A Contrarian View About Resumes
There is no such thing as a perfect resume, except in the eye of the beholder.
I most cases, unless you know the person asking for your resume, know firsthand what they really want it for, what specifically they want your resume to focus on, what layout/format works best for them, samples of your work, copies of work evaluations and letters of reference …. blindly sending in your resume to the electronic black hole will generally produce results somewhere between slim and none.
Taking your unique gifts, talents and interests seriously, putting most of your search energy into in-person networking with people you know will both make the process of finding or creating a new and rewarding employment opportunity more enjoyable and successful too.
While there are no “absolutes” in finding meaningful work, having a realistic doable plan of action being more people centric than over focusing on the Internet. The proof … in my 39 years of career coaching 9,000+ individual clients, 80/85% have found new jobs putting smiles on their faces and money in the bank via personal referrals and/or advocates.
I fully understand and support the laws, rules, regulations and the social pressures we live with today. But please keep in mind, when the hiring person sifts through these, in the end, they are more likely to hire someone they are comfortable with, so it is imperative that the job seeker become known and not be a stranger.
