Résumés: Does One Size Fit All?

2012-05-15
From: MSN Careers
If you have more than one goal, knowing which direction to take your career can be quite the dilemma. Many job seekers are looking in more than one area of expertise, and their reacutesumeacutes often reflect that. The problem with this is that it can be confusing for hiring managers.

Of course, most employers hope to hire multi-taskers, but many times having a varied assortment of skills listed on your reacutesumeacute can work against you. What you need to do is focus your reacutesumeacute to suit a particular career, even if this means creating a different reacutesumeacute for each different job pursuit.

So, I really need more than one reacutesumeacute?
If your career pursuits are similar, one reacutesumeacute might be all you need. But if you’re looking in various, unrelated industries or roles during your job search, you’ll have to have a different reacutesumeacute for each job goal.

When you write a generic reacutesumeacute for all of your career goals, it may be too extensive. Employers are looking for someone who is focused. You want the person in charge of hiring to look at your reacutesumeacute and know immediately you’re the right candidate to call in for the interview. Any uncertainty on the part of the hiring manager means the reacutesumeacute is destined for the trash bin. Recruiters and hiring managers simply don’t have time to waste reading wordy or confusing reacutesumeacutes.

Another way to tell if you need to write more than one reacutesumeacute is by giving it a thorough review. Better yet, have a trusted friend or relative go over your reacutesumeacute. Are your goals confusing? Are your skills across the board? Would a hiring manager have any trouble figuring out what it is you actually do? If so, you’re in need of more than one reacutesumeacute.

I sent out my reacutesumeacutes … now what?
You need to know if your reacutesumeacute is effective, but how can you tell? One way is through tracking. It’s not enough to create a reacutesumeacute and send it off to employers. To be fully successful in your job hunt, you’ll want to keep track of where it went and the type of response it received.

When you’re ready to apply to jobs, make a spreadsheet or grab a notebook to record some information. List the date, the type of reacutesumeacute sent and where it went. In addition to helping you remember where you applied, it will also help you to see how effective each reacutesumeacute actually is.

For instance, are you garnering more interviews resulting from one reacutesumeacutethan another? Are you getting any call backs at all, or are your reacutesumeacutes being ignored? Keeping track of where reacutesumeacutes were sent, when, and the response (or lack of response) to each one will help in your job search.

If you find you’re not receiving as many responses to your reacutesumeacute as you had hoped, don’t be dismayed. It just means a little more fine tuning is in order. Your primary goal is to catch the eye of the hiring manager. You simply can’t do this with a generic reacutesumeacute.

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