Recently, I was reading a job hunters forum when I came across a thread from a multi-skilled job seeker whose job search is entering its second year. It is a situation facing many talented, multi-skilled individuals these days. However, besides the economy another common reason for this situation is that in an effort not to be overlooked for a position, many multi-skilled individuals pack their resumes with a variety of skills.
Unfortunately, skill overload in a resume may have the opposite effect, instead of providing a leg-up it may actually work against a job seeker. There are several reasons why this may happen. The most likely being the individual or computer program sorting through the resumes may be confused about the applicant's expertise. There may also be questions about what is it that the job seeker actually enjoys doing.
Many employers want to hire someone who has actual experience gained from doing the job before, who can actually do the job well, and who would really like the job and enjoy working for the company. If a resume is packed with skills and many of the skills do not relate to the advertised position, it may be difficult for an employer to determine if the applicant is right for the position. The result is, many qualified applicants never make it through the door for an interview.
There are two ways to deal with this situation. 1) Develop individual resumes for each marketable skill-set. 2) Create one really good resume that highlights a specific marketable skill-set and accomplishments and only apply for positions that require that skill-set.
After sending out hundreds of resumes, I found the later worked for me. When I tailored my resume to highlight a specific skill-set and only responded to ads for jobs requiring those skills my job search took a turn for the better. Moreover, I was employed soon thereafter. Yes, I applied for fewer jobs, but on the upside every time I applied for a position, I received a call from the company. The method of targeting a job search to a skill-set may be thought of as the quality vs. quantity approach.
I once read someplace, if you want to make sure that your resume matches the positions that you are applying for ask someone, preferably someone who never worked with you to read it without telling them what type of work you are seeking. Then ask the person, from reading my resume what do you think is my line of work. If they respond with the correct answer then your resume is on target, but if they get the answer wrong then the resume may need to be reworked in order to clarify your message.
If hiring a professional resume writer is not an option, there are several ways that you can seek-out free assistance with your resume. They included:
1. Go to your current or former college or university career office
2. Seek assistance from your local workforce or one stop office
3. Go to the library and review recently written books on resume writing
4. Follow employment discussions on linkedin
5. Get tips from online career and resume sites, a few have been provided below:
Wall Street Journal
Purdue OWL
careerbuilder.com -- Resume Writing Advice
