How Many Pages To Your Resume

BusinessPundit asks if the one-page resume is still relevant.  He has statistics, and comments.

My question is why are you focused on the resume?  A resume is like a pair of shoes.  You have to have them to get the job, but the shoes, no matter what they tell you, are not going to be the most important thing.

Candidates spend way too much time on their resumes, and then fail to put time into the social networking and research aspects of a job search.  Now don't get me wrong.  I'm a big fan of resume-writers.  They do have a point, and a good one is a necessity.

But the resume also helps commoditize the job.  And it's a marketing device.  Think of a resume as marketing materials.  Every salesperson knows that when you get the client on the phone, the kiss of death is when the client asks you to send them something.  You have them on the phone, and that is your best chance to move the conversation forward.  Sending them materials gives them a chance to reject you.

It's the same for your resume.  When you get a hiring manager or recruiter on the phone, your best chance to schedule an interview is right then.  If you send them your resume, you give them the chance to reject you.

So get on the phone.  And hand them your resume when you get to the interview, or better yet, when HR asks for it to put in your new hire file.

Comments

[Mike Tiffany]

Jim,
I will love the day when a resume isn't needed but hiring managers are still stuck in the old method of tearing apart a resume before agreeing to meet the candidate.

Another use, and getting bigger, is the use of automated tools to get the resume into a candidate database. In these instances, format isn't as important as making sure all the keywords are there.

It bugs to to see a candidate not get a job when I KNOW he's the best fit. I've just learned to make sure you understand that client's particular requirements in format and preferences early in the data gathering stage.