Page 47 - Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Resume

04 0028633946 CH03 12/21/99 12:23 PM Page 29

Chapter 3 ➤ Winning Resume Wisdom

“My resume is about my future?” you ask. “But it talks about my work history and what I
did at my previous jobs. Doesn’t that mean it’s about my past?”

That’s exactly what most people think, but the secret to getting a new and exciting job is to
build your resume around the job you’re striving for, not the ones you’ve previously held.
So before you even start writing your resume, you need to plan what kind of work you
want to do next.
What will the employer think of your future-oriented resume? At first glance, she may
assume she’s reading about your past, but as she gets drawn into it, she’ll find herself imag-
ining that you’re working for her. And that’s what will make her want to call you for an
interview.

Thou Shalt Not Confess
“Forgive me, Father, it’s been a year since I last updated my
resume,” you cry. Have no fear, my friend; I’m here to fill you in
on all the tips, including this one: Don’t let one trace of that con-
fessional tone leak onto your resume!
Why? Because your resume is not a confessional—you don’t have Job-Hunt Hint
to tell all. Don’t waste space or distract the reader by putting any-
thing on your resume that doesn’t support your job objective or Think of your resume as an
cast you in the best light possible with regard to experience, abil- advertisement about a new
ity, age, and personality. (In Part 2, I’ll talk about how to work product: you! And like an adver-
with these issues specifically.) tisement, your resume needs to
be customized for its particular
Be selective. Pick through all your information and choose only
audience.
what’s relevant to your job objective. The following resumes show
you how to apply this commandment.

Shooting Yourself in the Foot
Teresa Smith was having trouble finding a position as a market-
ing director. She needed a job desperately and decided to go for a
position as an administrative assistant. If she listed her MBA
degree under her Education heading, she knew she would look
overqualified for a clerical job. Take a look at her resume. Notice Career Casualty
that she decided not to include her degree in order to improve
Some folks think a list of state-
her chances of getting an interview.
ments should end with the best
If you’re applying for a job for which you might appear overqual- one. Not on a resume! What if
ified, consider leaving the heavy-weight qualifications off of your an impatient or busy reader
resume. Remember, your resume is not a confessional; you aren’t never gets to the end of the list?
obligated to disclose all. Always start a list with your best
item.
Get Your Priorities Straight
Trudy Caldwell had been a secretary and receptionist for a number of years and wanted to
move into the field of human resources. In preparing for her career change, she had gone
back to college and earned a degree in human resources while continuing her occupation as
a secretary.

29