Those that think short résumés are old school are, generally, of the opinion that the first (and perhaps only) read of a résumé is by a computer scan that uses keyword recognition – and since it is possible to include more key words in two pages and one, why not?

My position is that keywords can easily be added to the “properties” section of a word document and that once the computer (assumed for this discussion) has scanned the résumé and found it keyword rich, that the mistake the 2-pagers make is to assume that the next read is going to be the hiring manager.

Generally, a résumé winnows its way from the mailroom (where the initial scan gets rid of the bad candidates – or at least those who the algorithms consider to be bad) to a clerk in HR who frequently reads the document and determines if it (or the candidate) merits moving forward. This is now human interface with the document and when humans, especially those that are very, very busy – or think that they are – interface with a document the tendency is to read the shorter ones first, rejecting some, especially those that do not offer clarity. Then the remaining documents are forwarded to the ‘gatekeeper’ of the hiring authority where they are, once again, read by a human and those not rejected get to the desk of the hiring manager – where communication skills are considered essential.

If the computer scan, the HR scan, and the gatekeeper scan result in the document getting to the desk of the hiring authority then all that is left if for the hiring authority to separate those that made it that far into piles of “interview” or “don’t interview.”

Sometimes, the documents are read completely and sometime they are just scanned for about 20 seconds – that depends on the hiring authorities’ approach. The key is that in order to generate an interview, the hiring authority must make a decision based on what is read.  If there is time to read long documents, then they are read, but often the shorter document has a better change of getting some attention first.  That is human nature.

There is no simple answer to the question of multiple pages: first, the professional should take whatever space is needed to present the candidate in the best light possible; second, the professional needs to consider if tasks are critical or if communication skills are critical for the opportunity – and then write a document that will work to generate an interview.

Drawing any conclusion regarding the page length of a résumé is not appropriate – for circumstances change.

 
Everyone has a personal network: members of the church, the bowling league, previous co-workers – and it is critical to see that every member of your personal network is a résumé holding member of your fan club and that the know you really need a job – to the point where you telephone them weekly to ask if they have placed your résumé on the top of their boss’s desk suggesting that you are someone that should be interviewed.

 
To get started in building your personal network list, begin by listing co-workers, vendors, important customer from your last employment, influential members (those in leadership roles, in organizations you belong to, neighbors, and plain old friends.

 
Then do a Linkedin, Facebook, or Google search of those names and look for professional organizations that the have listed.

Contact the individual privately (or socially while attending a function, and tell them that you admire them and would really like their help in finding a job. Give them a copy of your résumé.

Remember one fact: Your friend’s lives do not revolve around you and in order to get them to do what you ask you need to be persistent (e.g., the squeaky wheel) and call them at least weekly asking them how it (presenting your résumé to their boss) went. When they say, I just did have the time. Thank them again and say something like “I really appreciate your taking on this assignment for I know just how busy you are. Why don’t I call you next week to see how it went.”

 
Lastly, keep a copy of your resume in the glove box on your car (and a PDF version on your cell phone if you have that service). Then talk to everyone you meet and let them know about your availability and your skill set. If they say, I wish I had known this you were available earlier for we have an opening you would be perfect for – then offer to give them a copy of your resume or email it to them instantly – you’ll blow them away.

Many professionals believe that you can spend a considerable amount of very valuable time on Social Media without much return.

Most of the time, without a solid plan, time spent posting to Social Media is really wasted time.
There are, however, some benefits to posting to Social Media

Social Media provides increased visibility access to many professionals within your targeted audience, especially within the strength of Social Media, niche groups.

Social Media is much like the résumé of Will Shakespeare: It shouts: “I’m available.” People need to know you are looking for work and that you are qualified.

Often you don’t know who out in cyber land can help you. As in real life: often there is a faster pace to employment through your personal network than through what you know.

The larger your number of connections, then, naturally, the larger your choices (e.g., more people in your network) in drilling down and developing more contacts.

Social Media, in the opinion of some, just isn’t a fad that some first claimed it to be. On the other hand, if you waste a lot of you precious time developing Social Media, time that might be better spent looking for work, (and that is VERY easy to do), you could be hurting yourself while thinking that what you are doing is valuable.

There is one critical element, infrequently addressed: If you have various Social Media pages (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) then you must verify that the facts on each match what you have included on your résumé – for, at a very minimum, hiring professionals often use Social Media to verify facts claimed on a résumé.

As a former HR manager and hiring authority, I was most often turned off by a resume that appeared to be written for the specific job posting. I felt that when the résumé appeared tailored for the specific job that the candidate was ‘tweaking’ his or her résumé just so that it would appear that necessary skills were what the candidate would bring to the table.  It is critical to understand the mindset of many HR managers and hiring authorities: let’s assume that every candidate lies and then the challenge is to find someone with the necessary skills that does not appear to be an experienced liar.

When I reviewed résumés that listed skills that were transferrable to any opportunity (and not using the specific words of the job posting) I was more inclined to offer the candidate an interview. So, instead of having a customized and tailored résumé using the words of the job posting, it just might be better to have your résumé fully present those transferable skills you would bring to any job.

In other words, too much on point equals a consummate liar while close with appropriate skills and credentials would mean a truth teller and more viable candidate. Having a tailored suit is of little value if you cannot wear it to an interview.

Sorry, no evidence, just 27 years of experience speaking.

Assuming many others drop out during the holidays you will stand out and get noticed because your competition is less.
During the holidays, many managers and decision-makers are in the office or are not travelling. This means that the opportunity for a face-to-face interview is better during the holidays.
Many companies have completed their hiring/personnel needs budgets for 2012 are based on starting early.
During the holidays, there are often more events and opportunities for networking and making new contacts.
While you might want think you should avoid “seasonal work”, those jobs often lead to full time employment; and there are many seasonal jobs available. It is amazing how “hard work” leads to “reat luck.”
This is true – and this does NOT include jobs that are not advertised or those that are not directly or indirectly related to retail. In all probability, there are millions of jobs created during the holiday season; especially this holiday season with an improved economy and stock market.
If you are one of the individuals who believe that you should not look for a job over the holidays, you will still be unemployed come January 2012. However, those who work hard, diligently, and intelligently to land a job during the holiday season, will have a better chance of beginning 2012 gainfully employed!

1. Your have tried to tailor your résumé to match the position available. When your résumé arrives to close ‘on point’ to the posted opportunity, employers are easily convinced that you are tweaking your résumé each time it is sent out so that all the information the firm had noted as important are included – this simply tells the employer that you can’t be trusted. As an old college professor, I flunked the students who used ‘cheat sheets’ or plagiarized the work of another and honored those students, who were ‘close enough’ with a higher grade. If you need to add something specific that didn’t fit well in the résumé then use the cover letter to deliver that message. (e.g., “golfer desired:” Now a résumé should not mention your skill at golf for that could anger the hiring authority if s/he was a tennis player. However, adding a PS on the cover letter than says something like this “Scratch golfer” could be beneficial.

2. The economy is in the worst shape in more than 25 years and many individuals have been unemployed for long periods of time, this can result in a major broadening of job search opportunities. Present a résumé that details out your skills that are transferable to many positions.

2. Many large firms scan résumés to cut down the large number that must be read. Many entry-level résumé writers insist that without a great number of “keywords” in the document, your resume will not getting past the computer analysis. I certainly do not want to diminish the value of “keywords” and often use the ‘properties’ section of the document to list keywords not on the résumé.

3. Length is critical – for managers manage and workers perform tasks. The higher the position you seek the shorter your résumé.

4. Order of data: some individuals with outstanding academic credentials tend to bury them at the end of the document (as if they were without value to the candidate). Selecting the order of material on the résumé is critical. I recommend the development of an annotated outline before starting on the résumé.

5. A résumé is a marketing tool and not an employment history. The reader needs to visualize what you are bringing to the table.

6. Spell-check is impotent. But trusting software to do the job could result in the error in the selection of words just as the fact that a wrong word, spelled correctly, has been used it this section. A great method for spell-check is to read the document out loud or ask a friend to check for errors.

7. Another killer is making it east for any reader to estimate your age (e.g., including the years you attended college or providing employment data older than 10 years). Any qualified professional (not having you as one of his or her first few clients) should be able to address periods of unemployment, self-employment, or stay-at-home work.

Without a quick reject (which happens to most candidates based on what is included on the CV or résumé and not what was excluded), you are well on your way to getting an interview — the real chance to get an offer.

When more than 100 résumés are reviewed for one opening, most employers done decide YES on the interview quickly, but they do decide NO quickly. Few candidates even get interviews but when you do, it is because your CV/Résumé got someone’s attention. Get a NO decision and you will not get an interview, period.

It is critical to remember, however, that the firm is going to interview more than a single candidate — perhaps as many as 5 so the odds are 1 in 5 that you will actually get an offer of employment.  If you don’t it is not time to panic for the firm many have just interviewed another candidate that is either more qualified, has more impressive credentials, or has more experience playing shortstop on a company softball team.

The problem is that if you ARE getting interviews and you are NOT getting any job offer (especially after about 4 or more interviews) or if the interview becomes way too brief then the problem may very well be with your approach to the interview.

You may be blowing the interview!

Too many times a candidate will blow the interview by being either too aggressive, or too timid.  HR professionals recommend a ‘balanced’ approach – don’t oversell and don’t undersell.  If you have great strengths be certain that they are presented.

Be prepared to answer, in depth, any questions about anything you have put on your CV/résumé but be careful to provide short, brief, and to the point answers to questions – a word or two but not paragraph after paragraph. If you dominate the interview, you may not be chosen.

Demonstrate the passion you have for your career.

Show that you understand yourself – What are your biggest strengths? What are your biggest weaknesses? How do you work with others?

Demonstrating with examples from previous positions how well you have worked to overcome your weaknesses and accentuated your strengths to the benefit of your prior employers will be a big plus in your interview.

When you earned a degree (if you did) is not nearly as important as showing that you have continued to stay on the cutting edge of your profession. So be certain that continuing training is emphasized on the CV/Résumé as well as during the interview.

If you are lacking a particular skill that might benefit the company (e.g., the ability to speak another language) then have a solution on how you are going to learn that skill.

Often other professionals will tell you to asker the question about your weakness by saying: “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work too hard”. That is not a good idea – what it demonstrates is your lack of understanding of yourself and how well you work within team environments.

If the thread of an interview gets too far off point, it is YOUR responsibility to call a ‘time out’ and say something like: “While I could talk sports with you for hours, especially softball, I think it a wiser use of our time to discuss just how well I will fit in with the rest of your team.”  Also be prepared to ask two or three good questions about the company or the role of the individual filling the position you seek.

Always dress a level above what you would expect – for it is far better to be over dressed than underdressed. Brush your teeth, rinse with a mouthwash, and, if you smoke, pretend you just boarded a flight of 8 hours when you awake and go without that calming smoke until AFTER the interview.

Questions about compensation and benefits are best delayed until the second (or third) interview – when you know, for certain, you are a favored candidate.

1.  ALWAYS used MS-Word for the primary document.  Also do not use a version of Word that adds the extension .docx (all newer versions) for most employers have not upgraded from the older version of Word to the newer version and the older version CANNOT open or read the newer version.  The simple solution?  Try a “Save As” mode and then select “Word 97-2004 Document (.doc).

2. Under ‘File’ use the pull down window and open “properties” to check that the author of the document is you and that there is no company name showing – which says you took time from work to build your own résumé and that is akin to stealing paper and envelopes from your present employer.

3. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you must have more than a single page résumé as often the advice comes from someone who charges by the page or who fails to understand that, in today’s environment, employers receive 100s or 1000s of résumés for each opening and honestly do not have the time to read a thesis instead of a marketing document.

4. List your computer skills generically.  You could miss out on an opportunity if you say you know MS-Word (and the reader then assumes you do NOT know WordPerfect).  Ditto on all other types of software – brand name usage is bad and too much information or alphabet soup is impossible to understand.  Solution?  Keep it simple and easy to understand.

There are some individuals who feel that they must meet with their professionals one on one and to they Dr. Jerry says, check out http://www.parw.com/ (home site of the Professional Association of Resume Writers) and search for a local professional. However, never settle for anyone that does not hold the CPRW (Certified Professional Résumé Writer) credential.  Note: Many of the world’s best writers no longer belong to this organization for a number of reasons but the CPRW credential, once earned, is valid for life.  Dr. Jerry no longer belongs to PARW nor attends any of its conventions.

On the other hand, no professional résumé writer should ever be guilty of sesquipedality.  The reason?  They don’t want readers to have to drag out a dictionary just to read what the resume is trying to say.

On balance most people in the USA tend to be illiterate and read, on average, at about the 5th grade level – so simple words produce success and difficult words tend to bring rejection.