| CRBJ Charter Member: |
|
|
| CRBJ Home > May 2007 | |||||
Contacts more valuable than polished resumeBy Peter Gray
To my surprise, it generated more reader mail than several prior columns combined. One reader asked me to write a follow-up column focusing on how older executives should write resumes. Another asked me to write about how to craft a resume if you're re-entering the work force. Another defended his resume's functional layout, a style I'd compared unfavorably to the reverse chronological layout. And perhaps predictably, a number of readers asked me to critique their resumes. Why are we so obsessed with our resumes? I take readers' views and questions seriously, but have mixed feelings about revisiting the topic of resumes. I think we invest too much time and attention in them. We tend to spend countless hours wordsmithing our resumes when there are other, more important things we should be doing to develop our careers and get the jobs we want. To wit: reflecting on what we want from our careers; pursuing activities that move us toward those goals; researching our target companies and jobs; and developing our networks of professional contacts and relationships. Maybe we get so caught up in resumes because our career goals are deeply personal matters, and resume-polishing is an introverted activity. It feels easier, safer, more private, and more controllable than extroverted activities like attending industry events, becoming active in professional organizations, and getting to know others in our fields. Those activities are time-consuming and they may not have a clear, immediate return on our time investment. But they accomplish things no resume can: they raise our profile in our professional communities; they make us smarter about people, organizations, issues and trends that matter to our fields of interest; they help us gain access to job opportunities through our relationships, not through someone noticing a resume. When employers read resumes, they aren't likely to choose yours (no matter how brilliantly crafted) if you're from a different line of work. Your resume is most likely to interest them if you are currently doing the exact job they're interviewing for. The trouble is, at the points in our lives when we're actively job hunting, most of us would define ourselves as "career changers," not just "company changers." And changing career paths is harder work, and a different kind of work, than simply polishing a resume to perfection. Yes, you need a good resume. So by all means write a strong resume you can be proud of. But don't make a resume the centerpiece of your job search or approach to career development. The ideal resume is one a hiring manager barely needs to look at, because he or she already knows the organization would benefit from hiring its owner. Here's a little thought exercise: Imagine your dream job. Now, imagine that job's manager calling and saying, "From what I hear about you, we should talk." Then imagine a meeting that ends with the manager saying, "you've offered some great ideas and given me a lot to think about. By the way, I hope you don't mind my asking, but do you have a resume?" End of thought exercise. What do you need to do, to make that fantasy a reality? Hint: It doesn't involve working on your resume. Peter Gray is the head of executive recruiting at QTI Professional Staffing in Madison. peterg@qstaff.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
|
||||