Whitridge's Resume Guide - Stand Out in Today's Job Market

In today's competitive job market, your resume is your ticket to standing out from the crowd. It's not just a list of your experiences; or a copy-paste of job descriptions you’ve applied to and been hired into; it's a reflection of your professionalism, attention to detail, and ability to communicate effectively.

By following a few key guidelines, you can transform your resume into a compelling narrative that showcases your strengths and achievements, making you an irresistible candidate to potential employers, and getting you through client’s Applicant Tracking Systems. Let's dive into how you can craft a resume that opens doors and gets you noticed.

When crafting a resume, it's essential to ensure it's free from common errors. Utilize tools like Grammarly to catch mistakes that word processors might miss, but also manually review the document as no tool is perfect. For example, be mindful of terms like "Fixed Income" versus the correct "fixed-income."

Summary

The summary should be concise and well-written, focusing on key strengths rather than a comprehensive list of skills. The summary should be no longer than 2-3 sentences and should never repeat your resume bullets.

Experience Section

Ensure that all previous roles are described in the past tense, while the current role should be in the present tense. 

Duration of projects

For any completed projects, include an end date, ideally specifying the month and year. For positions that lasted 12 months or less, clarify whether you were in contract roles and the reasons for their short duration with your Whitridge Recruiter.  

Position Details

Under each position, detail the specific projects worked on, your responsibilities, and any notable accomplishments.

NOTE: Bullet points should be specific and informative, answering the question "Used what to do what?" Avoid generic statements and start each bullet with an action verb like "Led," "Developed," or "Integrated." For instance,

Data/Database Engineer

• As a member of The Data Analytical Engineering (DAE) Team, I worked on different projects like CC10 (Claim Center) Upgrade, Teradata Migration, LogMiner to LogReader Upgrade, and BOOMI for the Claims Department in GRM Account.

Software Engineer

• Designed and developed new functionalities for the Client Policy Service system, including Message Processor, Message Relay Publisher, True Up Scheduler, and Cleanup Scheduler using .NET 6-based Windows Services.
• Developed strategic and analytic solutions for traders, quants, operations, risk and evaluation, and settlement teams on an array of real-time globally distributed trading and risk management systems in AMRS.EMEA and APAC. Worked as part of the Global Arbitrage Trading and Global Equity Linked Products groups.       

Platform Lead/Strategic Product Management

• Provided strategic leadership and oversaw allocation platform; daily activities related to fund management, portfolio monitoring, and reporting, executed on technology direction for Enterprise Investment Office across all strategy investment teams (Primary, Secondary, Direct, Real Assets, and Credit).

Project Manager /Business Systems Analyst

• Project: Wealth Management, Migration/Integration of Legacy OEMS Platforms to IDS Framework.
• Implemented FlexTrade, Charles River OEMS solution for Trading, Portfolio & Risk Management
• Developed/maintained Epics, Stories, and Defect tracking in VersionOne for Global Project Team engagement
• Upgraded CRD 17r3 to 20r1
• Developed custom Envestnet data extract for custodial and performance reporting
• Onboarded the Fixed Income London Desk; this was a full front- to back-office implementation with MIFID requirements for a completely new UK-based trading desk

Skill Search

Utilize the 'Find' function (Ctrl+F) to search for keywords and ensure all required skills are mentioned throughout the resume, not just in the summary or skills list. For example, if the resume lists "SQL, PYTHON, OMS/EMS" at the bottom, there should be corresponding bullet points in the body of the resume that detail how and where these skills were applied.

NOTE: If you utilize a skills section of your resume, place it at the bottom of your resume under the Education section. Ensure all skills mentioned in the skills section are pulled through the resume to better highlight what and where you used them. 

Resume Length

Regarding resume length, the old rule of thumb was to keep it to a page or two, while that’s old advice, it should never exceed five pages, no matter your level of experience. Each project description should be concise, not exceeding half a page, and any generic or non-value-adding bullet points should be removed.

NOTE: It is possible to cut the resume down by using the phrase “Resume Limited for Brevity” following the last 10 years of experience. If you need to highlight projects older than 10 years ago, it can come up in the discussion during the interview OR be injected into a short list of engagements. Talk to your Whitridge Recruiter for more advice on how to work with your situation.  

Education

Education details should include completion dates. If you have concerns about including your date of graduation, please contact your Whitridge Recruiter. If a degree was not completed, it should be removed unless you are enrolled for an expected graduation date (i.e. University of Massachusetts; Bachelor of Science Expected Date of Completion May 2024).

In summary, a well-crafted resume should be free of errors, concise, and demonstrate your skills and accomplishments. By following these guidelines, you can present yourself in the best possible light to potential employers.