Shortly after our intake conversation, I received a polite email from her.

“Hi Dawn,
I just spoke to a friend of mine … He said that now a days it’s best to keep your resume at one page and to let them know that references are available upon request in order that they will contact you for them and you will know what the status of the application process is …  I don’t know how mine can be limited to one page or if it should be at this point, but I trust your judgment.”

I shook my head. Oh no! Another job seeker thrown for a loop by well-meaning, but oh-so-wrong, out-dated guidance I started the process of unraveling two of the resume myths that linger … yet again.

Excerpted below is what I replied:

“Hi Audrey,

Whoa. You hit a hot button topic for me. I do not limit resume page length based on some arbitrary “rule” unfounded in any logic or reason. A resume should be as long as it needs to be to convey your value … and not one word more.

I have conveyed the value of a 30-year career in one page; I have written two-page documents for new graduates; I have created executives documents with three pages, plus addendums. Each was an effective approach based on the specifics of their search, the details of their positions and what they did in their career.

I have never, in 25 years of corporate experience (hiring & interviewing staff), two years’ executive recruiting and almost ten years in the career industry, ever had any hiring authority say, “Ya know, that Audrey really has everything we need. She can hit the ground running. She’s a perfect candidate, but golly gee, her resume is two pages. We can’t hire her.” (smile)

Putting “references upon request” on a document is a waste of space. Of course you’ll give references if requested. Plus, it’s 2011. Google is your reference too. Don’t submit the list without being asked. Make sure you have everyone prepped and ready, but there is no need to take up space with that information. I’d rather add more info about your value.  

In the spirit of gentle education regarding resumes (and job search too), if you try to take resume (or job search) advice from everyone you meet, your will quickly become overwhelmed and frustrated with all the unbelievably conflicted information. Quite frankly, your head will explode, your document will look like you took advice from 45 people, all with differing opinions and you won’t know which way to turn in your search.

I’ve written on this topic frequently.
“Hate resume writing: Here’s how to get it DONE”
(Scroll down. My contribution to the conversation is after the three young ladies.)

On my own blog:
“How are you asking for feedback?”

And I was interviewed by a US News and World Reports reporter and was quoted in an article regarding page length:
“The death of the one page resume?”

(I warned you page length was a hot button issue. )”

She replied with gratitude that she didn’t have to sort through these things anymore. She knew she could count on me to do the right thing and agreed to stop listening to “everyone’s” opinion.

When you partner with a professional, partner with someone you trust; then trust them. And please … can we let the “one-page” rule and “references available upon request” statement finally join the objective and the rest of the out-dated job search dinosaurs in extinction.

One of his bullets read: (Edited to protect confidentiality)

• Converted organization to include production capabilities with {name of specific software}

Sounds like a “good” resume bullet, right? However, by assuming “everyone” would understand what “converting the organization” entailed, he missed a perfect opportunity to tell his story and differentiate his unique skill set. He was trying to break out of his current industry, yet mentioned software by name, rather than function. Most likely, only individuals in his current industry would recognize the software and its significance. He left his “non-industry target audience” wondering what the software did and, more importantly, what it meant mean for them and their company. Without telling the organizational conversion story, he buried his skills. He expected the reader to somehow “magically” know what skills his sentence was trying to convey.

Unfortunately using such a myopic approach to the presentation of skills undersells the job seeker and leaves lots of “saleable” information uncovered and unstated. Use an “If I don’t tell them; they won’t know” perspective instead. And please, that’s not carte blanche to tell absolutely everything. Focus on your audience. Target your skills to respond to their needs. Differentiate your talents – boldly and unequivocally.

I frequently use this line in response to the “Why isn’t my resume working?” question.

“Flopping duties on a sheet of paper and hoping a hiring authority will extrapolate accomplishments and figure out where you fit in the organization doesn’t work.”

It is not up to the hiring authority to figure out where you fit; it is up to you to tell them. Adjust your perspective to that of the reader when crafting your resume and be sure to incorporate that approach in everything search related – written, verbal and everything in between. Sometimes, a slight change in approach nets substantial results.

Here’s the introduction to Sharlyn’s post:

A note from a reader asks:

“I’m unemployed and need advice.  What’s your opinion on having a professional write your resume?”

Timing for this question couldn’t be better.  Seth Godin (aka a marketing guy) just wrote about it.  I figure when non-HR folks are talking about resume development, it’s a big deal.  If you listen to Seth, he puts out a pretty compelling argument for having a pro write your resume (or business plan for that matter).  You can check it out here.

I believe part of making the decision to have your resume written by the professional is understanding what they can do for you.  So I’ve tapped into my network and asked three of the best professional resume writers to offer up their thoughts.

You can read the rest of the post here.

Thanks for the opportunity Sharlyn!

I’d love it if you’d head over to their site and check out my post. Here’s the link: How do you find a good resume service? Thanks.

SEPTEMBER: Update Your Resume Month – 5 Reasons (and ways) to update your resume today
By Ilona Vanderwoude, MRW, CPRW, CEIP, CCMC, CJST
Career Branches
www.careerbranches.com

When September rolls around, it means “International Update Your Resume Month.” An initiative spearheaded by Career Directors International (CDI) meant to promote awareness about the importance of having an updated resume ready.

Why is this so important, you ask? Fortune favors the prepared mind (Darwin), and this is particularly true when it comes to the job market.

Specifically, here are five reasons why you should update your resume TODAY:

1. You can’t plan for this scenario and that’s exactly the reason you need to be prepared with an updated resume: one day, one of your contacts approaches you with an unbelievable job offer. The position you’re being offered is even better than the fantastic one you have right now. Your contact just needs to forward your resume to his/her boss or to the Board of Directors…NOW. Don’t be the sad person going into a frenzy and ending with a sub-par document to submit – barely in time.

2. Another scenario: Overnight, you find yourself in an industry in distress. Doesn’t sound too far off after everything we’ve been through recently, does it? Who would’ve thought not too long ago that Wall Street would be in the kind of trouble it is today? It can happen to anyone.

3. A little less dramatic: Ok – maybe your company is “just” downsizing due to an acquisition, bad financial results, etc. Dealing with the stress of suddenly having to update your resume is not something you want on your plate in addition to everything else that’ll be going on.

4. You are up for your annual performance review and/or want to ask for a raise. I’ve seen people receive internal job offers for positions with more responsibility after updating their resumes. Finally, it was clear to their bosses what they’d been contributing all along.

5. It takes time to get prepared. If you go the professional route, keep in mind that most good resume writers don’t churn out resumes overnight. If you’re looking for quality service, count on a turnaround time of 1-6 weeks from beginning to final document. If you currently don’t have a well-constructed, powerful resume and you know you should do a complete overhaul, plan ahead – whether doing it yourself or hiring a professional.

Here’s how to get prepared – either for your do-it-yourself resume project or for your collaboration with a professional.

Five ways to update your resume now:

1. Evaluate your current career goals and make sure your resume still reflects these. Use a “focus statement” or position title to make it clear who you are and what you do (this replaces the outdated objective statement). If your focus changed since your last update, go through your entire resume and make sure everything is strategic and relevant.

2. Write all your accomplishments down since your last update. Did you initiate or work on a special project? Did you achieve something special? Surpass goals? Save time or money? Gain clients? Go above and beyond? Did you obtain new skills? Be specific and quantify your results as much as possible.

3. List conference, training, and seminar attendance. If you finished your education or obtained a certification, make sure to add this, and, if it’s relevant to your current career focus, list it close to the beginning of your resume – not at the bottom.

4. Is your personal information still current or did you move, change your phone number, or get a different email address? Also, make sure this is truly “personal information” — not your employer’s contact info!

5. Include any awards or honors you received.

Sounds like a lot of work? The good news: you’re killing a lot of birds with one stone! And from now on, if you chip away at it throughout the year as you obtain new skills or finish a project, it will get done before you know it. When your peers — and your “competition” — are losing sleep and scrambling to get their stuff together, you can rest easy knowing you’re ready for whatever comes your way. No more missed opportunities: priceless!

Some writers use present tense for current positions, then shift to past tense for past positions. Some writers use all past tense like I do. Either way is acceptable. I intentionally write resumes using past tense verbs for several reasons:

• Power. Say the word manage or managing out loud. – You can slouch and sort of “wimp” it out. Now say the word managed out loud. – You have to sit up straighter and push the word out, putting some power behind it.

Past tense verbs are the powerhouses of the English language. They convey more power, more value, make a stronger impact. Another verb to try is act or acting. vesus acted. You can physically feel the difference in the push and impact when delivering a past tense verb.

• Document consistency. It keeps one tense through the entire document.

• “Been there done that.” While you may still be doing something, you have also done it. You’re conveying a sense of “I’ve done that. What else ya got? I can do that too.”

All that said, if a client isn’t comfortable with past tense for current positions, I make the change. Although, after my explanation, I seldom do. 

This is the post: “Resume Writer Ripoff – Why not buy better drugs? (tips for the job search)” (And yes. I realize I’m driving traffic to a negative post, but sometimes you “gotta do what you gotta do” to circumvent that negativity.)

The site is selective about allowing comments, so rather than wait to see if I pass moderation muster, I’ll post “the other side of the story” on my own blog.

Here’s my response:

Painting the resume writing profession with such a negative broad brush is akin to saying all used-car dealers are crooks, all lawyers are sharks and many of the other ridiculous generalizations permeating our society today.

Yes. Absolutely. There are rip-offs out there — as in any other profession on earth.

To say “this is the general process” casts negative aspirations on those of us who poke and prod and cajole and spend hours ferreting out the career stories that differentiate our clients from the rest of the pack. And offer ongoing support during the process — frequently at no additional fee.

“Well, I believe that an excellent resume writer spends a lot of time talking with you and produces very few resumes.” You’re correct in this assertion. A good writer seldom goes back and forth more than once, maybe twice with a document. I don’t have time to tweak a document 15 times. I do the homework and research up front so by the time I deliver, it’s usually a slam dunk.

This line intrigued me:
“…when pressed on ‘what is your resume writing process” I got a lot of hand-waving. I should have stopped right there, but all these people had told me ‘his resume helped me get a job’, so I went forward.”

Personally, I’ve found when I don’t listen to my gut, I usually get burned. Sounds like peer pressure overrode common sense and now an entire industry is being blamed for bad research and decision-making.

I’m not foolish enough to think my CPRW credential gave me mind-reading capabilities. I won’t work with a client that doesn’t understand there is a lot of heavy-lifting and introspection involved in creating effective sales and marketing documents. It’s up to them to provide the career details so I can develop a solid presentation. I also expect them to research their industry so they are aware of what the “buyer is buying” — what the companies are hiring — so the document is focused on easing corporate pain.

As I said, there is “bad” in every profession. But failure to do due-diligence and establish expectations up front is not indicative of a bad industry. It indicates a lazy-job seeker, looking for a panacea without being willing to put forth the effort it takes to find a quality writer that meets their expectations.

Bash the specific provider, if you must, but don’t put true professionals or the entire industry in the same bucket because of a bad decision on the job seekers part.

====================

PS: My dear friend  and quadruple-certified resume writing colleague Rosa Vargas started to post a comment a here, but ended up with so much to say on the topic, it turned into a full blown post on her own blog. It’s definitely worth the read. Check it out.

A few years ago, I worked with a young woman aspiring to move to Costa Rica and teach. As we discussed her submission process, we realized we weren’t sure of the technical capabilities or software availabilities of some of the more remote areas where she’d be applying.

Take it from someone who works in a software-driven world, different versions of Word, print driver settings, hardware age, Microsoft Works (ewwww) can all play a hand in jumbling documents. Since “most” people don’t think about software as the problem behind the jumbled mess on the screen, that jumble creates the first impression of you.

We came up with this strategy to address possible electronic submission issues. I’ve been sharing it with clients ever since and today, you get to hear it. The thing is, you don’t have to be applying in foreign lands to run into technical difficulties. So a little effort on your part can make the difference between an interview and the delete key. As a boss used to tell me, “The best defense in life is a good offense.” 

(I preface this with, if there are specific submission instructions, they are your guide. Otherwise …)

If you want to be super efficient and the Word .doc version and PDF are identical, attach them both to email. In the body of the email, explain the reasons behind including different versions of the same document so they know it was intentional and why. Don’t assume people know or will take the time to figure it out. (Besides, we all know what assuming does …) Tell them. Plus it’s an opportunity to sell your solution-driven approach to things without using the words “solution-driven” to tell them. You showed them with actions. (What’re our mantras? “Sell, don’t tell” and “It’s all them.”)

This simple statement explains why you’re attaching two formats of the same document: (or something to this effect in your own words …)

“I’ve attached my resume in both Word and PDF format to avoid any software compatibility or print-driver difficulties. Please open the version best suited to your system.”

Think about it. You’ve identified a potential difficulty and offered a feasible resolution. AND you’re protecting yourself. You’ve doubled the chance of reaching your audience. Believe me. A busy hiring authority isn’t going to argue with documents that don’t open or are illegible. If she has a quick solution, she’ll use it. Otherwise. Delete! and there goes your chance.

Some may disagree and pass this off as electronic clutter. Fine, but I tell my clients to serve your customers (the hiring authority) while protecting your sale (the interview). If you, the candidate, tell the receiver ”docs are provided for their convenience,” you’ve also spread some “warm-fuzzies” — someone they don’t even know helped them be more efficient. Wow! And they’re not even employed here … yet.

“Little things” can make a big impact. In this challenging market, it’s best to stack the odds in your favor however and whenever you can.

By the way, if you’re tweaking keywords and titles to fit job requirements, BRAVO! You can create a PDF document from your newly tweaked Word document using one of many of the free downloads out there. Google will help you find them. I’ve used www.primopdf.com for years and Microsoft Office 2007 has a PDF creation feature as well.

And yes gang, this is another Twitter-generated opportunity. Stop rolling your eyes. 11% of all Internet users are already tweeting up a storm, sharing wisdom, insights and little snippets of life 140 characters at a time. It’s an incredible marketing and social networking tool. Google it. There’s about 152 bajillion posts, videos and applications out there explaining all about Twitter. But as one astute Twitter aficionado said recently, trying to explain Twitter is like trying to explain bike riding to someone. You don’t understand the value and fun until you do it. But I digress, this is supposed to be all about me.

I met J. T. O’Donnell through Twitter, when I re-tweeted one of her posts. (A retweet (RT) is the ”supreme compliment” on Twitter. By retweeting you’re sharing someone else’s wisdom with your followers because you found it valuable. I could RT everything J. T. says. She’s brilliant!)  Anyway, she thanked me (yes tweeps are polite and thoughtful — two of my favorite things) and we started a virtual dialogue. This resulted in her asking if I was interested in contributing to an upcoming article. I said YES, so, rather than read my wisdom here, I’m sending you to the Careerealism for: Hate resume writing? Here’s how to get it done. The entire article is not mine, but I did get my $.02 worth in the conversation.

I would be remiss in not publicly thanking J.T. O’Donnell for the awesome opportunity. And I absolutely have to send a shout out to Greg Barrette, Careerealsm’s Brand Development Manager. He tolerated my anxious, “When is it going live?” emails and helped fix my link when it wasn’t working. He’s a true professional and a really nice person to boot.  All around a top drawer organization. And you gotta love their slogan: “Because every job is temporary.” (So true.)

AFTER you read the article on Careerealism, go set up a Twitter account and start tweeting. Do it!