Anyone looking for a job nowadays has to know how to work a resume. Times have changed a lot and so has the art of resume writing.
Old school resumes
Back in the day, resumes were considered a list of skills and past employment. They were meant to tell as much as possible to a prospective employer about what you have done and who you are. Now that has changed at least seemingly so because there are so many arguments for and against this change. Some so called ‘experts’ will argue one way while others will argue another. This makes it all very confusing for people that are just going back into the workforce. Most of the time looking at the how to on line advice on this subject; you can get frustrated looking at all the conflicting advice out there.
So what has caused the change?
The changing job market and fluctuating requirements for employees are what has spawned this change. It used to be that longevity was the key aside from certain skills and education which was also a big deal. Now it all depends where you are going to look for a job as well as who will be looking at your resume. This will dictate not only how long it should be, but what kind of resume you’ll need and even how many, as well as how long each one should be. Resume writing companies are making a lot of money these days out of crafting the right resume for the right job and it doesn’t come inexpensively. You can expect to pay $300 dollars or more for a decent resume.
So the length of the resume cannot be a blanket amount. It is determined by the other factors in this piece.
Types of resumes and why there are so many explained
The type of resume is based solely on where you are in your career. Now, there have always been several basic types that will cover the lives of most people. The most common ones were as follows in the list below.
- Student or intern resume
- First job resume
- Returning to the job force resume
Now there is a broken economy, and a whole new world of requirements for employment with more competition than ever. College grads are emerging, rearing to go with more than a hunger for work so a competitive resume is needed with that in mind.
So, if I have been laid off as so many people have, how long should my resume be and what components should it have?
The first things to consider is where are you coming from and how you will be viewed as well as what we stated before, and that is, who your competition is. At this point in the game, you are competing with millions of people vying for the same job. You have to stand out more than you ever had to before. You are going to have to shine and think of every accomplishment you have ever made at your former job or jobs. You may also have to condense your resume a bit to make you look stable if you have worked more than one job.
should I lie on my resume?
No one should advocate lying on their resume but there are ways you can become more creative with it simply because you may have to. It used to be that stability in and of itself was key because you shot for the job that you could retire from easily and, be set up with a pension after 20 or 30 years. Now, if you have been a veteran of any company or industry for too long, you may be considered stale. Meaning you are not able to be molded as well as some college graduates that are younger and more energetic. But if this is what you are working with then it may be a lengthier resume. Why, with only one job to boast? Well you will want to show what you can do for that company as far as energy and growth are concerned and you will want to convey that.
Other key elements
You will also want to lengthen a resume to fit keywords that are suited to the job you seek. Believe it or not, you are more apt to have a computer screen your resume before any human being ever does. That is because scannable resume you want to have if you even want it to get passed the computer and on to someone’s desk. Remember that whoever is screening applicants is dealing with thousands of resumes at a time and is going to be scanned quickly by the screener as well as the computer. Your best bet is to do one of two things. Either get your resume professionally done or Google what the buzz words are for resumes that change up to the minute and include them.
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