I always respect and appreciate Jaqui`s opinions. This is a subject I`ve written of on occasion, however, generally from the point of view that "brevity is a virtue". I wanted to respond to her pieces. And probably to her surprise… we agree more than she may suspect!
As I`ve written in
Your Ideal Resume!:
Ask 10 “experts” their opinion of your resume and you’ll get 10 different, often contradicting answers. Resumes are very subjective and what is thought to be an "Ideal" resume to one person may be considered a poor representation of a career to another.
I`ve also written extensively about the importance of tailoring your resume to the audience (
Customize Your Ride!!!). It should emphasize your related skills and strengths for the position you are pursuing. It should also be tailored to the role of the person you are presenting it to.
As Jaqui correctly points out: …recruiter needs, motivations and preferences often are distinctly different from other hiring decision-maker preferences.
A recruiter, or HR representative is going to be very focused on looking for certain key things very quickly. Their primary role is to separate the good from the bad, and bring the few most obviously qualified candidates to the top. Conversely, a hiring manager, who often will get only the final few resumes presented to them, generally will read the resume with the perspective of wanting to get to know the candidate better.
In most companies, the hiring managers don’t usually get many resumes to sort through themselves. The corporate recruiter or HR representative usually has the responsibility to screen the majority of applicants and present a select few for the hiring manager to consider. Also, since the hiring manager naturally has the greatest interest in knowing more about the applicants they are somewhat more likely to read a cover letter if one is available.
Knowing your audience is critical to presenting the most effective document!
I firmly believe that a reality remains: if you are submitting your resume through an online application or sending it directly to a recruiter or HR representative, a "paragraph format" resume is not nearly as likely to grab their attention. When they are working at evaluating several resumes as quickly as possible, the most effective resume will be written with
Short Substantive Soundbites!
So… what should be the take away?
The recurring theme that most any job hunt coach will tell you… networking and personal contact with potential employers is critical to a an effective job search. At times you may have no other option than to simply submit your resume online and hope and wait for a response. However, you will always have far greater success by finding a hiring manager or someone else in the department and send a resume directly to them.
That resume (directed to someone who doesn`t necessarily have to sort through many of them, and who has a greater direct interest in the type of person they might work with) can be highly effective by telling your "career story".
An effective job seeker should not have only one "final" resume. They should be armed with multiple versions to suit multiple situations, and they should be tailored for each person it is sent to.
Should a resume always be "stripped down", or always conveying a detailed "career story"? No. It should be tailored and appropriate for the audience. There are "ideal" situations for each!
I suspect Jaqui would agree!
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