A generalized resume is not an effective tool for job seekers
Dear Sam: I do not know what I want to do next in my career. I am burned out in my current field.
I am considering returning to what I used to do in a “prior life” and am potentially interested in doing something completely different. How do I make my resume reflect that I can do almost anything? — Jerry
Dear Jerry: The short answer is that you can’t — at least not effectively. While a generalized resume may seem like an effective strategy, it is actually quite the opposite. I cringe when candidates tell me they can “do anything” and do not have an idea of what type of jobs for which they will be applying.
While I understand the need to not limit your options, a one-size-fits-all strategy is rarely effective. Instead, one should really try to identify a primary target, even if this means you have a second or third target requiring modified resumes. If you try to present yourself as a jack-of-all-trades, you will actually come across as a “master of none.” This is clearly not a good presentation of your candidacy.
Defining your purpose is the critical first step in crafting an effective resume, a step that facilitates your understanding of what your target audience is looking for and what keywords to incorporate into your resume.
Remember, just because you think you can perform a role does not necessarily mean that a hiring manager will see you as a competitive candidate for that role. You have to develop a target that shows how the two align. While you may think broadening your scope on your resume will yield more responses, it is likely to do the opposite.
Dear Sam: My resume is three pages long. How do I condense it without omitting important information? — Bryan
Dear Bryan: While I do not know the extent of your career, let’s cover some general principles to help determine the appropriate length for your resume.
First, a resume is not a narrative of your entire career. Instead, it is a strategic image of what you have done that positions you for what you now want to do. Think of your resume like a brochure for a product. A brochure doesn’t tell you all of the technical details of the product being marketed; instead, the information highlights key points to gain the interest of and prompt action from the target buyer.
There is a “rule” in resume writing that you should “present the big and save the small,” meaning your resume should focus on the high points of your career, leaving supporting details to be discussed during a job interview. Regardless of the length of your resume (or career), the most important details of your candidacy must be highlighted at the top of Page 1. With recent surveys suggesting that the resume-screening process is as little as four seconds long, it only makes sense that the top of Page 1 contains your sales pitch. Hence, up-to-date resumes contain qualifications summaries that market key experiences and strengths instead of including self-serving objective statements.
Review your career in relation to your current goals, and make sure you do not present older, unrelated experiences (carefully evaluating positions held 15 or more years ago), redundant information or too many details that will make the reader lose interest. Be sure to focus on your accomplishments versus your responsibilities, and prioritize what you include in your resume by following the “present the big and save the small” rule.
Also, do not include sections that contain irrelevant information — details that are more related to your personal life than your professional life. I see a lot of lengthy resumes that are only made so by the inclusion of sections containing volumes of data about personal interests, unrelated advocacy activities, dated professional training, etc.
I imagine that after prioritizing your information, including only the details that actually relate to your current career goal and removing aged information, you should be able to produce a clean and uncluttered two-page resume.
Remember, though, that it’s not the length of the resume you should focus on. Instead, be sure that the most important information appears in the qualifications summary at the top of Page 1.
— Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and the owner of Nolan Branding, a full-service resume-writing firm. Email resume or job-search questions to dearsam@nolanbranding.com. To find out more about Nolan and her services, visit www. nolanbranding.com, or call 614-570-3442.