The resume.
Do not lie, ever.| Every day I see or hear someone propose a new and improved way of designing a resume. The latest is "should you have a video resume"? A moving history of your achievements that the potential employer could watch. If we assume that the people who look at resumes have all the time in the world, and that they are lacking in entertainment, this might be an idea. But that is not the case. People who look at resumes give them two minutes or less for something to catch their eye before they toss them into the reject pile. I have looked at thousands of resumes since 1980 and the key to getting your self in front of any one is to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Don't buy into some amateur's vision of what a resume should look like. They are wasting your time. Their suggestions could prevent you from being considered for something you really would like to investigate. The hiring managers attention span may be very short. You have to quickly say what you want to get across or it will get lost in the white noise. | Most resumes are already too long. People put too much stuff on their resumes. Making a resume longer and more complex is not a good idea. It goes against reality and productive convention. The first example that comes to mind is education. If you have a four year degree you don't need to note that you have a junior college degree, a high school diploma, and that you have taken some unrelated course . Another subject that is best left out of the resume are the social organizations people belong to. They don't care about your extra-curricular activities. That stuff is highly commendable, but it does not relate to the task at hand. They don't even care what you are looking for. They want to see, as quickly as possible, if you have the experience and skills that they need to satisfy their needs, not yours. Specifying your needs only sets the stage for your stated needs conflicting with theirs and your resume going to the reject pile. A cover letter or a separate page listing all your achievements is another item that you should consider leaving out. | Keep in mind that we are dealing with an environment that is becoming more and more specialized. The individuals looking at your resume are looking for that specialized information in your resume. Be specific, a resume that does not address your specific skills may be missing the target altogether. Know what you are applying for and write your resume to address those points. If you have the skills and experience say so. You don't need to go any further. Good luck and good fortune! Resume questions and requests. |