Friday, December 26, 2008

New Trends For Old Resumes

By Craig Calvin

If you still think of your resume as simply a historical document of your working life it may be time to revamp your thinking and your resume. Studies show that the average resume gets only about 15 to 30 seconds to drive its point home and to, hopefully, impress your future employer. Today, resumes are leaning toward a hipper, more progressive tone. They play down age, and play up achievements using monetary gains and savings to accentuate the positive.

You can hardly read a business document or attend a meeting without hearing the term value proposition tossed around. While it has been used for years by businesses, wise job hunters today know that to help sell themselves, they'll need to incorporate into their resumes. Specifically, it relates to something in your resume that explains real results a company will get from you. Whether it is cost cutting measures you've implemented in the past or sales programs you've directed, businesses want to see more money on their bottom line.

Another change is the now common resume summary statement, which replaces the old fashioned one-line objective statement. The newer style takes a more direct approach to the employer, expressing how you can use your goals and values to increase their bottom line and make their company better.

Even though there are age discrimination laws on the books, the practice still does go on, though it's not always done on purpose, and may be done subconsciously. Your resume should highlight your experience and play down your age. In cases where the employer is significantly younger, you can't afford to draw attention to age when putting together your resume.

So, how do you overcome that? You can begin by omitting the date that you graduated, and by including the jobs that you've held over the past 5 to 10 years ~ rather than the past 30. Use a vibrant, energetic tone, with words like "progressive", "results-oriented", and "savvy". Perhaps, one of the best ways to convey your value is to keep your skills (i.e. computer, and software skills) updated to a current level. Be sure to let your potential employer know that you are willing and capable of learning new technologies and skills quickly. Finally, skip the dreary rundown of your past employment listing your duties and responsibilities. Employers want you to highlight achievements you made while you at past jobs. - 16928

About the Author:

No comments: