The 10 No-No List Again

Experts and the Internet love lists.  They look authoritative, and they are easy to organize (Just count to 10..  However, I often find some advice given about resume writing beyond laughable.  I found a list from U.S. News & World Report that offers some good advice and bad.

Here is an analysis of this list:

1. Never use an objective:  The advice presumes that all objectives are about how the job applicant wants a position that offers advancement.  Yes, that is stupid.  However, an objective that lets the employer know what position is being sought can be a very good thing.  What’s the alternative?  To let an employer guess what job you are seeking.  Unless the job being sought is obvious (i.e. someone who has always been a restaurant manager seeking the same position), I recommend using an objective as a way to let the employer know what job you are seeking.  Keep it concise:  To obtain a position as (title of the position being sought).
2. Leave off short term jobs:  Generally I agree with this advice.  The one exception would be if a short term job exposed you to some skill or experience you would take to the next job.  In that case, including a short term job can be a benefit.
3. Avoid functional resumes:  I almost always follow this advice.  The only exception is a time when a chronology is impossible – ex-offenders who have just been released from jail.  That is the only case in which I recommend a functional presentation.
4. No photos:  Amen (except for actors and models).
5. Fancy Design:  Another amen.  Employers and job seekers agree that resumes need to read quickly.  Fancy design may make a resume look good, but it usually also lead to a document that is not easy to read.
6. “Subjective Description”:  One example given that I use is “creative innovator.”  I agree that in itself this statement is meaningless.  However, if the resume gives some clear examples of creative innovation, I see nothing wrong with using the term.  It’s not subjective if it’s backed up with evidence.
7. Any mention of high school:  In most cases this is true.  However, I include high school if it is required (federal resumes) or if the client went to a school that might  be meaningful to the employer.
8. Extra pages:  Here again, we get a simple rule:  People in their 20s should only have one page.  Often true, not always.  My strategy for length is to include information that is relevant to the employer.  I almost never exceed three pages. The writer from U.S. News says that employers spend 20-30 seconds on each document.  If that’s true, it’s easy to read 2 pages of resume.  The real problem is when resumes are not set up so the reader can quickly see how the applicant is qualified.  Rather than debate a 1 or 2 page rule, I say the most important part of a resume is the first half of the first page.  That’s where you have to show how you are qualified.
9. Salary: Usually I agree.  However, some job posts ask for salary requirements or salary history to be included on the resume.  If applicants don’t include that information, will their resume be considered?
10. References available upon request:  I still use this phrase as a way to show the end of the resume.  It has not hurt my clients who have gotten very good jobs.  Can it be cut out?  Sure.  I look at this line on a resume as similar to the appendix in the body.  Useless – also harmless.  Any employer who rejects a qualified employee because a resume includes this line should not be making any type of hiring decisions.

Overall, this list does give some good advice.  My problem is that it relies too much on “rules” that are simplistic.  Beware of one-size-fits-all advice — and lists of 10.

What Is a Resume?

1.  A resume will not “get the job.” 

Companies screen and interview candidates, and based on that process they make hiring decisions.  A good resume – distributed to the right potential employers – will help make you a candidate for a job.  You still have to win the employer’s confidence during the interview.

2.  A resume is a marketing document.

Sell your strengths, not your weaknesses.  Demonstrate why you are a qualified candidate and how you can bring value to an employer.  Balance your skills and experience with achievements or success stories.  Be honest, but show yourself in the best light.

3.  A resume should tell the truth. . .

But it should not tell the reader (potential employer) things she does not care about or need to know.  Keep your presentation focused and relevant to the employer’s needs.

4.  A resume should be “one page” or “all bullets.”

Beware of simple, one-size-fits-all rules.  As an expert in the hiring game once said, “Show your resume to 10 people, and you’ll get 15 opinions.”  Your resume should be written and formatted in a way that best represents your value in the market, how you can be an asset to a potential employer.

“Simple” Resumes

Beware of bad advice, especially if it’s too good to be true.  People get scammed all the time because they follow “experts” who promise easy success. Sometimes the scam doesn’t cost you money, but it might cost you a good job or make it harder for you to find a new job. 

I’ve written before about “easy” and “must” rules like one page resumes and all bullet resumes.  Here’s another one: Your resume has to be “simple.”  Most people hear this advice and look at their resume with panic.  They start pulling out all details but the basic facts because “no one wants to read all that.”

I won’t deny that HR screeners (human or machine) are very busy, especially when submissions for job postings have increased three to four fold.  Even so, they are still looking for candidates who are qualified.  Once that pool of applicants is found, there is usually a second screening to determine which candidates are worth the time to interview.  When you make your resume “simple,” you are not standing out from your competition.  Would you want to hire a simple candidate or someone who is the best?

Am I saying you should clog your resume with jargon and every achievement you have had since the 8^th grade?  No.  The key word in resume writing is relevant.  Determine the kind of job or jobs you will be pursuing and prepare the strongest possible resume (or resumes) to show why you are the best candidate.  Show what experience and skills make you qualified.  Supplement these facts with achievements that show how you will bring added value to an employer.  Use your resume to prove that you are the best candidate, and that will lead to interviews, which leads to jobs.  Finding a new job is never easy.  It’s never simple.

For examples of concise resumes that show a candidate’s strength, click here, here, & here.

Simple Rules

People are getting anxious about finding new jobs.  The headlines scream that the economic recovery will be “jobless.”  This environment opens the door for many career experts who are offering simple solutions, one-size-fits-all answers.

A resume should always be one page

Avoid overused phrases like “team player”

Always use an objective

Never use an objective

Your format should be all bullets

These “rules” have been made up by people who like to have the right answer.  Sometimes these experts are hiring managers.  Most often, they are only people with strong opinions who live in a world of right and wrong answers.

There is one rule in writing a resume: never lie.  After that, your challenge is to present your experience, achievements, and education in a way that will make employers want to interview you and make a job offer.  Rather than focus on simple “do and don’t” rules, study the job market: What do employers want?  Study your own career: What do I have to offer?  Present what is most relevant to the employer’s needs. 

Demonstrate why you are a good candidate.  That is a simple rule that will lead to success.

Your Resume Isn’t Selling You

Every job search is a sales campaign.  Your goal is to convince an employer that you have what she needs.  That means you are the product, the marketer, and the salesperson, all rolled into one.

 Your resume is a marketing tool.  Its purpose is to demonstrate that you have the experience, skills, and education required for a position.  Too often job seekers sabotage themselves by not including or highlighting relevant information.  They do this because

 1.  I will talk about it in the interview. 

 What if you don’t get the interview because your resume doesn’t show your ability and value to the employer?  You need to fully demonstrate that you have the skills to do the job.  You also should cite achievements that will set you apart from your competitor.  In this sample, the paragraph below the job title outlines skills and experience.  The bullets designate achievements and recognition.

 2.  I wanted to keep my resume on one page.

 Most employers will read two page resumes.  However, no employer will take the time to read more than half a page of a poorly organized document.  They do not have time to figure out why you should be interviewed.  Put the most relevant information first – show why you are a good candidate for the job.

 3.  My most recent job was in sales, so I have to put it first.

A resume can show years worked without being strictly chronological.  You can separate your work experience into sections labeled Relevant Experience and Related Experience.  This strategy will let you highlight the experience and achievements that the kind of employer wants to see.  Another way to show skills is by demonstrating different kinds of experience.  In this sample, a job candidate is trying to change careers.  So she distinguishes her experience as a nurse from her work as a sales representative.   

Think about your resume as a strategic marketing document.  It’s not a simple job history that lists all the jobs you have held.  Your resume needs to be organized so it convinces the reader (your future employer) that you are worth the time she will invest in interviewing you.

Look at your resume through the employer’s eyes.  Would I take the time to interview this candidate?  Is this someone I would want to hire?

 If your answer to these questions is “No,” it is time to put some serious work into making your resume a document that sells.