March 21, 2007

Tailoring Your Resume
Matthew Clifford

Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we are able to respond only those applicants deemed worthy of consideration.

My father landed his first job after college using an unusual technique. Reasoning that most every HR manager has a thick stack of resumes on his or her desk, he concluded that to improve his chances of being granted an interview, he must somehow get his placed on the top of the pile. Qualifications might eventually achieve this aim in a metaphorical sense, but he was looking for something more immediate.

With the help of a friend, who had invested a considerable sum in what was then an advanced printing system, he created a resume in the form of a three-fold brochure on thick stock, so it could not be placed between the hordes of 8”-by-11” papers—not neatly, anyway. Onto this substantial vehicle they inscribed a graphic representing my father’s education and work experience: a circle, with the various positions-held arrayed clockwise around the circumference, the last accompanied by an arrow terminating in the circle’s center, where the position being applied for was listed with a dramatic inevitability. This graphic was accompanied by what was, given the circle, a potentially ominous caption: “I know where I’ve been . . .and I know where I’m going!”

He got the job.

The landscape of the job search has changed immeasurably since then; chances are you will not submit a single resume on paper. But the objective remains the same: to stand out from the crowd by maximizing your self-presentation.

Here are a few things to consider:

The “general resume” is overrated. You may be the world’s most versatile worker, but that doesn’t mean there is a single resume to represent you. To be effective, a resume must be a clear and efficient communicator of the value you can offer as an employee in a specific role. Put the company in the center of the circle. Laura Smith-Proulx, a Certified Professional Resume Writer, offers this advice:

Employers expect to see interest in their companies, their job openings, and their needs. And who can blame them? Every phrase, keyword, and qualification in your resume, especially in your profile summary, should be tuned to fit the position at hand.

Click here to read her full article on Denverjobs.com

Think carefully about what employers are looking for. Remember that the overall “look” of your resume will strike the eye of an employer before he or she reads a single word. The design sense and originality you put into an application says something about how much you want the job (and about who you are)—but don’t overdo it. The results of this survey may surprise you.

What you don’t say matters as much as what you do. All of us have gaps and idiosyncrasies in our employment histories, and often an employer will want to know why. A functional (as opposed to a chronological) resume can smooth over some of these issues, but a strictly functional format, says [Louise Fletcher], sets off alarm bells in the minds of some hiring managers: "Recruiters tend to look for what you're trying to hide" when they see functionary resumes, she says, because they are commonly used by job seekers who hope to de-emphasize long employment gaps or look qualified despite irrelevant experience. (Washington Post, online edition, Thursday, January 4, 2007). To read the full Post article, click here or click here to read the very helpful blog of Louise Fletcher, President of Blue Sky Resumes.

Capitalize on your resources. Been to college? Great. So have all the other people who want your dream job. Campus career-services offices vary greatly in their helpfulness, but you can be sure that no college can legitimately continue to exist without sending a few successful graduates into the world. Make use of your alumni association and other contacts. They’ve been there, done that--and some of them will delight in helping you.