Question:
template-based resume Accounting background ?
. But when creating a list, the idea usually is
to try to maintain the same scheme.
I've seen some resumes, for example, that will do something like:
Achievements
* I increased productivity 100 percent
* Initiated new corporate strategic plan
* Working to improve overall department effectiveness
Along with the horrible, jargonistic way this is written, it lacks
parallelism and sophistication. Admittedly, it is an extreme example. But
when listing and bulleting items, your goal should be to keep things the
same as much as possible.
We agree totally about obfuscation, exaggeration and the use of templates.
My resume format is probably nothing like anyone else specifically because I
want it to stand out from the herd and showcase my creativity. And even my
use of gerunds instead of past/present is probably very rare. That's exactly
the point. If I see an argument for a good way of doing things, I won't
resist doing them that way simply because everyone else does it another way,
though I recognize that I take a risk by doing so.
Answer:
I've had a number of resumes submitted to me over the years. Since I've
never hired a person for a job that required writing skills beyond the
ordinary business letter, I've never objected to the template-based
resume. The "original" resumes have always been the ones that have
required extra postage to mail. I've always read every resume
submitted, but admit to a bias to favor the one's that are accompanied
by a short cover letter that highlights any specific pertintent
background and/or any particular reason for wanting this particular job.
Also, a bias for the one or two page resume that covers the basic work
experience, job title, and very brief educational summary.
I assume there's a certain amount of bullshit factor in every resume. I
expect it, and don't downgrade unless it's too painfully obvious. A
resume isn't the place to say that a person left this particular job
because they were bored out of their mind, knew they weren't ever going
to get anywhere in that company, couldn't stand their boss, or didn't
like the vacation policy.
All I wanted in a resume was enough information to know the person might
be qualified and was worth interviewing. The interview was the
make-or-break factor, and not the resume.
All of the above, though, is based on the type of job I was filling. I
didn't hire academics, so I wanted just a bare accounting of educational
background. I didn't hire copywriters, so I wasn't interested in
creative writing flair. Mostly, I hired salesmen. I looked for similar
experience, similar fields, and enough time on each previous job to
ensure I wasn't bringing in a hopper.
Had I been filling a different type of opening, I'd have looked for
different things.
I didn't look for embarassing gaps. If a guy (or a female, since I had
several female salespeople working for me over the years) took a job and
quit two months later after realizing it was a mistake, I didn't mind if
he left that out of the resume. I really didn't consider that
falsifying his work record. He has a certain obligation to protect his
own interests, and if leaving that out makes him a little more desirable
by being less of a job hopper, then that's fine.
