The 3r’s of Resume Writing: Readability, Relevancy, Results

If you’re anything like me, your life is a whirlwind of random jobs, organizations and projects. You’ve collected enough trophies, ribbons and certificates to cover your bedroom walls and you feel like the only thing between you and an internship or job is a white piece of paper employers call a resume.

The problem I struggle with is narrowing the whirlwind of my life into a neat portrait of ideas. While preparing to apply for Eisbrenner, I compiled a list of questions to ask myself to make sure my resume is clean, concise and impressive. Here are a few of the questions I developed.


Is it relevant?

Relevancy is as important to your resume as it is a press release. My resume was filled with items from high school and early college that were dead weight, including jobs that weren’t relevant to public relations. They didn’t hurt me, but they certainly weren’t helping either.

Is it easy to read?

Visual appeal speaks volumes. Headings, bullet points and proper tabbing help to make reading your resume much easier. I broke my resume down by experience, professional development, honors/awards and education, and used bullet points to list skills and accomplishments.

Is it adapted to the audience?

Public relations has a lot to do with understanding your audience, and so should your resume. Do some research and get to know the company and person to whom you’re applying. Eisbrenner had a list of resume and interview tips I received on an agency visit that I used to tailor my resume and prepare for the interview.

Is it results driven?

This was one of the hardest questions to answer. I provided numbers where it was possible, and made sure to use verbs to describe my responsibilities. At first I wanted everything to have a number, but eventually I realized quality is just as important as quantity. Sometimes it’s not about the number of press releases you have written, but the news article or interview that came as a result.

What are you doing to have the perfect resume? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Staying competitive in the job market

The public relations industry has always been competitive, but it may be now more than ever. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “[the] employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow by 18 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations.”

Don’t let this statistic fool you! The report followed up by saying “keen competition likely will continue for entry-level public relations jobs, as the number of qualified applicants is expected to exceed the number of job openings.”

What does this mean for students and recent college graduates? Two words: get busy!

Here are few things I focused on that I feel have helped me stay competitive:

Lead - Employers are looking for more than just four years in a college classroom. Start leading in campus and community organizations. I served as president of Wayne State University’s PRSSA Chapter, and I gained experience I couldn’t have received anywhere else. I learned how to manage projects, hold meetings and build relationships.

Write - You’ve heard this over and over again, but writing is the absolute, most important skill to have for your career. To gain experience, I wrote for our PRSSA newsletter, guest posted on blogs, drafted press releases for local companies and wrote essays for scholarships. Each of these different writing styles have helped me improve my writing.

Read - You may be thinking you have enough to read with your textbooks, but it’s important to spend time reading outside the classroom. A broad reading list has helped me to stay on top of changes in the world and the industry. I like reading the New York Times, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Mashable, CNET and PRWeek. And, when I have extra time I add in a book, like The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

Build Relationships - Ever heard the phrase “it’s not what you know, but it’s who you know?” This is partially true. The relationships I’ve built with past employers, classmates and professors have proved extremely beneficial. I continue to build relationships by attending tweetups, conferences and PRSA Detroit events.

Nothing about getting an internship or job is scientific or fool proof, but you have to work hard if you want to be the best candidate. What things are you doing to stay competitive?

Whistle while you work

When I was young, I remember hearing the phrase “work isn’t meant to be fun.” I dreaded my math homework, hated cutting the grass and despised taking out the garbage. For me these simple tasks took away from the time that was meant for my enjoyment.

I told my parents that one day my job would be fun. I’d be an actor or an author, completely immersed in a fanciful world known only to my imagination. I’m not sure where those dreams disappeared to, but one thing is certain – the desire to have fun at work never left.

I’ve held many jobs, but none quite like this one. Each person at Eisbrenner seems to have a natural happiness that carries over into everything they do. Whether, it’s Schanel singing the Sound of Music, Christine declaring it love song Thursday, Michael quoting The Office or the team brainstorming Halloween costume ideas at lunch, there is not a day that passes where I don’t enjoy being at work.

Aristotle said, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” This phrase seems to summarize life at Eisbrenner.

Maybe I’m an idealist, but isn’t work meant to be fun?

When it rains, it pours

I love storms, especially those that involve bright lightning and loud thunder. However, the storms I love the most are brainstorms. There’s something exciting about pouring every thought you have about a topic on paper and turning it into a cohesive, masterful idea. This excitement for fresh and creative thinking is something Eisbrenner and I have in common.

I recently participated in an exciting naming brainstorm for one of our clients who is looking for a name that is more reflective of who they are. Eisbrenner came to the rescue, and before Mr. Potato and I knew it, we were in the thick of an idea downpour.

I’ve never been in a more creative and passionate atmosphere. It was clear the new name would need to be equal to the task of representing the environment of the organization, as it did the programs it implemented. Our first step toward a new name required a focused look at what this group wanted to accomplish, and the goals and relationships that made them successful.

Following this discussion, we each wrote down five words that we believed described the organization, and then drenched the white board with our ideas. However, the storm wasn’t over; it was time to decide on a name.

Naming an organization is much like naming a child. We wanted something original, but classy. It had to fit with the mission like a first name fits a last. We had to consider nicknames that might develop as a result. Things I never thought about became important, like who had a similar name, what reputation the company had, and was the website name available?

After much deliberation we finally settled on one. Who would’ve thought renaming could be so hard?

Its days like these that the potato head and I realize why we chose public relations. It allows us to help passionate people communicate important messages!

Let’s try a little brainstorming here. Let me know what you want to hear about by writing your ideas in the comment section.