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[I54]I Need A Resume

by Stephen Van Vreede, Ste

Spend a little time in the wonderful world of resume writing, and you will find that it is a far more complex place than most people realize. Back in my college days, I distinctly remember the two extremes, those seniors running around fretting about their resume and whether they had followed all the “rules” to get them that key entry position into some Fortune 500 and those seniors who simply shrugged and said, “what is there to it?”

Personally, I was somewhere in the middle. I didn't want to be completely apathetic, but I was pretty sure that obsessing over the process wasn't going to do much good either.

Now that I have moved on from that time, gone through one corporate career, received my MBA, and started a company of my own, I can tell you that things haven't changed much. Whether it is a recent college grad, a midlevel manager, or a corporate exec, these two extremes still exist (along with a few stragglers caught in the middle).

You have the obsessing camp that wants a formula to follow, wants to “wow” everyone who reads the document, and wants to fret over every comma. In the end, they rarely end up satisfied (mostly because they aren't sure what will satisfy them) and typically waste a lot of time and energy. Even if they should wind up with a strong resume, they rarely recognize it because they have placed more emphasis on 2 pieces of paper than anyone should.

Then you have the “why bother” camp that sees the resume as nothing more than a nuisance, that barely even glances at the document created for them, and that generally doesn't take the process too seriously. In the end, they rarely end up with an effective resume, by and large, because they either spent their time with a resume writer downplaying everything and providing vague answers. And even if they should wind up with a decent resume, they also rarely recognize it because they don't get what all the fuss is about anyway.

And then there are the stragglers in the middle, not really sure how much to obsess over it and how much to downplay the whole thing. They just want something that works.

Unlike the old days, however, I no longer fall in the middle. Personally, I no longer even believe there is a middle ground here.

The problem is that both of the extreme camps really miss the boat when it comes to why they need a resume in the first place. Therefore, it doesn't do any good to be stuck in between two ineffective camps.

So what is the purpose of the resume? Well, let's start by talking about a few things the resume is NOT:

1. A resume cannot get you a job.
2. A resume is not a flashy marketing promo, meant to bedazzle its readers.
3. A resume is not a comprehensive professional summary of all past achievements and work history.
4. A resume is not the answer to your career woes. It won't be the salvation you need.

Now let's look at what a resume is:

1. A resume is a tool that if wielded effectively will help to secure interviews, which provided the job seeker can manage that discussion successfully, will lead to a new job.

2. A resume is not about the job seeker but about the person reading the resume. The resume needs to anticipate its audience, what the audience wants to hear, and what problems the audience is trying to solve. A resume also needs to be placed in the right hands.

3. A resume is just a document, whose effectiveness lies, again, in its ability to communicate to its audience in a manner that is professional and strategic. It should look nice (neat, really), but nothing more. (Seriously, I worry about hiring managers who want to see flash; after all, who wants to hire form over substance?)

Hopefully, once you break things down this way, you can see the problem with the two camps above. Neither of them is really considering the resume and its purpose. Once you get the expectations right, then you can get the proper perspective. And the proper perspective goes a long way.

If you are going to search for a job, you are going to need a resume, of course. Most job boards and employer Web sites want you to "paste" a copy of your resume in the space provided for this purpose so they have the opportunity to review your background and qualifications. It you don't already have a resume, you're going to need one in any case.

If you are not comfortable with computers, try your children. Today, most children of school age are suite skilled at using a computer and can teach you a thing or two. If you don't have children, perhaps you have a niece or nephew who might be willing to give you a hand. You might also try the regional office of your state employment service. Many are well equipped with computers, and there is usually a counselor available who can lend a hand in getting your resume posted on the more popular Internet job boards.

By the way, posting your resume on most major job boards will cost you absolutely nothing. That's about as good a deal as you can find these days. The only thing it will cost is the time it takes to post it. Once posted on the job board Web site, your resume is than stored in a searchable resume database that employers pay a small fee to search. There are now thousands of employers and perhaps millions of recruiters using these resume databases to find qualified candidates for their job openings. So, you'll want your resume to be there!

Having a resume can be an enormous timesaver. If responding to a newspaper ad, for example, it is much easier and faster to send the employer a resume rather than make a trip to the employer's office to pick up and fill out an employment application. In the time it would take you to go to a single employer's office to pick up an application, you could easily send out a dozen or so resumes to other employers, thus greatly increasing your chances of landing a job interview sooner.

This is doubly true when the employer's ad provides an e-mail address to which your resume can be immediately sent. In such cases, the employer can have your resume in a matter of seconds. You could well be contacted by the employer and scheduled for a job interview before a second candidate, who has not e-mailed his or her resume, has even arrived at the same employer's office to pick up an employment application.

Things can happen fast on the Internet. There was a case where a job seeker was turned down during a job interview in the morning, returned to his office in the late morning to find an e-mail invitation for a job interview with another company early that same afternoon. By the end of the day, he was offered and accepted that job. Thanks to the Internet, it all happened in a half day. Sometimes, it can be just that quick.

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Both Stephen Van Vreede & Dr. J.e. Burke Burke are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Stephen Van Vreede has sinced written about articles on various topics from Get Ex Back, Careers and Job Hunting and Cover Letter. My company is called No Stone Unturned, and I am an MBA and certified professional résumé writer (CPRW). I have been a career consultant since 2002 with an additional 8 years of corporate hiring experience. You can check out my website that offers tools s. Stephen Van Vreede's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

Dr. J.e. Burke Burke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cover Letter. Dr. J.E. Burke is an educator, writer and entrepreneur involved in various business enterprises via Burke Publications. Please visit and. Dr. J.e. Burke Burke's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.