Job Search - Is Your Resume Doing the Job for You?

Are you not getting interviews? Are you getting interviews for jobs you don't want? Are you starting to feel like it's the current economic situation and there's nothing you can do about it? Here are three ideas on where you want to check your resume to see if it's the cause of the problems.

1. Are you sending the same generic resume for every opportunity? This shotgun approach might hit some targets but they might not be the targets you were aiming for. You might miss your target all together. It's a waste of your time and money to send the same resume for every opportunity. In fact, it can be detrimental. You may have identified the right company as a fit for your skills and abilities and sending the wrong resume could pigeonhole you at a level that is well below where you should be. It could be hard to recover from that. You want to send a resume that is as precise a fit as you can make it so you make it past the gatekeepers and get beyond a label you don't want. You could have failed to make the impression you wanted to make and wind up with an interview for an entry level job or no interview at all when you know you're a good fit for the company and the industry. It's frustrating.

2. Are you sending a one page resume for a job that's beyond entry level? That was good advice for a long time. It could be keeping you back now. Decision makers need more than a single page with sketchy information to figure out if they want to talk to you. At very high levels, a narrative resume with paragraphs about your past accomplishments is appropriate. You still have to make the right impression on the first page. In fact, you have to make it in the first one third of the first page. So, don't think a longer resume means you can hide the best you have to offer on page two or three. Show that you're a match for what they said they want right after the objective. Not giving enough information can prevent you from getting the interview or it can make people view you as a junior level employee. Giving enough information but not giving it in the right order can keep you out of the running.

3. Are you using a generic, vague objective? When you say that you're looking for a challenging position where you can reap some kinds of benefits, it's a turnoff. If you're applying for a specific position, make that position your objective. If you don't say what the position is, the initial gatekeeper doesn't know what to do with you. They're looking for a label that has some meaning to the people who told them to go through the pile of resumes and only send them the ones that fit the job they're trying to fill. If you confuse people, you lose. When you're specific, a screener knows exactly which stack of resumes to put yours in. Don't make it easy for people to reject your resume. Make it easy for them to keep you in the running. Make sure that your objective is the employer's objective.

Conclusion: Your resume should be clear, concise communication of what you have to offer and show, without a doubt, that you're a good fit for the job and for the company. If you make sure you're not confusing the issue, those good interviews are headed your way.

Joy Montgomery is a coach for startups, small businesses and job seekers. She helps you position yourself for growth, profitability, and acquisition.

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