Yesterday Ari Herzog sent me a link and asked if this one page resume advice was contrary to my thinking. The link he sent was this one by Alison Doyle. I respect Alison as one of the people in the career industry who is thoughtful and gives accurate advice. I read through the article which begins:

Should your resume be longer than one page or should you try to condense it to keep it on a page? There isn’t a yes or no answer, the length of your resume depends on the type of candidate you are and your level of experience.

I agree with that advice. It doesn’t recommend a one page resume for everyone. But then Alison shares data from Saddleback College Survey which says in part:

According to a Saddleback College Resume Survey most employers want a one page resume unless the position requires experience. In fact, the percentage of employers looking for one page resumes increased to 48% last year, up from 35% in 2010.

Note the UNLESS and understand this is one survey done in Orange County, California. There are things in that survey I agree with too. But there are things that I don’t think are a national trend. Like this:

Nearly 30% of employers would prefer a 2-sided printed resume over a 2-page resume to conserve paper.

Now that contradicts most employers I know. So many resumes are read online or submitted via applicant tracking systems that I think it is a mute point. Saving paper is a nice idea but I think there are many other ways to do that. The resume isn’t one of them.

Misconceptions about resume writing are everywhere

The one page resume is one of the misconceptions. People get so focused on this one-page resume idea that they don’t put anything of value into the resume just so they can keep it on one page.

I think employers who believe in one-page resumes need to rethink their goal with the resume. You want candidates who can do the job. You want them to be succinct in their ability to communicate but you need them to tell you what they can do. Here’s another point from that Saddleback survey that I do agree with:

Mentioning where they worked (and years of service) but providing no information on what they accomplished. Projects completed. The overall details of their work.

The title of that page was the #1 resume mistake. Give job seekers a break. Let’s tell them loud and clear that to be hired or even considered for an interview, they need to provide value to the employer. Examples of your accomplishments are much better than a boring list of duties neatly set to fit on a one page resume.

Ari asked what my recommendations are and this is it: At Design Resumes, the resume is a marketing document that promotes you as the product to the employer. Proof is always in whether job seekers are hired. I can tell you success story after success story of my clients. They make me so proud. My clients (including students) have gone up against the worst economy in 80 years and found positions that they love by using 2 page resumes filled with value and accomplishments and implementing networking strategies to make sure their resume is read.

This from a student client from Wausau who graduated from the University of Minnesota with Bachelor of Chemical Engineering – Biomolecular Engineering Concentration, 2011, moved to California and used his value-filled two page resume:

243k jobs added? Make that +1. Started my new job at Medtronic today!!

What do I think? Write a resume that shows your value and you will be hired. Let’s give them some meat (think value and accomplishments) to read!

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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You wonder why you weren’t hired

Many job seekers have asked me why a position is re-posted after they applied, especially when they didn’t even get an interview. Mary said that there are many reasons that happens.

• Perhaps as they reviewed candidates, none of them quite fit either the structure of the organization or the position.
• Perhaps background checks or reference checks didn’t work out.
• Or perhaps their top candidates declined the position.

The value of the right fit to the hiring manager

One of the bullet points we have in my HR director’s resume (Mary) says:

Collaborated with department managers to build understanding of the value in selecting the best qualified candidates and continue recruiting until the right fit is found for the position.

Mary trained the department heads on how to evaluate prospective candidates and not settle for someone just to fill the position. The “right fit” will add value to the organization and be an asset in growing the organization. The wrong fit could be problems down the road.

What can you do to make you the right fit?

Mary and I discussed the many things that job seekers can do to improve their chances of being picked.

1. Read the job description. Make sure that you actually CAN do the job and don’t apply to jobs that you are clearly not qualified to do. Mary used the example of a person in retail applying for a high level IT position. She had no technology experience. It wasn’t entry level. The job description clearly defined both the qualifications and what the position would entail.
2. Incorporate those Key Words from the job description into your resume and cover letter so that you come up as a match.
3. Make sure your resume is filled with accomplishments and quantify those accomplishments so that HR and the hiring manager understands that you can DO the job.
4. When you apply online, make sure you have first created your resume so that you are putting real content into the application. Write the traditional resume first and then use a text resume for applying instead of just filling in the blanks on the application. Directions for the text resume: Click here.
5. Research the company and the position. If you are called for an interview, you need to able to show them that you understand the company and what they need for the position.
6. Prepare for the interview. When you come to the interview, have a battery of additional accomplishments to share in the interview to demonstrate that you fit their needs.
7. Make sure you are not carrying baggage into the interview or into the background check. If you trash talk your old employer in the interview or even with people who could be providing the reference, you will blow your chances to be the one chosen. Attitude matters!

If you follow these suggestions, your job search will be on target and you will become the right fit for a new job much quicker!

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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Career folks always did talk though. It was just that no one could see us talking. There are still career industry e-lists from Career Directors International (CDI) and others. When I joined the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC) back in 1999, I think it was the beginning of me feeling like I was in an industry.

Career Industry is populated by sole proprietors

What you may or may not know about career professionals is that though there people who have larger practices with multiple writers, most of us are sole proprietors. I didn’t start out with the idea to be a stay-at-home mom. I started out with the idea that I could work from home and save on child care costs.

When I lost my job in property management in Naperville, IL, we moved back home to Wausau, WI and I looked for other employment. But my sons are 13 months apart and in 1987, people were offering me $7.25/hour. I got frustrated fast. I figured I would burn more money in child care than I would earn. I decided to pick up writing resumes as I had as a side business when we managed property in Wausau. It was then that the business name of Design Resumes evolved.

Job Search Resources Then and Now

In the years before PARWCC, I used books I found to grow my knowledge but there was no Internet. But the books were hard to find. It was only through PARWCC and then in 2000 by joining Career Masters Institute (CMI) that I learned about the great books available written by industry pros like Wendy Enelow, Lousie Kursmark, and Susan Britton-Whitcomb. It took Susan Guarneri moving back to Central Wisconsin in 2003 to get me to try the Certified Professional Resume Writer exam. And I passed!

Now there are multiple books by the authors I mentioned above plus blogs like this one and many other resources that were never there when I started in the industry. I just became an Associate of Career Thought Leaders, which was founded by Wendy Enelow:

We are the Career Thought Leaders Consortium, a think tank of career industry leaders working collaboratively to support both our colleagues and job seekers worldwide by providing expert leadership and innovation throughout all phases of career development, job search, long-term career management, and career fulfillment.

Career Thought Leaders Conference in 2010 was the first conference I attended. I was a little star-struck meeting so many of my peers and the industry leaders in one place. The best part of the industry is getting to take those relationships to the next level of phone or Skype or meeting in person.

Why do Career professionals talk to each other?

Career professionals talk to each other because its how we learn. In this field, a quality resume writer or career coach doesn’t typically do high volume. Customized resume writing and career marketing services are designed to fit the client. It takes listening skills and writing skills to make it in this industry.

The career professionals I know are caring, compassionate people who are drawn to resume writing because they genuinely want to help others. However, they too have mortgages, need food on the table, and everything else jobseekers need. So, while they are a helpful community, they do charge to help their clients.

On the other hand, the volume of free advice put out by career professionals, including resume samples and posts about how to effectively write resumes or effectively network your way to a job could help millions.

If you have been wondering why career people talk to each other? It’s pretty easy. We like each other!

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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Some students believe getting an “A” on their resume in school means that their resume is an “A” quality resume. Sounds logical, right?

Recently, my intern was talking to a classmate who insisted that her resume was a quality resume because she got an “A” on it. My intern snickered and said, “Sure, so did I.” But she wrote it before she met me and spent time studying quality resumes and resume strategies. Now she knows her original resume lacked the value and accomplishments needed for a successful resume.

Selected despite the resume

When I chose my intern, my decision was made despite her resume. I had asked my contacts at a college about their intern program and asked for resumes of possible candidates. What sold me on my intern was the solid recommendation she got from the head of the program. She said, ” As promised here is the resume of a student that I believe would be an asset to you and your business.” and went on to explain why.

In this case, I ignored the resume other than to read the basics because part of the internship working with me to create a compelling resume and job search strategy.

In the month plus we have been working together, my choice has been proven right. But most companies don’t get past a bad resume and you will never get the chance to prove you have the value they seek.

What’s wrong with getting an A on your resume?

1. Typically, classes in resumes in high school and college are taught by someone who has no training in resume writing and the book they are using as their guide is an old English book (or a new English book with old information.)
2. Classes in college tend to push duties over accomplishments. Everyone can list duties, it’s what you have done with those duties that make you the shining star that they want. A professional resume writer spends time probing you to find those hidden gems of information to make you stand out and then phrases them in a way to compel the hiring manager to call you for an interview. Can you do this yourself? Absolutely! But you need to know what questions to ask yourself and you need to know how to write like a professional resume writer.
3. More often than not in school, the emphasis is on the one page resume instead of concern over whether you have value and content to fill more than one page.

I know that there are qualified professionals in some campus career centers who have been trained by the professional career industry. Sadly though, most campuses fail to hire someone with that training. So the students are taught by someone reading from an old book.

The “A” grade on your resume may yield no response from employers

Even more scary, the job seeker who got an “A” on their resume is baffled when they don’t get any response from an employer. As I shared the beginnings of this post with my intern, she said, “of course, now I know exactly why my “A” on my resume wouldn’t have done the job to get me a job. It lacked the essential ingredients of a good resume. But the best part is, when I get ready to look for a new position, I’ll have an “A” quality resume!”

Why? We discuss resume strategy during each of our work sessions and my intern will benefit from a new resume designed and developed using cutting edge career solutions!

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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