Dont Get Caught With an Old School Resume

Dont Get Caught With an Old School Resume This months Career Collective topic is Job-Hunting Rules to Break: Outdated Job-Search Beliefs. I come across so many outdated concepts in resume writing that seem to be passed down from generation to generation of job seekers, so I thought this was a good time to dispel some common resume writing myths once and for all.Keep the resume to one page. Whether you have a one page resume or a 300 page resume, no one is reading it word for word. They are skimming it. Your job isnt to squeeze as much information as possible on one page; its to prudently edit the content to focus on shining accomplishments and the most relevant content. Sometimes this takes one page; sometimes it takes two pages. Just because something is on one page doesnt make it easier to read. Aim for a user-friendly design strategy with clean lines and information that is easy to find and stop getting so caught up in the length of the document.Always include an objective. An objective is of no use to a hiring manager. I t doesnt tell them how you will fix their problems or the unique value you can bring to the company. Its generally all about you and what you want in your next job. And hiring managers dont really care about what you want. Explain how you can ease their pain, up front at the beginning of the resume, and increase your chances of getting an interview.Never add color to a resume. Years ago, color wasnt really an option on a resume. Today, color, shading, bold, and other design elements can be incorporated into a resume quickly and easily to make key information stand out. Have you ever read a marketing brochure that used graphic design and other visual elements to improve their messaging? Make no mistakeyour resume is a marketing brochure. Why shouldnt you use similar design techniques to get noticed by hiring managers?Left justify dates of employment. Dates were left justified when people were writing resumes on typewriters and there was really no better way to do it. If your resume l ooks like it was done on a typewriter, thats a problem within itself. Beyond that, left justifying dates is a poor use of valuable space on a resume. Right-justify employment dates and save that space for more important information about the value you bring to employers.List references on your resume. This may have made sense if you were conducting a search prior to 1999. But now,   no one is going to solely rely on the references you list on a resume. Most hiring managers Google candidates before ever calling them in for an interview. They dont need to look at the references you supply; they can dig up all kinds of information about you online.You can read my colleagues post about outdated job search beliefs here:Juice Up Your Job Search, @debrawheatmanIts not your age, its old thinking, @GayleHowardWant a Job? Ignore these outdated job search beliefs @erinkennedycprwJob Search Then and Now, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumesBreak the Rules or Change the Game? @WalterAkanaThe New: From The Employers-Eye View, @ResumeServiceJob Search: Breakable Rules and Outdated Beliefs, @KatCareerGalJob Hunting Rules to Break (Or Why and How to Crowd Your Shadow), @chandlee @StartWire,Shades of Gray, @DawnBugni3 Rules That Are Worth Your Push-Back, @WorkWithIllnessYour Photo on LinkedIn Breaking a Cardinal Job Search Rule? @KCCareerCoachHow to find a job: stop competing and start excelling, @Keppie_CareersBe You-Nique: Resume Writing Rules to Break, @ValueIntoWordsModernizing Your Job Search, @LaurieBerensonHow Breaking the Rules Will Help You in Your Job Search, @expatcoachmeganBeat the Job-Search-Is-a-Numbers-Game Myth, @JobHuntOrg25 Habits to Break if You Want a Job, @CareerSherpa