Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve heard two different viewpoints on resumes. One says to tailor EVERY resume to the job you’re applying to, while the other says to have one standard resume. What do you advise? — Keenan
J.T.: For those who’ve been reading this column, you know I’m a fan of the consistent one-page resume.
Dale: And that I routinely argue that the ideal job search doesn’t even involve a resume.
J.T.: That’s because both Dale and I believe that if you have someone recommend you to a company, the resume rarely is the deciding factor. And because referrals are how the majority of jobs are filled, the resume is not such an important piece of the search. So a nice, crisp one-pager is fine. However, when you don’t have a referral, use your cover letter to take the place of that personal connection; if you get them interested in you, they’ll see what they want to see in your resume.
Dale: Which raises the question, Why do so many authorities recommend customized resumes? Because they are focused on the resume itself and the moment of decision when the hiring manager decides whether it goes into the “interview” pile. They would argue that when you rework your resume to match the job specs, you are more likely to get into the right pile.
J.T.: Although even that can backfire. Constantly changing resumes increases the odds of mistakes. I just got one where the person obviously had done so much cutting and pasting that they failed to notice that they’d included the same section twice.
Dale: So it comes down to this: How are you going to spend your job-search time? The ONLY goal of the resume is to get an interview. But the best way to get interviews is through referrals. The second-best way is to make a human connection in an e-mail or cover letter. If you have time left after doing all you can of those two, then customize your resume.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at www.jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2009 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
