It just dawned on me how many times a week I hear “that makes a lot of sense” and “I never thought about it like that” from people referred to me by satisfied customers and the countless professionals who take advantage of my offer for a free resume critique. I always spend the first 15-20 minutes on the phone getting to know them, reviewing the material they sent me, and going over the process of what I do and comparing it to what they have done or should be doing, and WHY; and inevitably these words are said to me several times during each new conversation.

 

By no means does this make me a genius. Rather, it indicates too many people in job search mode are grossly misinformed today or are engaging in the process without the requisite knowledge and life experience to write an effective resume and conduct a successful job search.

So here are some six of the many pieces of information I share with people every day that elicit these responses.

1: This is a no brainer. Your resume is a marketing document pure and simple. It is not an autobiography or a historical novel, and the focus in writing a resume should be with an eye towards the future rather than dwelling on the past. With this in mind I also caution you not to concern yourself about the controversy surrounding the proper length of a resume.

There is no universally accepted answer. For me the proper length of a resume is however long it takes to get all of the vital information that makes the case why someone should want to get to know you better down on paper. The actual length of the document depends on who you are, how extensive and complex your background is, and how much information you need to include that is relevant to the job you are applying for. A 1-2 page resume is optimal; however a more senior person or solid professional with a lot to offer can easily fill up 2 to 3 pages. If it runs over 3 pages put the information on a social media site like Linked-In and use a hyperlink to send people there.

2: You know all about who you are and the value you have to offer; but do you know what the companies you’re applying to look for in a new hire, and what they value most. Before you start to write go online and find 5 jobs that fit what you are looking for and see what it is that these employers want to know about. This is what your resume should focus on. And if your research shows different companies on this list are looking for somewhat different things, or some place a greater or lesser value on a tangible or intangible you have to offer, or you are looking at different jobs that require somewhat different skills sets and experience, this exercise will show you how to customize your resume for each one.

3: Don’t count on cover letters to make your case. Customize your resume. I will guarantee you that 99 our of 100 people who receive your resume with or without a cover letter will read or at least skim it; while my research tells me that at the most 60% of the people who will read your resume will also read the cover letter and only half of this 60% will forward it up line along with the resume to the next level of decision makers.

4: When you write a resume your goal is not to produce a dry and boring technical manual that is chock full of facts that are intended to educate the reader. A resume should be written with the mindset of a top selling author. It should capture the reader’s imagination by painting pictures with words of a hero leading man or lady who is going to burst onto the scene out of nowhere and save the day, and it must tell its story in such a way that the reader feels compelled to actually read it rather than just skim through it to get raw data.

5: Taking the point #4 one step further, you need to remember that in every case your resume will be in a pile of 30-100 others so instant comparisons are inevitable, especially since most of the resumes in that pile will contain much of the same basic information. So what can you do? Let me share with you an analogy from someone I met recently who subscribes to a local newsletter I contribute to along with 10-15 other writers where each week we submit an article on the same topic. He said “Perry, I really enjoy this newsletter. Every week I skim through the articles and I learn something new. But I have to tell you that when it comes to your article I read every word rather than skim through it.” I am far from the brightest and most knowledge writer out of the group so naturally I asked him why. What he told me is the lesson you need to learn if you want to be a good resume write. He said “Perry the other writers offer great information and that is why I skim their articles. But I truly enjoy the way you write.” Remember it is not raw information that counts when writing a resume; or a cover, follow-up or thank you letter. What matters are how it resonates with the reader and makes them want to read rather than skim through it.

6: When you buy a product and you are not 100% sure how to put it together and how to get the best use out of it, how do you think you would feel if it came without an instruction manual and had no follow up customer support? This is what you get with a lot of resume services. If you are going to make the investment make sure that you get some coaching on how to use and customize your resume when the need arises (because it does on an ongoing basis) and try and work with a writer where the relationship begins rather than ends once the check has been cashed.