not set a person apart.

A better tactic would be to provide the list of skills at the end of the resume, where
it doesn’t get in the way of the more important details. Even better, qualifying these
skills can make them much more effective. For example, instead of listing “Inventory
Management,” provide a bullet point such as:

• Inventory Management: Implemented a new inventory tracking system that

improved inventory accuracy from 45% to 95% on over $10 million of raw
material and finished goods inventory.”

This qualified bullet point drives home an expertise level with inventory management
than can never be conveyed by just listing the keyword.

After the four primary sections—work experience, education, introduction, and skills—
the variability increases dramatically. Job seekers in the survey included sections
with the following information

• Affiliations—Groups and organizations where the job seeker is a member

(91 résumés–23 percent).

• Certifications—List of licenses and certifications the job seeker possesses

(69 résumés–18 percent).

• Training—Professional development activities listed separately from

education (53 résumés–14 percent).

• Accomplishments—List of major accomplishments from the job seeker’s

career (26 résumés–7 percent).

• References—List of references or a statement of “available upon request”

(21 résumés–5 percent).

• Awards—List of awards received (16 résumés–4 percent).

• Projects—List of major projects the job seeker completed

(15 résumés–4 percent).

Palladian | APICS 9
Résumé Structure

• Languages—Foreign language skills (15 résumés–4 percent).

• Military Experience or security clearance (7 résumés–2 percent).

• Publications—List of publications the job seeker authored

(6 résumés–2 percent).

Note that this list of sections is not detailing the total number of résumés including
each type of information, but is showing how many résumés included a dedicated
section for the information. For example, the vast majority of résumés included
projects the job seeker had completed, but only 15 résumés had a dedicated
“projects” section. Other résumés included projects within other sections.

In addition to this list, there were 117 sections that fell in the miscellaneous
category. These included leadership experience, personal details, hobbies, interests,
community service, teaching experience, public speaking experience, and a wide
range of other topics. Most of the information in these sections was non-career-
related, and of little value.

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Résumé Structure

Résumé Section Titles

To help job seekers develop ideas for titles for sections, all of the section titles that
appeared on at least two résumés are listed below. Titles were not changed in any
way, so a singular title such as “Certification” is listed separately from the plural
“Certifications.” Also, note that many of these section titles are not recommended
for résumés. Sections such as hobbies are unlikely to be beneficial on a résumé.
Although a number of job seekers list personal details, these details do not help
demonstrate the suitability of the job seeker for an operations management job.

Section titles and number of résumés using this title:

Education 255 Professional organizations 5 Awards and recognitions 2
Professional experience 147 Selected accomplishments 5 Background summary 2
Experience 95 Skills summary 5 Career achievements 2
Objective 71 Supply chain management 5 Career profile 2
Summary 56 Academic projects 4 Education and professional training 2
No title 32 Business experience 4 Education and affiliations 2
Work experience 32 Education and certifications 4 Education and certification 2
Summary of qualifications 29 Executive summary 4 Education and credentials 2
Skills 28 Expertise 4 Education background 2
Certifications 24 IT skills 4 Executive profile 2
References 21 Membership 4 Experience and achievements 2
Computer skills 19 Other experience 4 Formal education 2
Profile 18 Professional skills 4 Global supply chain executive 2
Technical skills 17 Professional training 4 Highlights of qualifications 2
Employment history 16 Projects 4 Honors and activities 2
Career summary 15 Summary of experience 4 Honors and awards 2
Professional affiliations 14 Work history 4 Job history 2
Languages 13 Additional experience 3 Job objective 2
Areas of expertise 12 Additional information 3 Military service 2
Professional summary 12 Additional training 3 Other skills 2
Activities 11 Associations 3 Patents 2
Career objective 10 Career experience 3 Personal details 2
Core competencies 10 Career highlights 3 Personal interests 2
Professional memberships 10 Community service 3 Previous experience 2
Employment 9 Computer knowledge 3 Professional 2
Professional development 9 Education or certifications 3 Professional affiliations and certifications 2
Additional 8 Education or training 3 Professional association 2
Certification 8 Educational background 3 Professional certification 2
Education and professional development 8 Honors 3 Professional competencies 2
Professional certifications 8 Honors and awards 3 Professional membership 2
Professional profile 8 Interests 3 Professional overview 2
Relevant experience 8 Key qualifications 3 Publications 2
Accomplishments 7 Operations management experience 3 Related experience 2
Career history 7 Personal information 3 Relevant coursework 2
Education and certification 7 Professional history 3 Relevant experience and skills 2
Education and certifications 7 Professional qualifications 3 Skills and abilities 2
Memberships 7 Professional work experience 3 Software skills 2
Professional associations 7 Profile summary 3 Specialized skills 2
Awards 6 Qualification summary 3 Strengths 2
Education and professional development 6 Qualifications 3 Summary experience 2
Education and training 6 Security clearance 3 Supply chain executive 2
Other 6 Supply chain professional 3 Technology analyst 2
Training 6 Academic and professional credentials 2 Training and certifications 2
Affiliations 5 Achievements 2
Organizations 5 Additional professional experience 2
Professional background 5 Additional skills 2
Palladian | APICS 11
Résumé Structure

Résumé Structure Recommendations

• Use a chronological or hybrid structure. This is the most common and most
effective in operations management.
• Start with an introductory section, and make sure you list work experience
and education sections. After those, include sections for skills, certifications,
accomplishments, or projects. You can also include dedicated sections for
key skills that you want to highlight, such as languages.
• When prioritizing your sections, lead with your best selling points. For most
job seekers in operations management, this means starting with a summary
section, followed by work experience, with education and other skills later.
• Don’t go overboard with sections. Most résumés should have four to six
sections.

Palladian | APICS 12
summary section

A summary section is a great way to start a resume, and most job seekers in
operations management include a summary section. 85% of the resumes surveyed
included an introductory section. Of these, 75% were a summary of the job seeker’s
background, and 25% were an objective statement.

A summary section gives the reader a quick snapshot of who you are, and it allows
you to make the first impression you want. Without a summary section, the reader
will work to categorize you based on a quick scan of your resume. This categorization
is essential for the hiring manager to determine which job the resume matches. By
leading off with a summary statement that brands the job seeker, you can help the
reader conclude you are a fit for the job you are seeking, and move them to the next
step in the evaluation—ensuring you are a strong enough candidate.

A summary section can do something else important for you. It will allow you to
highlight your most noteworthy and impressive skills and accomplishments. This is
very important if you want to create a strong sales pitch. The average résumé is 750
words, and most résumés are read for only 30 seconds before being rejected. In 30
seconds, the average person can read around 100 words. That’s less than 15 percent
of the résumé. Hiring managers tend to skip around when reading a résumé, and
look for the information that is most important. If you do not help them find the most
important information, they are likely to read lower priority details, and may focus
on details from your background that are not particularly important. This can cause
the reader to skip the most important details. If this happens, your odds of moving on
drop dramatically.

By creating a summary section, you can tailor the message you want to get across
and put all the most important details in one place. This is an excellent strategy.

Although many of the résumés had a summary section, most had little information
that was valuable and impressive. Instead, the résumé provided a list of past
experience and background information in the summary section. Little was
presented to qualify these experiences or to show any past successes. One of the
most important and impressive elements you can include in your résumé is past
achievement. Accomplishments show how you contributed in your past roles. Without
accomplishments, a job seeker appears to be a bottom performer; someone who did
the minimum needed to get by but never added any real value. This obviously does
not make a strong case for hiring the job seeker.

Palladian | APICS 13
summary section

setup 5/4/11 3:00 PM

Résumés with accomplishments in the Comment: Number of Resumes sh
Number of résumés (with accents, lo
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surveyed, only nine
only nine percent percent
included included
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accomplishment in the summary section. To be considered a quantified
the summary section. To be considered a quantified accomplishment, the accomplishment
neededaccomplishment, the accomplishment
to include a description needed
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improved and howamuch
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job are
it. Below seeker
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examples ofand how much they
accomplishments fromimproved
the résumésit.surveyed:
Below are a few examples of
•
accomplishments from the résumés surveyed:
Drove a continuous improvement program, increasing efficiencies by 35 percent over a
two-year period.
• • Droveaanew
Implemented continuous improvement
material requirements program,
planning increasing
(MRP) system leadingefficiencies
to over $1.5by 35
percent
million in over
inventory a two-year period.
reduction.
• Improved process yields, reducing material usage by 25 percent.
• Designed and implemented
• Implemented a newa process for rejected
material material planning
requirements processing,(MRP)
leadingsystem
to lowerleading to
scrap write-offs and a 95 percent reduction in inventory variances.
over $1.5 million in inventory reduction.
• Improved delivery performance from 65 percent to 100 percent using value stream
mapping.
• Improved process yields, reducing material usage by 25 percent.
These accomplishments are a good start, but most of them could be more specific and
impressive. Each tells only part of the story. To maximize the effectiveness, the
• Designed and implemented a process for rejected material processing,
accomplishments need to show your role, what you did, the results you achieved, and the time
leading to lower scrap write-offs and a 95 percent reduction in inventory
frame over which the results occurred. Most of the accomplishments found in the survey did not
variances.
do this. For example, one job seeker included a statement that they had delivered over $100
million in cost reductions. This accomplishment was likely a lifetime total generated over the job
• Improved
seeker’s career. deliverybutperformance
It was interesting, from
difficult to assess. 65did
How percent to 100achieve
the job seeker percent using value
this
and how did hestream
arrive atmapping.
this figure? Although it’s a huge number, it’s not specific enough.

These accomplishments are a good start, but most of them could be more specific
and impressive. Each tells only part of the story. To maximize the effectiveness, the
accomplishments need to show your role, what you did, the results you achieved, and
the time frame over which the results occurred. Most of the accomplishments found
in the survey did not do this. For example, one job seeker included a statement that
they had delivered over $100 million in cost reductions. This accomplishment 16 was
likely a lifetime total generated over the job seeker’s career. It was interesting, but
difficult to assess. How did the job seeker achieve this and how did he arrive at this
figure? Although it’s a huge number, it’s not specific enough.

Palladian | APICS 14
summary section

Objectives

An objective statement is designed to convey to the hiring manager the job seeker’s
goals. It is essential to convey the job you are seeking. A hiring manager needs to
know what position to consider you for. Their interests in your goals, at least during
the résumé screening process, end there. Other details of the job seeker’s goals are
of little value to the reader. Later in the hiring process, the hiring manager is likely
to want to understand the goals of the job seeker in detail, but this is after they have
determined that the job seeker is a fit for the role.

Nearly a quarter of the résumés provided an objective statement. The typical

objective statement was 23 words long, although some were much longer. The
longest was 168 words and provided in great detail the type of job, working
conditions, career potential, and corporate culture the job seeker wanted. Nothing in
the 168-word section gave a reason to hire the job seeker. This is typical of objective
statements. They focus on what the job seeker wants, not what the hiring manager wants.

A résumé is essentially an advertisement for a job seeker. Imagine if advertising

companies included objective statements in their commercials: “Seeking car buyers
who want to pay the sticker price, with good credit, a high sense of urgency to buy
now, and a desire to be a repeat customer every two years.” Is that going to get you
to head into the showroom? Of course not, and an objective statement is no different.
If you are not sure, read a few of the objective statements from the résumés.
Remember, these statements were the first thing listed on the résumé. After reading
each, which candidates do you want to learn more about? Below are examples of
objective statements from operations management résumés:

• A senior-level position directing transportation and distribution

operations, reducing costs, integrating operations, and improving
customer service.

• Actively seeking the position of master scheduler, which would help

utilize my experience of planning and control skills in improving the
productivity and supply chain of the company.

• Advance a global organization in meeting goals and shareholder

expectations in an increasingly complex and volatile economic
environment.

• Ambitious, dedicated senior engineering manager with technical and

managerial expertise seeks director position requiring these attributes to
lead optimization of company processes and systems through continuous
improvement and innovative problem solving.

Palladian | APICS 15
summary section

• An active role in operations using my business skills.

• An entry-level career position in engineering, engineering sales,

manufacturing, or similar.

• Assist in streamlining business processes by working in supply chain.

Team player who functions well with minimal supervision. Effective
communicator, initiator, self-motivated, and action oriented.

• Be reliable to receive growing responsibilities by performing effectively

and efficiently, challenging and valuable assignments related to supply or
materials management.

• Career advancement opportunity that will utilize my knowledge

and experience in the fields of logistics, warehouse and inventory
management, production planning, purchasing, and customer service.

• Career position with a company where I can make a difference. “Out-of-

the-box” type thinking. Open to new avenues.

• I have extensive experience in manufacturing management, purchasing

management, inventory management, material planning, and sales and
product development.

• Continued growth for a supply chain professional with more than 15 years
on-the-job experience, along with APICS CPIM or CSCP designation.

• Enhance the company’s operations through cost reduction, process

optimization, shortening product introduction time, and improving
internal and external customer satisfaction by utilizing process
improvement, project management, team leadership, and customer
support skills.

• Expand my knowledge and experience of supply chain management in a

constant learning environment while working for a stable company with a
good reputation.

• Highly driven, dedicated, and well-rounded professional looking to obtain

a position in supply chain management that offers opportunity for career
advancement.

• I am seeking a job to improve my personal skills, put me in a good

position to acquire more experience, have challenging career opportunity
in a good corporation, and prove myself in logistics and supply chain
management with new methodology in this field.

Palladian | APICS 16
summary section

• I am seeking a position with potential for growth in a team-friendly

environment where I have the opportunity to connect people together
from all over the world.

• I am seeking a supply chain management role within a best practice

organization.

• I would like to obtain the opportunity for challenge, professional growth,

leadership and career advancement.

I hope it is clear that the typical objective statement does little to nothing to sell the
job seekers. Despite this, the objectives do have an important goal. They attempt to
convey quickly, at the start of the résumé, the career field the job seeker is pursuing.
This is important to convey. The first reader of your résumé will first try to figure out
how to assess you. Most résumés go to a person in HR first, and this person is likely
recruiting for numerous positions in different fields. Their first task is to figure out
what job to assess your résumé for.

There is an easier and more effective way of conveying your career field goal. You
can provide a title to your résumé. 18 percent of the résumés in the survey did just
this. The first section of the résumé had a title that was a keyword indicating the
career field of the job seeker. For example, five of the résumés titled the summary
section of their résumé “Supply Chain Management.” This technique is very effective.

Length of the Summary Section

The length of the summary section varied widely. Some people put a short sentence
providing a summary of their experience. Others included incredible detail in their
summary including skills, experience and accomplishments.

• Average summary section 94 words

• Minimum summary section 6 words

• Maximum summary section 552 words

• Standard deviation 70 words

In addition to word count, the summary sections varied from less than 1 percent of
the words in the résumé to nearly 50 percent:

• Average summary section 12.7 percent

Palladian | APICS 17
summary section

• Minimum summary section 0.7 percent

• Maximum summary section 49.7 percent

The averages, in both words and percentages, are a good guideline to follow. A
summary section that is 10 percent to 20 percent of a typical résumé can contain
enough information to make a strong sales pitch for the job seeker, without being so
long that it gets skipped over.

Skills

Almost every summary section included some statement of the skills of the job
seeker. Including key skills at the top of your résumé is a great tactic. In operations
management, as with most careers, there will be a few skills that are essential,
nonnegotiable requirements for the position. There are likely to be a few other skills
that are highly preferred by the hiring manager. Together, these skills will be used to
differentiate candidates and weed out weaker résumés.

To be effective, you need to demonstrate your skill with all of the requirements and
most, if not all, of the highly preferred skills. A good first step is letting the reader
know at the top of the résumé that you possess the skills.

The number of skills included in the first line of the résumé and in the summary
section, were examined. Below are the results:

Skills in the first line Skills in the summary section

Average 4.5 19.1
Minimum 0 0
Maximum 26 62

There are three ways to list skills at the top of the résumé.

Incorporated naturally: You can include a few skills that you want to
highlight, and incorporate these into the text of your summary statement.

Example:

Successful supply chain manager with twenty years of experience

leading logistics operations.

Qualified list: You can provide a few keywords in a bulleted list with each
keyword qualified with your experience.

Palladian | APICS 18
summary section

Example:

• Leadership: Twenty years of experience leading supply chain

operations. Holds the APICS CSCP designation.

• Logistics: Experienced logistics manager with a track record of

cutting costs. Reduced transportation costs in 2010 by $400,000
by implementing an improved backhaul strategy.

Keyword dump: You can list, in sentences or in a bulleted list, as many keywords
as you can.

Example:

Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Lean/Six Sigma,

Supplier Relationship Management, Capital Equipment
Acquisition, Inventory Control, Strategic Sourcing ,
Contract Negotiations, Quality Assurance, Vendor
Performance, International Trade , ISO 9000, Contract
Management, Budget Development, Variance Analysis,
Process Management, Inventory Optimization, Training
and Presentations

Of the three options, the qualified list provides the strongest presentation. It lists
the skills and backs them up with an example of the job seeker’s experience with the
skills. The keyword dump tactic is unlikely to be effective. Try to imagine the hiring
manager that is going to get excited because there are thirty or forty industry terms
at the top of a résumé. It’s just not going to happen.

The top of the résumé is extremely valuable real estate. It is the place where hiring
managers start reading. If you provide information of little value, they will quickly
skip the top and jump to other sections. As they skip around, they may skip over your
most impressive attributes.

You want to make it clear what you bring to the table and emphasize a few key skills.
The averages are a good guideline to follow. Include four or five terms in the first line
of your résumé. Then provide another line or two summarizing your background and
a few bullet points listing key skills, and qualifying your skill level. This is likely to lead
to a total number of skills in the 15-25 range, and should be effective.

With this presentation, make sure you emphasize a few key skills, typically three to
five major skills. The rest of the skills in the section are supporting these key skills.
For example, in the qualified list example, Logistics is provided as a key skill, and
within the qualification statement, it discusses backhaul strategies as a supporting
skill. This additional skill helps reinforce the overall goal of demonstrating that the job
seeker is a logistics and supply chain expert.

Palladian | APICS 19
summary section

Does this mean a mass dump of keywords isn’t valuable? No, there are times when
a keyword list can be helpful. If you post your résumé to a database, it is important
to have the right keywords so you appear in searches. To do this, consider adding
a keyword list (typically called a skills section) to the bottom of your résumé. This
information is designed for the database to read, not the hiring manager. It should
not be at the top of the résumé.

Summary Section Recommendations

1. A summary section should start your résumé. Although this is not a required
element of a résumé, it makes a strong presentation.

2. A summary section should be a small summary of the résumé, totaling 10-20

percent of the total length (75-150 words).

3. Include specific accomplishments in your summary section demonstrating

your past successes.

4. Minimize your objective and focus on details important to the hiring

manager, not you. Often, using a job title as the title of a résumé can be a
good way to brand yourself while conveying your objective.

5. When listing skills in the summary section, qualify your skill level. This can be
done by showing your years of experience with the skill, projects where you
have used the skill, or with accomplishments where the skill allowed you to
succeed.

Palladian | APICS 20
First Line

How do you start your résumé? If you have ever struggled to find the right words to kick
off the first line of your summary section, you are not alone. The first line is likely to be
one of the first and most read elements of the résumé. It is important to make the right
impression. The first line of your résumé starts to create a brand for who you are and why
you should be hired.

It is impossible to write a single line that will cause you to be hired. Your goal with the first
line, as well as with the summary section and résumé as a whole, is to generate interest
in you and create a positive impression of how you can do the job. There are numerous
ways to do this. The first line of the résumé can focus on any aspect of the job seeker.
Most people focus on their skills. Others focus on their experience level. Some provide
their objective. In operations management, emphasizing an APICS Certified in Production
and Inventory Management (CPIM) or APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
designation is common.

To get an idea of how job seekers start their résumés, fifteen examples from the résumés
in the survey are listed below. Each example is the first sentence from a résumé.

• Diverse experience in business strategy, operations and project management.

• 15+ years of experience of leadership, in diverse operational environments

including production control, procurement, transportation, logistics,
manufacturing, and maintenance.

• Supply chain professional with numerous years of global experience with

companies in chemical, container, packaging, and steel industries.

• Accomplished, goal-oriented supply chain management professional with over 25

years of proven success in roles of increasing responsibility.

• APICS certified professional with more than 25 years experience in the areas
of supply chain management, purchasing, planning, sourcing, forecasting, and
operation.

• Dedicated management professional eager to contribute extensive supply

chain, logistics, and procurement expertise toward supporting the employer in
optimizing bottom-line performance.

• Distribution manager with extraordinary achievements in operations, cost

reduction, and project management.

• Highly accomplished manager with over 20 years of experience leading all

aspects of manufacturing and operations.

Palladian | APICS 21
First Line

• Highly accomplished supply chain management professional with a successful

track record of contract negotiations, organizational needs assessment, strategy
execution, new supplier implementation, and supply chain improvements.

• Results-driven operations leader and APICS Certified in Production and Inventory

Management (CPIM) with extensive experience developing and implementing
strategic supply chain solutions.

• Seeking a challenging position in the field of supply chain, logistics, or operations

management.

• Senior leader with an MBA, APICS CPIM and CSCP designations, and 20 years
of materials management experience in start-up and high growth biotech and
pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.

• Supply chain professional with 20 years experience with companies ranging from
Fortune 500s to start-ups in procurement or materials management.

• To find a strategic position improving functional processes through an end-to-

end supply chain utilizing my hands-on experience and ability to analyze and
summarize large data sets.

• Visionary leader and manager with more than 20 years of hands-on experience
contributing to better corporate performance by building effective teams, solving
complex problems, improving processes and skillfully aligning resources with
corporate objectives.

Of these fifteen examples, which grab your attention? This question cannot be answered
with a single right answer. Any of these lines could be effective, or ineffective. For example,
the third line lists the industries “chemical, container, packaging, and steel.” If the hiring
manager is looking for someone with a chemical and packaging industry background, this
will grab their attention. If the hiring manager is looking for someone out of the medical
device industry, the candidate is likely to be rejected because the candidate does not have
the proper industry background.

The same thing can be said for virtually every word in the statements above. If your
résumé reflects the profile the hiring manager is looking for, you will be successful. If it
does not, you won’t be successful. This profile will combine your experience, skills, and
education.

Your goal with the first line of your résumé is to start aligning your background to the
goals of the hiring manager. You need to choose the elements to emphasize that will
resonate with the hiring manager. This requires researching the position as much as
possible. The more you can learn about the position and the hiring manager, the better
your odds of making a strong impression.

Palladian | APICS 22
First Line

First Word

Each person will bring a different combination of skills, abilities, and talents to a job.
This combination will include dozens, if not hundreds of qualities. Your choice of what
to emphasize will influence the overall impression you want to create. Do you focus
on your analytical or leaderships skills? Your technical or communications skills?
Your lean experience or your negotiation skills? Your cost improvement experience
or your work ethic? The choices are too numerous to list.

You do need to focus and specialize. You cannot claim to be exceptional in everything
or you won’t be credible.

The first word or two of a résumé gives some insight into the qualities that job
seekers believe are important. Below is a list of some of the words used to start
résumés. Use this to help brainstorm about what you want to emphasize in your
résumé. There is no right answer. It is your choice as to the brand you want to create.
Just remember, the brand you create will be effective when it matches the image the
hiring manager has for the ideal candidate for the position.

Accomplished Excellent Professional

Achievement-Oriented Expand Progressive
Active Experience Proven
Actively Experienced Recognized
Adept Expert Respected
Advance Extensive Responsible
Advancing Fast Results
Ambitious Financial Results-driven
Analytical Focused Results-oriented
Assist Fortune 500 S&OP
Bilingual Forward-thinking Savvy
Consummate Full-time Seasoned
Continued Global Self-motivated
Continuous Hands-on Self-starter
Corporate High-Impact Senior
Currently Highly Solid
Dedicated Industrial Solutions
Demonstrated Innovative Solutions-focused
Detail Knowledgeable Spirited
Detail-oriented Leading Strategic
Distribution Logistics/supply chain Strengths
Diverse Managed Strong
Driven Master Successful
Dynamic Member Successfully
Electrical Motivated Talented
Energetic MRP/ERP Versatile
Enhance Organized Veteran
Enthusiastic Outstanding Vibrant
Entry level Polished Visionary
Envision Principle

Palladian | APICS 23
First Line

First Line Recommendations

1. Design the first line of your résumé to provide an overall brand for you.
It should summarize the most important elements of your background.

2. Focus on skills and experiences that are most important to

the hiring manager.

3. Emphasize qualities that relate to the core of the position you are seeking.

Palladian | APICS 24
mistakes to avoid

Many of the résumés in the survey contained mistakes. This is typical. Few job
seekers devote significant time and energy to developing their résumé writing skills
over their careers. They write a résumé when they need a job and forget about it the
rest of the time. A consequence of this is that résumés typically contain mistakes that
hurt the effectiveness of the résumé.

Some of the mistakes should be obvious after reading this survey report. The
major focal points of the benchmarking survey identified common mistakes and
recommendations. These have already been covered throughout the report. There
are other mistakes that were noticed during the survey. These related to details that
were not surveyed across all résumés. Instead, when a mistake was identified that fell
outside the scope of the survey, it was noted. Some of these are listed below.

Pontificating: Several of the résumés included statements in the summary

section detailing how the job seeker thinks a business should be run. For
example, one résumé detailed the priorities the hiring manager should use
to make a hiring decision. The résumé explained the “proper” prioritization
of experience, education, and skills for the position. It is never a good idea to
start your sales pitch by telling the hiring manager how do their job. Focus on
what you bring to the table.

Hiding dates: Some job seekers omitted critical information such as dates
of employment. These omissions tended to highlight the information that
was missing. If the job seekers were trying to hide a gap in employment, they
ended up doing the opposite by drawing attention to the omitted information.

Objective too detailed: If you choose to include an objective, do not make a

lot of demands. Some of the résumés provided a long list of requirements the
job seeker wants in a position. It’s okay to describe a career field, but you do
not want to appear demanding or unreasonable.

Accomplishments without results: A number of résumés started

with an accomplishments section. This can be very effective, since the
accomplishments show specific contributions and successes. Some of these
sections failed to include results. For example, one résumé starting with an
accomplishment section had seventeen separate bullet points. None showed
a tangible, quantified result. All of them were of the form “proven ability to
lead projects on time and under budget.” This may imply past success, but it
doesn’t specifically show past success.

Colored text: A few of the résumés used colored text or highlighting. In every
case, the formatting was very distracting. Stick with black text and a white
background.

Palladian | APICS 25
mistakes to avoid

Too many short phrases: One résumé used short phrases exclusively. There
wasn’t a line on the entire résumé that was more eight words. Being concise
is essential in a résumé, but carrying this too far will lead to a résumé that
doesn’t say anything. There are experiences and accomplishments that
cannot be fully explained with a five to eight word phrase. For these, adding
more text is essential.

Class listings: For recent college graduates, it can be difficult to provide

reasons why you are better than other recent graduates. Without work
experience, there just isn’t a lot to put on a résumé. Many of the recent
graduates listed noteworthy classes. This can be very effective, but it
requires adding why the class is noteworthy. One résumé listed a dozen class
numbers. MGT540 doesn’t mean anything without an explanation of what
this class is. If you list classes, provide some detail as to why the class is
important starting with the class title. Listing class numbers by themselves is
a waste of time.

Check spelling for text in all caps: In Microsoft Word, the spell-checker
function does not work when the text is typed in all capital letters. If you use
all caps, make sure you check the spelling of the words. Some résumés with
all caps contained numerous spelling mistakes.

Acronyms: One résumé included 19 different acronyms in a list at the top of

the résumé. A few of these were recognizable, but many were not. Even for
the acronyms that were recognizable, there was a chance they could have
meant something else. Virtually every three- or four-letter acronym will
have more than one meaning depending on the industry. Listing acronyms,
especially 19 of them at once, is at best a waste of time. Anyone can list
a bunch of acronyms on their résumé. Doing so will not impress a hiring
manager.

Secure PDF: One résumé in the sample was setup as a secure PDF. The
security made it impossible to print the file or copy the text of the file. This is
a great feature if you want to protect a propriety document, but it is a huge
mistake for résumé. A hiring manager is likely to want to print your résumé
when you go for an interview. Others prefer screening candidates with
hardcopies of the résumés.

Palladian | APICS 26
best practices

Résumé structure

• Use a chronological or hybrid structure. These are the most common and
most effective structures in operations management.

• Start with an introductory section, and make sure you have a work
experience and education section. After those, include sections for skills,
certifications, accomplishments, or projects. You can also include dedicated
sections for key skills that you want to highlight, such as languages.

• When prioritizing your sections, lead with your best selling points. For most
job seekers in operations management, this means starting with a summary
section, followed by work experience, with education and other skills later.

• Don’t go overboard with sections. Most résumés should have four to six
sections.

Summary section

• A summary section should start your résumé. Although this is not a required
element of a résumé, it makes a strong presentation.

• A summary section should be a small summary of the résumé, totaling 10-20

percent of the total length (75-150 words).

• Include specific accomplishments in your summary section demonstrating

your past successes.

• Minimize your objective and focus on details important to the hiring manager,
not you. Often, using a job title as the title of a résumé can be a good way to
brand yourself while conveying your objective.

• When listing skills in the summary section, qualify your skill level. This can be
done by showing your years of experience with the skill, projects where you
have used the skill, or with accomplishments where the skill allowed you to
succeed.

Palladian | APICS 27
best practices

First line

• Design the first line of your résumé to provide an overall brand for you. It
should summarize the most important elements of your background.

• Focus on skills and experiences that are most important to the hiring
manager.

• Emphasize qualities that relate to the core of the position you are seeking.

In addition to these best practices, a few other recommendations were identified.

These were elements that stood out because they were very effective.

Temporary job explanation: One résumé of a job seeker who had been laid
off from a supply chain management position listed the most recent job as an
hourly retail position. Many job seekers will try to embellish such a position.
This job seeker provided one bullet point that was very effective. It simply
said that the position was a bridge position until the job seeker could move
into a more challenging supply chain role. It was a very honest and effective
way of explaining the role.

Multiple summary sections: Including a summary section is a very effective

strategy on a résumé. Some job seekers took this to another level. They
included more than one summary section. The effectiveness of this varied.
Some were very effective, while others were confusing and ineffective. The
ones that were effective tended to have two summary sections. The first
provided an overview of the job seeker’s background. The second focused
on a specific aspect of the background, such as a few related skills. This
presentation was very effective in some cases.

Bulleted lists: Some of the résumés used detailed bulleted lists in the
summary section, with each list element providing a complete idea. Each
bullet was one to two sentences long. This style provided great detail and was
much easier to read than long paragraphs.

Palladian | APICS 28
ABOUT PALLADIAN
and apics

About Palladian
Palladian International is led by individuals experienced with recruiting and hiring,
both within corporations and recruiting agencies. We understand what makes a job
seeker successful and how most job seekers make mistakes to kill opportunities.
We developed a suite of coaching services to help job seekers stand out from the
competition. We also publish instructional guides to help job seekers learn the skills
they need to be successful in a job search.

Contact Us:
105-A Lew Dewitt Blvd.
Suite 197
Waynesboro, VA 22980
P (866) 766-8447
F (703) 651-3072
palladian@palladianinternational.com
www.palladianinternational.com

About APICS
APICS The Association for Operations Management is the global leader and premier
source of the body of knowledge in operations management, including production,
inventory, supply chain, materials management, purchasing, and logistics. Since
1957, individuals and companies have relied on APICS for its superior training,
internationally recognized certifications, comprehensive resources, and worldwide
network of accomplished industry professionals.

Contact Us:
8430 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60631 USA
P (773) 867-1777
TF (800) 444-2742
apics.org

APICS Mission
APICS builds knowledge and skills in operations management professionals to
enhance and validate abilities and accelerate careers. We help our members and
their organizations successfully compete and build a stronger global economy.

Palladian | APICS 29