The Banff Resume
Objectives:
Tell the reader what to think, do not assume they understand how to think about you.
For each position, describe your mandate- the charge you were given (what you were hired to do), and how you delivered against that mandate. Brought in to do this, did this, and this, etc.
Give credit where credit is due- equally important to claim your own. Be careful of using things like “led”, “created”, “built” etc without being explicit about where you were responsible and where a team was responsible. Here are some examples of bullet starters.
Provide balance between what you have in your resume vs what you could explain better in an interview
Your resume is a teaser and should prompt interest or curiosity but should not leave people guessing. Think of it like a tear sheet for the interview or the bullet points on your notecard you might write to give a speech.
Highlight your Brand
Your resume and your Linkedin profile should complement each other and your professional Brand. They can be similar, but should not be identical. The resume should have more detail for things that are not as public- such as sensitive facts and figures. (Dates, role titles, and other foundational details should be consistent).
LinkedIn- you can use a bit more prose as opposed to bullets. Keep some of the facts and figures for a sense of scale and scope.
6 Tactical Points
Facts and figures are an important signal for the scope of your experience. Use them to clarify the breadth of a role/responsibility. They also help to specify general statements. Especially those that signal numbers such as: increased, decreased, drove, scaled, or reached. If in a role leading others: always describe the size of the team/direct reports and if you owned a P&L (Profit & Loss = responsible for a balance sheet/budget).
The Intro should summarize experience and capabilities. Should not include too much about previous roles or companies as it could be redundant. Summary = snapshot and should answer the question: “How should I think about you?”
Use buzzwords like salt and pepper (intentionally)- when used properly, they will enhance your position and signal the reader why you are a great fit. Overused and it leaves a bad taste.
Locations are not necessary EXCEPT where they show someone significantly moving coasts/countries OR if the role is outside of your current region. If someone has been in the same place for the majority of their working life or applying in a region where they reside, location is not necessary.
5. Under no circumstances should a resume/CV be more than 3 pages. There is a point in a resume when listing experiences becomes an option. There is no right number or signal when to do this. It has more to do with making sure the depth of experience over the last 10+ years is shown. Therefore it is more about focus and minimizing length than a standard right or wrong. If the resume is within 3 pages giving full detail, it can remain.
6. The standard font is Arial, size 9-11. Font size 11 for Company Name/Role Titles (optional- but helps someone skim titles/companies). Font size 9 or bigger for the body text. Use font variations/colored text sparingly, they are at best, appealing to the eye and at worst, a distraction.
📝 FYI: Always send your resume as a PDF. Why? It helps ensure that your document will be read. Whenever it is sent as a word or google doc, it runs the risk of access, compatibility, or formatting challenges. All modern computers have a PDF reader factory installed on the machine.
“Your resume/CV will not get you a job or even get you into a room, but it can certainly keep you out” - Valerie Germain
A crash course in everything you need to know about your resume or CV with an outline and downloadable template
Resume/CV Outline:
Header: Name and contact information
Use a personal email
LinkedIn is optional (likely whoever receiving your resume has looked at your LinkedIn)
Executive Summary or Intro:
Quick synopsis 4-5 sentences of your experience and deliverables at select positions
The only place in the resume where it is appropriate to use first person prose, objective third person is standard (think copy/paste) for a recruiter.
Experiences: Company, Role Title, years in the role.
For multiple roles within the same company, start a new section headed by Role Title and continue to bullet responsibilities.
If many (3+) roles within a single company, list the earlier roles to save space (depends on other experience salience)
Previous experiences: listed in bullet form for 3-4 positions outside of the most relevant/early career
List your education under previous experiences
Board Experience/Awards and Honors: listed in bullet form
Can be included together (in one list rather than two) if it makes the narrative more cohesive.
Can also include Media/Speaking Engagements
Board Roles should be denoted similarly to Role title
List from the most recent to least recent.