Have you noticed that in career services focused blogs and Linked-In groups, places that people visit and rely on for both guidance and professional advice, there is no shortage of expert opinions on the right way to write a résumé?
For instance, this year I’ve seen online résumé writing advice from professional résumé writers and HR professionals like myself and my colleagues on Career Rocketeer, a 75 year old retiree who is at least 10 years behind the times in his take on what works today, a secretary with a degree in English and a CPRW who has never interviewed or hired someone for a job who now feels qualified to offer résumé writing advice, a 2012 college graduate who has yet to find his first job but is undeterred in offering his 2-cents, and countless others who profess they know the right way to write the perfect résumé.
All of us are well meaning in our desire to help others, but cumulatively we have created an “information overload” on a subject in which too many contributors don’t have the hands-on experience, knowledge and training to be considered a true Subject Matter Expert.
I myself do not profess to have all the answers. However what I can say with certainty is the advice a SME should offer must vary depending on who they are advising; a 2012 college gradate, a recent MBA with several years experience, a mid career professional, a career changer, a mid-level manager, a VP and CXO level executive, and all of the over 50 year old job seekers having difficulty getting noticed in the crowd can not be treated as a single entity. Résumé advice also differs depending on the job seeker’s industry and occupation or vocation.
A knowledgeable authority should make it clear that, for instance, the advice offered a recent grad, a graphic designer, or a network administrator is not ‘One-Size-Fits-all.” Most written advice I see on blogs fails to make this differentiation.
One requires a traditional résumé, one a technical résumé, and one a résumé stylized to stand out in a huge stack of résumés submitted by almost equally qualified candidates. This is what a competent blogger should be telling people and what you should take to heart.
So if you are reading blogs like this, and especially if you are following discussions on Linked-In groups where there are way too many posters who are as phony as a $7 bill, you need to investigate who is offering the advice before you accept it at face value.
The first thing I suggest doing is to Google the writer to see that he/she is who they say they are and not just a cipher. On blogs like Career Rocketeer and mine you can read their bios, or next best go to their Linked-In page to learn more about their credentials and what others have to say about them. Then go to their website and look at samples of their work to see if they can “walk the walk as well as they talk the talk.” Finally I suggest you read articles they’ve posted in the past to see if they are consistent in their advice or if they are just looking to drive paid traffic to a 3rd party blog.
Doing all this is not an infallible way to ensure their résumé writing advice is right for you. So if you have any doubts I suggest you call or email them and ask them what they would suggest in your case. A true professional will be happy to return your call or email and give you a moment or two of their time. I know I would.
Again, I am available to offer a professional critique of resumes and social media profiles and offer thoughts on how to improve them. Just send your resume to perry@perrynewman.com. No cost/no obligation.
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