Another Truth For You
Job Search Truth #8: You do not need a resume to do a job search.
Based on what I’ve learned “on the street” over the past 34 years, you do not write a resume until you have done your research. That is why I say that you do not need a resume to do a job search. A successful search is first about finding out what’s out there in your areas of interest that fits what you really want. Then, when you make the decision to generate job interviews in your area of interest, you might need a resume to become a viable candidate to interview for a position.
And, you might not. You may develop such a good rapport with your prospective employer that he/she simply invites you to come to work! This really does happen quite often. Larger companies may need your resume to satisfy a human resources requirement that sounds something like, “It’s company policy that every employee has a resume on file.” In which case, if you are asked for your resume, you could be writing it for the human resource file. Your resume is simply a formality because the person who has the power to hire has requested you for the position.
Whatever the case, from my perspective, any resume you write should illustrate transferable skills and experiences that are aligned with a particular position. Your resume is then targeted to that position and is not as effective in any other situation.
As I’ve written about earlier, effective written documentation requires extensive person-to-person research which really allows you to move from the “I wonder” to the “I Know.”
