One
of the interesting facts I find when researching about resume writing is that
many people including professionals have this idea that there are absolutes in
resume writing. Meaning there are definite dos and definite don’t dos.
This
is true to a degree but some of what I read is actually not true. A resume should
always be in the best interest of the client that you are representing. Sometimes
this means take a risk, go against the normal, and if the resume is good, it
will work.
It has
worked for me on more than one occasion. Do some research on not putting dates
on resumes; all you will find is that it’s the biggest no in resume writing everywhere.
I really
mulled over this and put a lot of thought into it remembering that I am dealing
with someone’s career prospects. I made the decision to go with my instincts,
which were write a fabulous, eye-catching resume and leave the dates off the
resume. My reasoning was the dates were going to be detrimental to my client as
it looked like the person couldn’t hold a job for any length of time. I decided
the best chance the person would have of obtaining an interview would be to
leave the dates off.
The person
got an interview and came back to me with the feedback received. One of the
best resumes they had ever seen.
There should only be one absolute in resume writing, and I will talk about this in a moment. This is one of the reasons my work is
so successful. I consider all options, research information and then make a decision
based on instinct rather than expectation. This method has worked for me on
more than one occasion and would be frowned upon by other professional writers.
For me,
if it works, use it, and the results speak for themselves.
Surfing
the internet the other day I saw a statement, which said ‘Never use an
objective statement on your resume as it’s very GenY”’.
Really,
resume writing is about the whole GenY, GenX etc categories now is it? I don’t
think so!
I shy
away from objective statements simply because a profile highlighting your
skills and experience is a stronger statement.
There
is a place for an objective statement. An example would be a school leaver with
absolutely no experience in anything other than schoolwork. How does this
person let an employer know what they are looking for? Well there is only one
way and that’s by using an objective statement. I really can’t see how the GenY
category comes into play here.
The
only absolute in resume writing
should be to get results for your client, and if that means having the
confidence in yourself to display the client’s skills and expertise in a way
that may be outside of the normal, well do it.
I receive
feedback at least once a week, sometimes more to say the client has received an
interview. My resumes are not always “follow the rules” because if you are a talented
writer, you don’t have to follow the rules, you give your client the best
possible advantage to obtain an interview.
Talk
to you next time.
Resumes
of Excellence
www.resumesofexcellence.com.au
www.resumesofexcellence.com.au
www.resumesofexcellence.com