Could your resume be a stumbling block?

When a sales manager lost his job for the first time in 19 years, he discovered changes in the job market that he wasn’t expecting, such as the online process involved with applying for jobs.

When he thought about his job search, naturally his resume came to mind.

When he finished updating his new resume, it was just over three pages and even though his objective statement was somewhat outdated, he revised it, using a few words to give it a greater appeal to potential employers.

Several months passed, with no real opportunities and his doubts about finding a suitable job started to slowly increase.

The amount of time spent searching fueled his suspicions that age was a factor, one that he had always heard about but never experienced firsthand.

In a career transition, it’s not uncommon for baby boomers to depend on their resume for their primary job search tool. After all, most senior candidates grew up in a job market where a resume was designed to list their objective statement, job titles and responsibilities when seeking employment.

Truth be told, the manager’s lack of responses could be a direct result of his job search skills rather than his age.

The reason why employers may not be responding might have everything to do with how you are marketing yourself and how your resume is representing your experience.

For example, in today’s changing job market, you need a resume that speaks to the audience who is interested in hiring your value rather than a traditional resume highlighting your work history with an objective statement indicating your intentions.

In the past, one resume could possibility fit multiple jobs, and objective statements were the focus in conveying your goals to the employer. Fast forward to the present job market, where employers want to know how you can help them solve their problems and what distinguishes you from the rest of the candidates.

You will need numerous resumes for different search strategies. In addition, your resume is now an adaptable tool to use as needed, and that supports your personal brand and online profile.

Here are a few of the biggest resume culprits that could be keeping you out of the job market rather than seen as a viable candidate:

Overlooking the importance of key words. Resumes are mostly processed by an ATS (applicant tracking system) that searches for key words, without them your resume could go unnoticed.

Sticking with one resume format. Think of your resume as a tool for different strategies, a one-page resume can be as effective as a two-page resume.

Be cautious about using a three-page resume that can easily overwhelm the reader with too much information. Employers are attracted to brief, concise information that quickly sums up your value.

Using an objective statement instead of a summary. Objective statements convey your goals rather than the employer’s needs, up to 86 percent of hiring decisionmakers state the objective statement is rarely considered. Consider writing a good summary versus relying on an objective statement.

List every detail of your employment history. A strong resume will highlight areas related to the job position by using quantifying results to support your skills.

Always strive to prove your skills with results and facts rather than subjective statements.

Relying on one job search method. An effective job search uses multiple avenues with social networking being one of them, so step out of your comfort zone and use a variety of ways to market your background.

Closing your resume with “References Upon Request” sends an instant picture of an outdated resume. Include a separate sheet of references when asked; listing three to five references is sufficient.

An updated resume combined with your job search techniques sends a powerful message that you are familiar with new trends in business. Make your resume work for you instead of becoming a stumbling block toward landing a new job.