Re: Updating Resume?

[Suzanne -dot- Cole -at- pattersondental -dot- com]

"If you need four pages to properly describe what your strengths are,
so be it...and maybe sometime in the future, you'll have done enoughy
to fill six pages...like me."

No one will read either a four- or a six-page resume. The resume itself has
to be very simple, strong, and limited to one page--two at the very most,
but avoid that if at all possible. Here are some specific tips:

-- On the resume (more about this phrase later), list employers and/or
clients no farther back than 10 years. Experience beyond that is rarely
current enough for the job, but you might want to include a lump summary to
account for the full range of employment dates. It sounds like you've been
a contractor for long enough that even a simple list of clients might take
up a few pages. In this case, state only your contracting business name and
date range. We'll deal with the client list and job details later.

-- List one or two  _major_ accomplishments under each employment record.
These should be high-impact accomplishments that affected the business'
bottom line... so include the cash value where possible (ballpark it if you
have to), to show what the company saved as a result of your efforts.
Otherwise, list accomplishments that fit in with the specific job you're
applying for. If you still find it difficult to whittle down to just one or
two, choose the most recent. If you've managed budgets and you're looking
for a management position, include the budget range.

Your resume is gunning for effect; it needs to tell each potential employer
what you can do specifically for them. That means doing your homework,
researching each job and employer to find out who they are and what they
need. You can use that information to choose which accomplishments to list.

-- The resume is a marketing document, so give it visual impact and
go-getter drive (without coming across as obnoxious, egotistical, pushy, or
cheesy). Create a slogan to highlight your professional strength, and make
it a headline under your name and contact information ("Creating documents
with impact and integrity since 1987"; although that's a weak, off-the-cuff
example, hopefully you get the drift).

-- Do away with the old standard "objectives" section if you have one,
because your objective is to get the job, and everyone knows that. It
wastes space.

-- Your cover letter and resume should stress your experience that target
the specific company and position you're applying for--so, to be most
effective, you won't use a "one-size" resume to fit all. Interviewers can
spot stock resumes instantly and quickly relegate them to the round file.
However, do have a stock version to hand out on-the-spot while networking
or at job fairs.

Now--here's where you'll feel better about whittling and weeding out your
resume:

-- Create a "professional portfolio" and clearly state in the resume that
the portfolio contains full employment history and details, available upon
request.

Cram this with a complete list of employers and clients (including phone
numbers; and yes, going to the beginning of your professional career) with
detailed job descriptions and all related accomplishments. On separate
pages (even if the information is only a paragraph or a short list), list
skills, tools and technologies; training and other education, with attached
transcripts; professional references (which some employers require with the
resume, so it's especially important that these be on a separate page, easy
to attach to your one-page resume); volunteer positions; personal
information such as hobbies and activities; and if it makes you feel
better, list your objectives. Include samples of your work, and if
applicable, a complete list of publications.

Keep the original portfolio and have a backup set (so, when sending for
transcripts, ask for two copies), but make copies of the portfolio to leave
with potential employers. Make sure the bulk of the portfolio can be sent
electronically as well; this means you may want to do some scanning to
convert transcripts and/or your other important documents that exist only
in hardcopy). During the interview you can present the original file, but
ask permission to leave a copy instead. Some will allow this, some won't,
which is why you may need a backup set.

The portfolio sells not only your skills but your personality and
interests. It can be a useful tool for employers to judge whether you'd be
a good fit professionally and personally for the company culture. If
they're looking at the portfolio, they've already made a first-round
decision that you may be fit for the job.

That said, be prepared to move some information such as skills or
technologies to the resume, depending on the type of job and on that
particular company's or interviewer's preferences. Some place emphasis on
training or education,

(By the way, I have never had to interview for more than two positions
concurrently; maybe I've only been lucky, but I feel that my resumes have
been effective.)

Hope this helps!! All the best of luck to you in finding The Job, in that
one ideal company, in that one nirvana position, the dovetail that will
keep you happy and fed until you retire.


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