Pare down details in resume to most relevant

High school Spanish teacher Holly Banner recently completed a master's degree in school counseling and needs some guidance on how to land a counselor's job.

At four pages, Banner's resume is twice as long as it should be, says Donna Brand, a career counselor. Cut it to two pages that highlight the experience and qualifications most relevant to a counseling career, she advises.

Banner's counseling work has been limited to internships, which she lists on her resume as "professional experience," separate from her teaching experience.

Brand suggests: "Group the experience under titles such as 'on-site practicum.' ... Rather than a list of duties, summarise. One example might be, ‘Counseled children in personal, social and career development issues under supervision of a licensed counselor or psychologist.’"

Summarise teaching experience, too. "Since she is seeking a position as a school counselor, the teaching experience is valuable from the standpoint that employers know she has an understanding of classroom dynamics, school culture and the problems and issues inherent in such a system--listing all responsibilities under each teaching position is not necessary and clutters up the resume. If she feels strongly about including it, she could do a qualifications summary to emphasise or highlight career history."

Making space to list credentials, certifications and education is important. So is underlining her fluency in Spanish.

Banner lists almost a half-page of volunteer activities. When including such experiences, Brand says, choose those that will help the most. "Try to view it from an employer's perspective," she says.

Maryann Haggerty

— LA Times-Washington Post