Setting the record straight about job hunting

388

There are a lot of job hunters out there. Besides the usual group of people looking for a better opportunity, there are spring graduates and many older job hunters that have been laid off. Many of them don't have a clue about how to find the right job for them. They answer ads and hope for the best. And in this job-hunting information vacuum, myths and misperceptions can sometimes fill the void.

Let's set the record straight for those job hunters who may be sidetracked by the myths and mysteries of job hunting lore:

1.      If I don't know what I want to do, I shouldn't put a job objective on my resume.
Wrong. Employers don't want to figure it out for you. If you are interested in working in three different areas, do three different resumes; each slanted to suit each job objective. Don't just count on putting your objective in your cover letter; your cover letter and your resume can get separated.

2.      The purpose of a resume is to tell the employer about my past work history.
Wrong. The focus is at the wrong end. The only purpose of a resume is to match your skills to the available job. That means tailoring each resume to fit the job to which you're applying.

3.      The best way to get a job is to use an employment agency.
Wrong. Studies show that this is often the least successful job-hunting method. Employment agencies make their money from placing a large number of people. They want people who already have a proven track record in their field; an easy sell. Career changers, new graduates and people over 45 will usually have better luck networking their way into a job.

4.      A resume should list the duties and responsibilities you've had.
Only if these are summarized and illustrated with results that prove you did each of your responsibilities well. The biggest flaw on most resumes is that they only show how big the job was, not how well you did it. An employer is looking for proof about your results. Put "prove its" on your resume and watch what happens.

5.      There is a "right way" to do a resume.
Wrong. There are many right ways. The important thing is to pick a resume format that sells you in the best possible light and downplays any less than perfect history. For instance, a marketing letter or functional resumes are two ways to avoid a standard chronological format that is fine for the "perfect" candidate.

6.      A typo or poor grammar doesn't matter all that much.
Wrong. It signals sloppy personal standards and poor communication skills. Before you send anything, have someone else proof it for you. Of the resumes I see, one third of them have mistakes.

7.      You're supposed to list every job you ever held...even if it means going back more than twenty years.
Nope. The experience you've had in the recent past is the most important. Allot at least 50 to 75 percent of the space on your resume to your last two jobs. If jobs you held long ago are relevant to the job you're after, a functional resume may be best.

8.      Career changers should do a standard resume and list their past jobs in a straightforward way.
Wrong. Career changers who don't investigate the field in which they're interested and find out how to translate their former experience into the language of the new field will simply not be considered. Employers can't make the translation for you.

9.      Resumes should list personal information such as height, weight, marital status and number of children.
No. It could screen you out. If an employer has a perception that women miss work to take care of sick children and single men
will stay out late partying and come in late and hung over, your personal data will work against you. Fair? No. Reality? Yes.

10. A resume should never be more than one page long.
I've never known an employer to refuse to consider a great candidate just because he or she didn't have a one-page resume. But three pages is pushing it.