“Well, I guess it’s time to update the old resume.” Why does this statement strike fear in the hearts of so many otherwise normal adults? This dreaded task has kept many people in jobs they don’t like, and has created a whole industry of resume helpers.
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Why is the task so daunting? First, there is a general expectation
that you must do an absolutely fantastic resume. You must differentiate
yourself from all the other job hunters, and stand out from the pile
of resumes received for every opening. Second, most people haven’t
objectively evaluated their strengths and what they want to do with
them. Third, many people have lost touch with what skills are marketable;
what companies want. Fourth, everybody is a resume expert and will gladly
tell you how to change your resume, often assaulting you with conflicting
advice. Lastly, working on your resume forces you to confront the past
and make decisions on the future.
The great philosopher Yogi Berra has been quoted as saying, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Despite your fears about resume writing, let’s get on with it. To help, it’s useful to know the purpose and function of a resume:
Your resume is really a marketing brochure to help you present yourself in a positive way.
A resume can help you clarify and articulate your features and benefits, what you are as a product.
A resume should help present the value proposition: what you are going to deliver in exchange for your compensation.
Working on your resume can also help identify courses and skill-building needs that you should address for the future.
You should also know what a resume is not:
Your resume will not decide your future for you.
With rare exceptions, your resume will not get you interviews.
Your resume will not get you hired. There is always the interview (see Interviewing Skills).
Your resume should not necessarily be a complete comprehensive history of everything you’ve done.
Your resume is probably not a single document. You might very well have multiple resumes and formats depending on different areas of career focus.
Lastly, your resume will never be finished or perfect.
Here are a few tips for writing a good (not perfect) resume:
Do some research, talk with people in your areas of interest and narrow down your career focus.
Identify your key strengths and which ones are most marketable. Then place them at the top of the resume.
Know the buzzwords in your focus area. Make sure that if someone is doing a computerized key word search you have the words they want in your resume – specific computer skills, competitor’s names, etc.
Make sure the layout is clean and neat. Get help if necessary and e-mail the resume to yourself to check for formatting.
Proof read carefully. Here again, get help if necessary
Check for arcane acronyms and internal company terminology. Test your resume on your mother.
Add a little personal information at the bottom – industry and professional associations, community activities and hobbies.
Don’t include date of birth, marital status, social security number or references.
Don’t ask for too much resume feedback. You’ll get it anyway and constant resume revision is a distraction from the real effort of a job search.
A couple of tips: Focus most of the resume on the last ten to fifteen years of experience. Summarize earlier experience in three to six lines at the end of the experience section of the resume. Leave dates off of your educational section unless you have recent courses, in which case the dates should be included.
If you are looking for career continuation, (same type of job, similar industry) use a more traditional resume. If you are planning to change significantly (new industry, part time/volunteer work, etc.), you might summarize your long work career in a single paragraph. Then focus more of the resume on skills you have developed and accomplishments you have achieved (in both work and non-work settings) that are applicable to your new career focus. If you have good computer skills, be sure they are highlighted to help overcome the perception that older people are less computer savvy. You might consider creating a personal web site with your resume and/or a CD or DVD based resume in addition to the paper version.
Remember, your resume will never be perfect. It will not get you the job. However, it is an appropriate part of your search effort. Get it done and get on with the rest of your search!
John C. Decker is an Executive Vice President with TMI Executive Resources.
He has successfully implemented and completed job search campaigns for
over 1,000 senior level managers, executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs.
He is a frequent speaker on executive career management topics.
