Pritchard is in his mid 30s. He is a cabinet maker with supervisory experience and the ambition to go further.

CLICK HERE TO PREVIEW PRITCHARD'S RESUME (JPG FORMAT)

PurposeThe résumé is in direct response to an advertisement he has found on the internet for a factory manager position. When he phoned for the position description he was told that they just wanted a résumé, not a statement addressing the selection criteria. For this reason, he has developed quite a long résumé (4 pages) which includes a fairly extensive description of his relevant skills and achievements.

The advertisement:

The position description:

Position:FACTORY MANAGER
Reporting to: Managing Director or other person nominated by the Managing Director

PURPOSE:
Directing, coordinating, maintaining and controlling all the Factory’s operations. Coordinating activities relating to the company’s different areas of operation, the building, common services and grounds.
Monitor adherence to the company’s policies. Participate in establishing and implementing major goals and objectives
The major objective of the role is to manage the IFOTIS and cost aspects of our factory operations.
IFOTIS is delivery In Full, On Time and In Spec, where In Full means that we deliver all the product and its accessories, On Time means that we deliver these on the date we initially promised the customer and In Spec means that we deliver product of a quality fit for purpose.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Assume responsibility for the safety of all factory staff:

• Ensure colleagues are aware of the company’s safety rules, the safety requirements of their job and that they are fit to do the work requested of them.
• Ensure all OSH requirements are met and specifically that all machinery is safe to operate and the operator is trained in the use of the machine.

Assume responsibility for the effective planning of jobs:

• Ensure that quantity take-offs have been done and materials have been ordered before the job is entered in Tracs.
• Plan which colleague(s) are to do the work and which machines are needed, before the job is scheduled to start.

Assume responsibility for effective execution of all factory jobs:

• Supervise manufacturing colleagues to ensure that optimally effective manufacturing methods are used and that time and materials are used efficiently in completing production jobs.
• Coordinate the use of manufacturing resources to ensure jobs are completed by due date and inform the front office well in advance of a revised delivery time when there is a likelihood that the job will not be completed by due date.
• Direct, instruct or demonstrate to colleagues the production methods and production standards required to meet customers’ expected quality levels.

Assume responsibility for daily operations of the factory and the administrative aspects of the role:

• Provide leadership to workshop colleagues through effective objective setting, delegation and communication. Hold meetings to inform colleagues of changes.
• Maintain effective working relationships with colleagues.
• Ensure that accurate time information is recorded in the Tracs system and that accurate material usage is recorded on job cards.
• Ensure work areas are clean, secure and well-maintained.
• Prepare and implement an annual preventive maintenance programme for machines and ensure machines and tools are kept in good and safe working condition so as to minimize the chance of injury and any downtime.

Assume responsibility for the development of colleagues:

• Provide practical training in handling of materials, use of tools and machinery and manufacturing techniques. Coordinate external training to supplement this. Provide assistance in colleagues’ personal development.
• Maintain high safety standards and conduct regular safety training.
• Conduct performance appraisals of colleagues in February and August every year. Provide measurable feedback and provide suggestions for improved performance. Formulate and implement corrective actions when required.
• Make recommendations for the wage review at the end of March every year.
• Assess staffing requirements and initiate actions to correct imbalances.

COMPANY-WIDE FUNCTIONS
Assume responsibility for:

• Opening the factory at the start of the production day and closing the factory at the end of the production day.

Participate in:

• organizing Company promotions
• identifying new products, product development and new customers and markets
• planning the Company’s direction
• Ensure regular and essential building maintenance takes place.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Areas of responsibility fully meet OSH requirements
• Deliveries meet IFOTIS
• Time and material recording is accurate
• Plant and tools are well maintained
• Colleagues are effective and efficient

Style
The font used throughout the document is Century Gothic. The lettering in this font is slightly extended. This means that a line of text in Century Gothic is almost 10% longer than it would be in Arial. Many lines are further extended through the use of full justification.

To make the text easier to read, each line of 11-point lettering has been set at 15 points from the next line, thus putting a little over 1 millimetre of extra space between the lines.
When writing a résumé as long as this one, readability is very important. If the document isn’t easily readable the employer might just be tempted to put it aside as just too much hard work.

Order and content
The order is typical for a functional résumé and the only unusual feature is the length of the Relevant Skills and Achievements section. This is because, although Pritchard was provided with a position description, he was told over the phone that the employer only wanted a résumé, not a statement addressing the selection criteria, and he wanted to make sure that he covered them all properly.

An employer’s comments
I would certainly want to interview him. I like the layout of the résumé, mainly because it addresses the requirements outlined in the advertisement. Most applications we get are 'generic', some running to ten pages and listing everything the person has done for the last ten or fifteen years. You can waste a lot of time trying to find out whether they have actually done what you require for the position. Pritchard seems keen to join our company and that sets his application apart from others.