What kind of résumé are you using?

If the question makes you pause, you need this information. If you want a job, you have to know what kinds of résumés are available and what they can or can’t do for you. You have to submit the "perfect" résumé to get the job. You need to have a variety of résumés available in your toolbox. More on that below. What is the point of a résumé? The job of a résumé is to get your foot in the door and get you an interview. This is one of your best marketing tools. This is a representation of you and who you are and what you can do. This is the first impression people have of you. You want this to be your best foot forward. Don’t tell your entire work history. Only list the skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the job you are applying for, right now. You want to pique interest, not bore with too much information that is not pertinent to the job opening. Remember, human resources or the hiring manager will only have about 30 to 60 seconds with your résumé before they move on to the next one. You have to grab their attention quickly. There are basically three types of résumés:

1. Chronological résumé
2. Functional résumé
3. Hybrid or combination résumé

Let’s talk about the pros and cons of each type. A chronological résumé starts at the beginning of your work history (or the last ten years) and lists every job in the order you worked them, with dates. It is easy for you to create and update. This format is best when you have an orderly and upwardly progression of responsibilities and promotions in a single field and/or industry. This one is also good if you have no gaps in your employment history. Human resources loves this type of résumé. It is easy to weed out people with this résumé. In this economy people are inundating their desks with résumés and applications. They want an easy tool to get the pile down to a manageable level. This résumé gives them that tool. A functional résumé lists duties, responsibilities and achievements in appropriate groupings under skill titles instead of job titles. This is best for people changing careers or industries. You can list your achievements by order of importance to the next job. It is also good if you have experience in many fields or industries. If you have gaps in your employment history you can manage that too. You can more easily make use of volunteer jobs you’ve done with this résumé. It is more difficult to do and requires thinking about and seeing yourself and the duties and responsibilities in a new way. It requires research into your newly chosen field for terms and buzz-words. However, it does highlight your appropriate experiences and achievements in way that demonstrates how they will "translate over" to the new job, industry or field. Human Resources often feel you are "hiding something" with this format. There is no history. Many times, it is just too hard for them to get a clear picture of you. You just look like a bunch of parts, no whole. Remember, they will only have about 30 to 60 seconds with your résumé before they move on to the next one. You have to grab them quickly. If they can’t pigeon-hole you quickly, they may not even try. You are just considered to be not a good fit for the company. A hybrid résumé is a combination of both a chronological résumé and a functional résumé. You get to list your accomplishments in groups to package yourself in a new way, and Human Resources gets to match up your history. Win – win. This is also the hardest one to write. It is also the one most likely to get you to that new career. What type of résumé should you use? Which of the three types will highlight you best to your next employer? What did you decide? The answer is that you need to have one of each type available. That way you can be responsive if an employer asks for a different type of résumé from what you submitted. Some companies will specify what they will or won’t accept in the way of résumés. You need to be prepared to follow those instructions. If you are not getting calls for interviews for the jobs you want, you may have the wrong résumé. Or it may not have the right information to sell you to employers. Next week I’ll answer these questions:

• What should you include?
• What shouldn’t you include?
• What must you always include?
• What type should it be?
• What color should you buy of kid-finish cotton fiber stationary (with a watermark)?

If you aren’t getting any calls for an interview, it may be that your résumé is not what it needs to be for you. Need help? Call me and we can put together a relevant résumé for you that will get you into an interview. I can help you sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. I can assist you in creating a skills inventory, creating a polished Brand You Sound-bite, and getting you on the path to your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com