Are you struggling to write your resume and promote
yourself effectively in your job search? Here are five
prevalent resume writing myths and mistakes to avoid that
you must be aware of.
1) Myth: Resumes should be only one, or at the most, two
pages.
In most cases, this is true. It is the rare reviewer of
resumes who, when being completely honest, will tell you
that he or she spends more than a few seconds in the first
review of a resume. Unless your resume captures immediate
attention through an eye-appealing design and succinct,
compelling language, your resume will be screened out after
just 15 seconds. With this reality in mind, imagine the
thoughts of the reviewer when he or she receives a four- or
five-page resume, with another 100 resumes waiting for
review right behind it. Clearly, the odds of your resume
capturing attention and being read increase when the length
is limited to one or two pages.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Absolutely!
While it is true that with each additional page you reduce
your chances of your resume being read thoroughly, for many
executives, contract workers, consultants, and technical
professionals it is unrealistic and nearly impossible to
compress years of experience into one or two pages. When
attempted, important achievements are left out to make room
for a full chronology of the career history and education.
What is left is a boring listing of companies, positions,
and dates that are virtually guaranteed to turn off the
reader and land your resume in the circular file.
A better strategy is to write your resume with exactly as
much detail as is needed to persuasively convince the
reader that you are the ideal candidate to solve his or her
problems - to compel the reader to pick up the phone and
call you for an interview. While this is sometimes a
difficult balance to strike, you should edit your resume
with a very discriminating eye toward reducing unnecessary
wordiness. Every word in your resume should have a purpose.
Items that can be presented as a list - continuing
education courses, technical summaries, associations and
memberships, etc. - can often be included in an addendum
that may or may not be used as appropriate. Within the
resume, use succinct, dynamic, action-oriented language to
convey your ability to add value to the reader's company
and you will capture and hold attention through three or
even more pages.
2) Myth: All resumes should include a clearly stated
objective.
It is essential that your resume is audience-focused - it
must succinctly communicate that you understand the
employer's needs and that you are uniquely qualified to
meet those needs. While the use of an objective is a
controversial issue, at its basis, an objective tells the
reader what you want from him or her (focused on YOUR needs
rather than the employers'). A popular and often more
effective alternative to the objective, the qualifications
summary, allows you to establish focus for the resume while
summarizing the key qualifications and value you offer the
employer. This is a subtle but critical difference - one
that may weigh heavily in opening the door to an interview.
While an objective is both appropriate and effective in
some cases, for example, career changers or new graduates
with little or no work experience in the targeted field,
experiment with the qualifications summary as a strong
alternative.
3) Myth: Resumes should thoroughly describe the
responsibilities of each position.
The absolute most important element of your resume is your
value proposition. Your unique ability to solve business
problems, meet challenging goals, and produce desired
results should be the focus of your qualifications summary
(see above) and this focus should be supported by proof
throughout your career. How better to do this than through
achievement-oriented, results-focused descriptions of your
career history? While employers and recruiters will want to
know the scope of your position (number of direct reports,
amounts of budgets managed, areas of management authority,
etc.) this is most effectively communicated within the
context of the challenges you faced, the actions you took,
and the results of your actions. "Responsibilities" only
tell the reader what you were supposed to do, not what you
actually did do. Use powerful, active language to concisely
tell the reader the "story" behind your most recent or
relevant positions. By documenting your consistent ability
to produce results and solve problems you will demonstrate
your ability to produce similar results in the future.
4) Myth: Resumes should include only the last ten years of
experience.
Content of your resume should be strategically selected to
support your focus and value proposition. While it is true
that readers of your resume will be most interested in your
most recent experience, there is often value in including
experience further back in your history. Perhaps your early
career includes work for well-known, prestigious companies.
Perhaps you want to document the full scope of your
cross-industry experience, much of which occurred in your
early career. Perhaps you believe some valuable networking
opportunities may come out of your experience 15 or 20
years ago. Or perhaps your most impressive accomplishments
were in a position you held 12 years ago. In any case, if
your career history is lengthy, it will be apparent to the
reader that your career did not suddenly materialize ten
years ago, so there is little harm and many benefits to
summarizing this early experience. Of course, this does not
mean that you must give equal page weight to your early
career. If you feel early dates will be used to screen you
out, subtly leave them out of your early career summary. If
some early career positions have more strategic relevance
than others, give them more emphasis in your summary. Think
carefully about the content of your resume. If there is
solid reasoning behind your desire to present early
experience, than do so.
5) Myth: Resumes should include personal information, to
indicate the many dimensions to your life and interests.
There is no way to predict the personal biases of the
individuals who will read your resume. The first and
primary way that an employer uses a resume is to screen
candidates out; don't give them any reason! Professional
memberships and related volunteer work should often be
included but religious affiliations, family status, social
club memberships, and hobbies have no place on a resume.
The only exception to this is when you are preparing a
resume specifically written to appeal to a single
individual who you are absolutely certain would be
fascinated in your piloting license or passion for golf.
Even then, be careful; you never know where your resume
will be passed. However, if you are certain that your
personal information will help you to break the ice and
build rapport, you may have a valid reason for including it.
----------------------------------------------------
Certified resume writer and personal branding strategist,
Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive Career
Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com
Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of 101
Before-and-After Resume Examples
http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com
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