We were confused. Everyone claimed to be an expert and to have the solution. They all disagreed. Our next step was to talk to various corporate executives who read resumes on a daily basis. They were very helpful. The first insisted that his favorite format would always cause him to want to talk to the individual described. Another insisted that the first recruiter was wrong and that her favorite version was much better in making selections.
A third personnel professional felt anything over one page was too long to read, and a fourth really liked two-page resumes. The last participant in our study stated firmly that the best resumes were printed on (you guessed it) light tan paper.
What a dilemma. We were now more confused than ever. And then it finally came to us. There is no perfect resume. The best resume is the one that best displays your qualifications. Everyone is different, and every industry seeks different qualifications, so each of the authors and each of the executives we talked to, was right. Their choices of resumes were based on the kinds of people they were seeking or describing. You are in the same situation. Choosing the right kind of resume, with the best format, on the best paper is going to be based on your qualifications and the demands of the industry you want to work in, not by your personal interests and desires.
A resume company should never use the same approach for every client because everyone is unique. Why would you select a resume that emphasizes education when you have only a high school GED? Why would you use a resume that places education at the bottom of the second page, buried in the middle of a paragraph, when you have a Masters degree? Why would you want to select a chronological resume when you have had a break in service and two tours on active duty (seeming to indicate that you were unemployable in the private sector)?
You see, everyone is different. Therefore you have to spend some time doing your own research to determine which kind of resume best suits your qualifications. Then you will have a good starting point from which to write that important first draft, hire a professional to polish your work, and get your own personal advertisement out there in the marketplace working for you.
Are You Ready?
Let's take stock of where we are. You know what your consumer wants. You've looked at your product and concluded you've got what it takes. You know there are basically three types of resumes you can write and which is best for you. You know that all resumes will have a caption and that some will have an objective. You're also familiar with the personal profile as a possible alternative to an objective. You know what a heading is, what an entry is, what a lead is, what a functional subheading is, and what a date is. You have a list of potential headings for both the chronological and functional resumes. Now comes the fun part-writing your resume.
