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At 08:34 AM 2/20/97 -0800, you wrote:
>At 08:06 AM 2/20/97 -0600, Tim Altom wrote:
>>My own opinion about resumes is perhaps a radical one, but I'll toss it out
>>anyway: they're usually evidence that an applicant hasn't done his/her
>>homework and isn't top of the line. Not always. I'll look at one. But not
>>very hard.
>>
> I don't think you hire a lot of tech writers that way, Tim.
> You've got to start with a baseline upon which to build and, IMHO, the
>resume is it. I can't make the assumption that someone has conjured up the
>descriptions of their background and experience out of thin air. If they
>have, that will become all too evident at the interview, which is where the
>real revelations occur.
> If I can "word-of-mouth network" with a club or membership organization,
>that's a plus that I welcome, but I certainly don't limit myself to only
>that avenue. I don't mind conducting interviews when I'm searching for a
>professional peer who has introduced him/herself with a resume.
>
>Regards,
>
>Hank Stanley
>
I'm not suggesting that you not make a resume at all. Leave one behind after
the interview if you must. But in today's world the best jobs don't even
come on the market. You have to be proactive and learn about the plums
before they even appear. You can't do that by being reactive and waiting
around, then shooting out a resume. You're already behind the parade and
fighting through the crowd at the door. And it's a simple fact that, given a
choice, most employers would rather hire a known quantity than a shot from
the dark.
Tim Altom
Vice President, Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice) 317.899.5987 (fax)
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