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| Category: Career Counseling |
Date published: May 4, 2004 |
Overcoming The 5 Resume Myths
Most job seekers, if asked "what is the most important tool one needs in order to successfully find work" would probably respond a resume. Unfortunately this line of thinking can create a false sense of hope among those who have high aspirations of finding new employment.
In my 16 years as a career advisor and speaker, I have witnessed many a discouraged individual who thought that a well put together resume was the "end-all, be all" for that next job. In fact, I'll go on record as saying that I believe that resumes are vastly overrated as a job search tool. Just ask anyone who has recently sent out a pile of resumes to employers and received little or no response back and you'll get the gist of what I am talking about.
Am I saying that resumes hold no value as a part of your job search campaign? Far from it. In fact, I've had one for years even though I've been self employed for most of my life. What I am saying is that having a resume does not guarantee you success in your job search.
Many of the problems that I see with resumes are rooted in myths about what they are and what they aren't. Below are 5 of the most common myths regarding resumes and how you can avoid them:
Myth#1- A Resume Is A Must For Obtaining A New Job
Resumes are useful to have but as I mentioned before they are a vastly overrated tool for obtaining a new job. In his best selling book What Color Is Your Parachute (Ten Speed Press, 2003) career guru Richard Bolles says that resumes have a terrible track record in locating jobs and that only one job is offered and accepted for every 1,470 resumes sent out to prospective employers. Most career expert agree that well over 70% of jobs are discovered via friends, family, professional acquaintances and other contacts, and not through sending out massive numbers of resumes. This fact should serve as a message to you to focus their attention on building relationships with key individuals that can help you get to where you want to go.
Myth#2- Resumes Must Be One Page
The assumption here is that your resume is less likely to get read by an employer if it is more than one page. Hogwash! While I'm not advocating a 12 page resume, it is perfectly acceptable to have more than one page if the information is of value to an employer in determining the strength of your candidacy. This should be good news to you especially if you've made futile attempts in the past to cram years of career accomplishments and job history onto one page.
Myth#3- Printing Your Resume On Funky Paper Will Help It Get Noticed by Human Resources.
Quite frankly it is likely to elicit a chuckle and then get crumpled up and thrown in the wastepaper basket. In my days as a Human Resources Director I used to get a real kick out of resumes sent to me on fancy neon, yellow, or even gray paper in response to one of our job openings. My advice to you is to save your money and stick to a simple white paper. And of course, white linen or parchment paper with matching envelopes also works well if you have a desire to be truly sophisticated.
Getting your resume noticed is another story particularly if you are responding to a employment ad where you might be competing with well over one-hundred applicants. You may be able to increase your chances by sending it via U.S. Priority Mail or FedEx but as you know, nothing is guaranteed these days.
Myth#4- With A Resume I Will Never Have To Complete An Employment Application
Guess again. Unlike in my days when you could fill your name in on the application and then drop your resume inside, most employers now require you to complete the entire application. In fact, failure to do so will likely disqualify you for the position. So always remember that an employment application is a legal document and that a substituting a resume is not a viable option.
Myth#5- Posting My Resume On The Internet Will Solve All My Problems
Sure there are some good websites for posting your resume but don't get overly excited about this option. I know that the thought of finding your dream job via cyberspace is appealing but most of my clients who have tried it have had little luck.
Perhaps the most compelling argument for not going wild over the posting your resume over the internet is a Forrester Research study of 3,000 internet using job seekers which found that only 4% landed their most recent jobs by going on-line. This should be an indication to you that internet postings should only serve as just another option in a much larger plan for finding employment.
Michael P. Scott is a nationally recognized Career Coach with the Austin, TX based LifeU Inc
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