What Your Resume Doesn't Say is as Important as What it Does

Savvy hiring managers scan numerous resumes quickly with the intent of filtering them into a small and manageable number of candidates.  Presenting only part of the picture on a resume can get you pitched to the discard pile and is sure to spark the “Thank you for expressing interest in XYZ Corp... Your resume will be kept on file for future consideration,” email.  Because everyone has a slightly different style and is looking for a different candidate it's impossible to say what needs to be included or excluded.  However there are a few things you should consider when building or revising a resume.

In broad terms, there are only three kinds of resumes: The “Newbie,” The “Experienced” and The “Focused.”  Each resume has its distinct advantages and can be equally disadvantaged.  Understanding what type of resume you have can help you identify areas needing extra attention.

The Newbie:

Welcome to the working world.  Here you will find 1000's of people with similar or better experience as you clawing for the same job.  You're a “Newbie.”  Students and stay-at-home parents are most commonly Newbies, but you might have your own reasons for landing in this category.  You'll need to remind yourself that everyone applying for this position starts at the same place, with a piece of paper.  Your advantage over other candidates might be that you have few preconceived notions about how things should be, you are open to new ideas and “mold-able” for organizations with strict procedures.  Your challenge in creating a resume is clearly defining your skills and experience without relying on the traditional “work experience” category.

The Experienced:

You've been around the block and your work experience shows it.  You've had multiple jobs in varying industries.  You might even have gaps in employment.  You're an “Experienced” candidate.  Your work experience says a lot about who you are, but might not reflect the right image.  You've bounced around, tried new things and have gained experience and wisdom along the way.  For the hiring manager it will either be big a big red flag (“This person has no focus and lacks commitment.”) or an exclamation point (“A creative, out-of-the box thinker with many capacities.”).  The “work experience” category will tell the manager “what.”  You need to fill in the blanks with the “why” and “how.”  Bringing it all together to create interest and understanding is the challenge. 

The Focused:

A straight forward career path from school to where you are today is the hallmark of the “Focused” candidate.  Your degree led you to your fist job and you might still be there today.  If you branched out it was to other organizations in the same field where you performed essentially the same role.  You expanded your career by accepting new responsibilities along the way.  You have succeeded in passing the first test of most hiring managers, the continually employed test.  Your resume however doesn't likely give much insight into the real “you.”  Your challenge is to express yourself in terms of passion and drive.  While doing so, you might give some insight into personality and special interests.

These are the basic types of job applicants that hiring managers come across.  Depending on the job you're applying for, your resume can get flicked into the circular file simply for falling into one those categories (“He doesn't have enough work experience to do this job effectively.”  “She lacks the focus necessary to do this job effectively.”  “He's too set in his ways to do this job effectively.”)

Whether you are creating a resume from scratch, or revising an old one, consider how you can present yourself in each of the three ways at the same time.  The resulting resume is likely to keep you in the running and produce more follow-up interviews.

(Brandon Johnston is a Life and Transition Coach assisting people discover success and happiness in life and work.  Brandon can be reached by email at brandon@coachbrandon.net, or by phone at 612.326.4717.)