The New Standard of Resumes, or How Did We Not Know There Was One?
Posted: 12.01.2015
An excerpt from "The Complete Book of Resumes" by Karen Schaffer
The resume has definitely evolved over the last two decades. There are both minor and radical changes that have crept into resume protocol, some of which have been written about by career experts but have not necessarily penetrated the mass market yet.
Trends hit resumes just like they hit everything else. For instance, it is out of fashion to write the sentence “References available upon request” at the end of your resume for the last few years. Not because it isn’t true or a reasonable line, but just because the employer knows that already and therefore most feel it is a wasted inclusion. Another time-honored lead-off the “Objective” has been taking a beating from modern resume experts, for some time.
But it is in understanding the whole purpose of the resume – and what that means for the content of your CV - that the most radical changes have taken place.
The New Standard of resumes at first glance looks pretty similar to the old. Your name is still written and the top, it still includes your work experience and your education and perhaps some personal interests. The biggest change is the purpose of the resume itself.
It’s a Future-forward Document
A traditional view of resumes is as a collection or recitation of your past history – a record of your work history and responsibilities. It is a document that highlights what you’ve done.
The New Standard is a resume that speaks to your future. A document that is actively marketing you for what you want to be doing, not what you’ve done. Further to that, you will be writing a document that sells not only your applicable qualifications of a role, but also the WIIFT factor – “What’s in it for them?”
It’s a Business Document
A resume is a professional document primarily used in a business transaction – a hire. Therefore, like all business documents, it needs an 'executive summary'. An executive summary is a paragraph or sentences that:
It’s a Marketing Document
An executive summary or a profile is not just a professional examination of who you are. As career experts increasingly focus on teaching clients to “sell” themselves, the resume naturally follows suit. Your profile should inspire the reader - tease them, get them involved and engaged and wanting to meet you, the same way a commercial tries to excite the viewer into thinking or talking about their product. In this vein, you want to talk not only about your historical experience and accomplishments but also detail your potential and WIIFT - 'what's in it for them'.
It’s a Brand
We’ll call this the “association” someone has with your name. In a resume, your name at the top of the page is your brand. Your goal in resume writing is to create a strong association between your name and your message (your envisioned role, qualifications, personality, accomplishments and unique benefits).
It’s an Authentic and Powerful Representation of the Author
Most of all, we want this resume to be a true and high impact presentation of you. The more real and human you are, in your language and approach, the more the reader responds.
So there you have it. Your resume isn’t just a historical document chronicling places you worked and things you did. It is a fresh, compelling, marketable document that tells the reader who you are in the first ¼ of the resume in such a way that will let them know immediately if they want to speak to you or not.
The key message to you is this: the resume starts and ends with you. It is only one tool in your job search kit, and it’s the one you tackle after you figure out who you are and what you want to do. The resume is important. But you are the most essential element.
The core of my resume philosophy is that you are not a one or two-page person. You are an interesting talented human being who will shine in the right job in the right setting. The resume is just one route to getting there; at the end of the job search process it will be you who earns the confidence of the employer who hires you.
Karen Schaffer is an author and career coach who loves it when clients love their resume. Her new book, "The Complete Book of Resumes" from Sourcebooks Inc. is available at Amazon, ChaptersIndigo and the Toronto Public Library. To read more articles about work and careers, go to www.karenschaffer.com
Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional and Job & Career Transition Coach. You can contact Martin through his website at www.AnEliteResume.com.
The resume has definitely evolved over the last two decades. There are both minor and radical changes that have crept into resume protocol, some of which have been written about by career experts but have not necessarily penetrated the mass market yet.
Trends hit resumes just like they hit everything else. For instance, it is out of fashion to write the sentence “References available upon request” at the end of your resume for the last few years. Not because it isn’t true or a reasonable line, but just because the employer knows that already and therefore most feel it is a wasted inclusion. Another time-honored lead-off the “Objective” has been taking a beating from modern resume experts, for some time.
But it is in understanding the whole purpose of the resume – and what that means for the content of your CV - that the most radical changes have taken place.
The New Standard of resumes at first glance looks pretty similar to the old. Your name is still written and the top, it still includes your work experience and your education and perhaps some personal interests. The biggest change is the purpose of the resume itself.
It’s a Future-forward Document
A traditional view of resumes is as a collection or recitation of your past history – a record of your work history and responsibilities. It is a document that highlights what you’ve done.
The New Standard is a resume that speaks to your future. A document that is actively marketing you for what you want to be doing, not what you’ve done. Further to that, you will be writing a document that sells not only your applicable qualifications of a role, but also the WIIFT factor – “What’s in it for them?”
It’s a Business Document
A resume is a professional document primarily used in a business transaction – a hire. Therefore, like all business documents, it needs an 'executive summary'. An executive summary is a paragraph or sentences that:
- Tells them what you're going to tell them in the rest of the resume
- Highlights key points and takeaways from your experience.
It’s a Marketing Document
An executive summary or a profile is not just a professional examination of who you are. As career experts increasingly focus on teaching clients to “sell” themselves, the resume naturally follows suit. Your profile should inspire the reader - tease them, get them involved and engaged and wanting to meet you, the same way a commercial tries to excite the viewer into thinking or talking about their product. In this vein, you want to talk not only about your historical experience and accomplishments but also detail your potential and WIIFT - 'what's in it for them'.
It’s a Brand
We’ll call this the “association” someone has with your name. In a resume, your name at the top of the page is your brand. Your goal in resume writing is to create a strong association between your name and your message (your envisioned role, qualifications, personality, accomplishments and unique benefits).
It’s an Authentic and Powerful Representation of the Author
Most of all, we want this resume to be a true and high impact presentation of you. The more real and human you are, in your language and approach, the more the reader responds.
So there you have it. Your resume isn’t just a historical document chronicling places you worked and things you did. It is a fresh, compelling, marketable document that tells the reader who you are in the first ¼ of the resume in such a way that will let them know immediately if they want to speak to you or not.
The key message to you is this: the resume starts and ends with you. It is only one tool in your job search kit, and it’s the one you tackle after you figure out who you are and what you want to do. The resume is important. But you are the most essential element.
The core of my resume philosophy is that you are not a one or two-page person. You are an interesting talented human being who will shine in the right job in the right setting. The resume is just one route to getting there; at the end of the job search process it will be you who earns the confidence of the employer who hires you.
Karen Schaffer is an author and career coach who loves it when clients love their resume. Her new book, "The Complete Book of Resumes" from Sourcebooks Inc. is available at Amazon, ChaptersIndigo and the Toronto Public Library. To read more articles about work and careers, go to www.karenschaffer.com
Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional and Job & Career Transition Coach. You can contact Martin through his website at www.AnEliteResume.com.
