A Comparison of Resume Content Preferences of Fortune 500 Personnel Administrators and Business Communication Instructors

Abstract

This study compares the résumé content preferences of Fortune 500 personnel administrators and business communication instructors. There is also a comparison of the current personnel administrators' résumé content preferences to earlier research findings.Business communication instructor résumé content preference rankings were very similar to the current Fortune 500 personnel administrator rankings. There was agreement on the relative importance of 60 of the 70 potential résumé content items. Statistically significant differences in rankings were found on 10 of the 70 items. For example, personnel administrators ranked job objective, grade point average, and reasons for leaving jobs significantly higher in importance than did the business communication instructors.The findings show a shifting in personnel administrators'preferences. They now want less personal information and more evidences of achievement and accomplishments in college and on the job.

The Resume Research Literature: Where Have We Been and Where Should We Go Next?

“…Although recent research has provided support for the notion that there is no need for a personal opening in a resume (Burns et al, 2014), including a job objective and/or a career objective has traditionally been found to be important information to include in a resume (Harcourt & Krizan, 1989;Harcourt, Krizan, & Merrier, 1991;Hornsby & Smith, 1995;Hutchinson, 1984;Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997;Schramm & Dortch, 1991). Harcourt and colleagues' (1991) sample of 212 campus recruiters demonstrated a preference for a career objective over a job objective or a combined career and job objective.…”

“…However, future research is needed to more conclusively demonstrate the impact of including a career objective, a job objective, or a combined career and job objective especially considering the technological advancements since some of this research was conducted. Lastly, a summary of qualifications may also be important to include in a resume (Harcourt & Krizan, 1989;Harcourt et al, 1991); however, future research is also needed to determine whether including a summary of qualifications is effective if a career objective, a job objective, or a combined career and job objective has already been included.…”

“…In fact, a convincing body of early and more recent research has supported the inclusion of GPA data in the resume (e.g., Brown & Campion, 1994;Burns et al, 2014;Campion, 1978;Chen, Huang, & Lee, 2011;Feild & Holley, 1976;Harcourt & Krizan, 1989;McNeilly & Barr, 1997;Schramm & Dortch, 1991) and the preference for this type of information increased since the Hutchinson (1984) study (Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997). Hutchinson and Brefka's (1997) sample of personnel administrators in Fortune 500 organizations demonstrated a preference for the inclusion of GPA information especially when it is high and perhaps even when it is low.…”

“…There is some debate in the resume advice industry regarding the inclusion of high school data but previous research has suggested that this type of information is likely unnecessary and should probably be excluded from resumes (Harcourt & Krizan, 1989;Hutchinson, 1984;Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997;Spinks & Wells, 1987;Wells et al, 1981); that is, unless the high school information is the most recent educational experience that the applicant possesses (Hornsby & Smith, 1995). Harcourt and colleagues (1991) found that information regarding high school GPA, graduation date, and awards was not preferred by their sample of campus recruiters.…”

“…A primary inclusion for the resume is the work experience section and applicants should include information regarding previous employers, the dates in which they worked for each employer, their job title at each previous employer, and whether each job was part-or full-time (Feild & Holley, 1976;Harcourt & Krizan, 1989;Harcourt et al, 1991;Holley et al, 1988;Horn, 1988;Hutchinson, 1984;Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997;Mansfield, 1976;McNeilly & Barr, 1997;Schramm & Dortch, 1991;Spinks & Wells, 1987, 1993Wells et al, 1981). Moreover, it has been shown that it is important to include work experience information even if the previous experience is unrelated to the job in question (Hornsby & Smith, 1995;Sulastri, Handoko, & Janssens, 2015).…”