To be or Not to be Resume Tips

Resume tips on how to, how not, must do and must not are everywhere in the blogosphere, and they are contradictory.  For example, some experts say you DO NOT need an objective, a summary profile, professional experience, education, hobbies, community activities, references, or a one-page resume, etc.  Yet, other experts will disagree. 

For example, I believe it is helpful for new college graduates to include an Objective on their resume.  For each DON't there is a corresponding DO or vice versa.  So, how is this helpful to someone wanting to develop a compelling resume?  It is not.

When deciding what should be or not be on a resume you need to remember the purpose of the resume.  It is to get the attention of a potential employer to consider you further for a job they have or might have available. 

Consider this.  You are driving your car and a police officer pulls you over.  Your heart is racing and you want to get on the good side of the officer.  But, the officer is all business and asks for your license and registration.  Through your tears, you hand over the documents and wait to tell your story, hoping to be convincing.

A resume is similar to your license and registration.  It is a standard document.  Human Resource departments are like the police officer except you want them to pull you over.  Therefore, you need to show them your resume in a way that enables them to see the information they need.  They want to know if you match the requirements for the job.  So make it easy for them.  My license looks the same as yours except for the information.  The same is true about a resume. 

In my experience as an HR practitioner, I never rejected a resume because it had an objective on it except, if the objective was not for the position I was recruiting.  I never tossed a resume because they had a subheading work experience instead of career progression or that it was not in CAPS.  No, I eliminated people from consideration if they lacked the applicable information or their information did not match the qualifications for the position I was recruiting.

My so-called expert advice to you is to make sure your resume contains the right information and is easy for someone to spot and pull you over.  In my opinion, you get attention not by running a stop sign (fonts, formats, headings, fancy links, etc.) but by knowing someone in the precinct.  In other words, networking.