A lot of people believe that posting a resume online does not require having a paper resume – BIG mistake.

Honestly, style trumps substance and design-rich, formatting, and crisp writing will always fair better than basic words on paper.

No need to get carried away with color, links, and fancy fonts – the objective is still to convey a clear and easy to understand message about why you are the best candidate ever for the open position.

Boring biographies (like those of just a few years ago, appear aged and perform far, far, worse than a carefully crafted success story.

In today’s environment of emailing and online posting of data, many in the industry have recommended cutting down on the amount of personal contact information and many are currently recommending that individuals not include their home address on their resume.

The idea has some merit but the danger is that a reader of such a document might conclude that the candidate is living out of his or her car, not the stability desired by an employer.

To add to the confusion of including addresses, is the simply fact that hardly anyone writes to anyone today.  Most contact is by telephone and I recommend including only a single telephone number on the resume (not two) and not including a fax number either.

Each individual must make a decision on including their mailing address and what telephone number to include.  I would recommend including a mailing address and just one telephone number. Since including multiple telephone numbers (or multiple email addresses) just forces readers to choose how to contact you.

The odds are 50-50 that you will get an interview if your résumé actually gets to the desk of the hiring authority (or back if it starts there). However, the odds are only 1 in 5 that you will be offered the job after the interview. The interview is not designed to determine if you are ‘qualified’ – you would not have gotten the interview if you were not qualified – but the interview is to determine if the hiring authority and others ‘like’ you the best.

So with only a 1 in 5 change of getting the job you interview, the odds are not in your favor and you may be rejected.

Big deal (of course it is at the time) but talk to anyone successful and listen to their stories about their failures. Each failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Here the simple answer is “never.” Having multiple résumés in circulation, each with different facts, only confirms suspicions that you are lying and will say anything to get a job. Multiple versions of résumés have a weird way of showing up on the same desk at the same time.

If you must make a change – try adding a PS to the cover letter saying something like: “I just wanted to note that I am an avid tennis player” but only if the ad suggests something like “…tennis players preferred…”

The simple answer is NO. Some firms without scruples will sell you anything they think you will buy, but a true professional with sell you one résumé, written properly, so that you can apply for any position you are qualified for – with, perhaps, change a single line or covering special issues within your cover letter.