July 19th, 2016

Do I Need More Than One Resume?

​The quick answer is ‘NO!’ Most resumes are terrible – they are basically chronological obituaries. This is NOT your fault; how many of these have you written in a lifetime? Are you aware than when you submit your resume to a job posting, so did about 15,000 others? DO NOT include an ‘Objective,’ or References, or “References Provided Upon Request!” You’ll submit references when, and if requested – that goes without saying.

 ​No human can read that many for a single job opening, so Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) came into existence a few years ago to ‘screen-out’ those deemed ‘unqualified’ and only a few hundred survive. The software has a long way to go to ensure that the “baby isn’t thrown out with the bathwater.” In the meantime, your resume can be discarded for a myriad of reasons other than the lack of the best keywords, e.g. page frames, headers, footers, photos, graphics, font size, thin margins, .pdf format, text boxes, text columns, graphics, colors, etc., etc. Those ‘creative brochures' may be attractive and easy to read if it could get to human eyes, but they will not until you hand it to them. Sorry. Technology had to come into play in most HR Departments and third-party recruiting organizations.
 
For most job-seekers, whether employed, or unemployed, they have a pretty good idea of the position, or job title they want next, be it a lateral move, or ready for that promotion. Industry may be more flexible. Your new resume MUST BE A MARKETING MASTERPIECE – NOT THE TYPICAL CHRONOLOGICAL OBITUARY! Take only those skills and achievements that are portable and meaningful to that next position and your future boss! Unless you’ve been with a single employer ‘forever,’ do not take your resume back more than 12 to 15 years. Everything else is wasted and will not be considered important, therefore unimportant and quickly deleted! Lean that new resume toward the next position; the industry and location is relatively unimportant on the resume – that is a function of the cover letter (email body).
 
The single purpose of a great resume is to market you into an interview. Only great interviewing will gain you The Offer! There are professional resume writers and career coaches that were former, hiring decision-makers (DMs) that can provide assistance for less than one week’s salary (less than one day's salary, for some) and help you land that new position in a fraction of the time it is taking the average American today! A GREAT R.O.I. (Return-on-Investment)!
 
Your cover letter (email body) should focus on three items within the first paragraph (remember, these documents are first skimmed for only 3 to 7 seconds): Job Title, Industry, and Location. It would only take a moment to adjust for varying opportunities as they arise, but it appears that you are focused on that opportunity…rare, these days!
 
PLEASE email it to whom you believe would be your future boss; the person that can approve your hire. Responding to job postings that go directly to Human Resources (that can deny your hire, but never approve it unless you are an HR, or recruiting person) is an utter waste of time as you’ve probably discovered. I can show you how to find that DM. Your competition won’t bother, or know how!
 
So…a single, great resume; a marketing masterpiece sent to DMs in the industry(ies) of interest with a winning, yet flexible cover letter (email body) will promote your proactivity, your writing skills, your research abilities, whether they have jobs posted (about 15% of all opportunities), or simply have mediocre performers they would replace IF a better candidate appeared on their PC (about 85% of all opportunities)!
 
Times have changed, as have so many things. This is truly one of them! Good luck – professional assistance is out there to expedite your career search success!

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