For years, I have been telling job hunters that the most successful resumes pack a one-two punch. They combine razor-sharp formatting with high-impact text.
To help them decide what to include in their documents, I advise them to look at their documents from an employer’s perspective. Try to figure out what the hiring manager wants and needs. See if you can determine which criteria may be used to select or rule out job candidates. Prepare your resume accordingly.
To me, this means streamlining information, focusing on the most impressive facts and eliminating ‘red flags’ or ‘screen-out factors’ that may cause an employer to stop considering you as a job candidate.
How do you discover what a particular company or hiring manager wants and needs? Gather insights from every source you can find. Meet people and ask questions. Read job postings carefully, line by line. Search for current and past articles in the newspaper and online.
With that said, I must offer a bit of contrary advice. I believe that research opens doors. I know that it is wise to eradicate red flags from your resume. But, I also realize that it’s difficult to ascertain what a hiring manager is thinking, and easy to make a wrong assumption.
Let’s say that you read an interview with the president of ABC Corporation and learn that they generally hire inexperienced candidates and develop their skills over time. As a mid-level professional targeting this company, you might create a resume that highlights your basic qualifications and draws attention away from complex roles.
This simplified document may land you an interview, or it could encounter an unexpected glitch. What if the employer happens to be searching for a seasoned individual for a middle management position? Unless you are privy to inside information, you may not know about this unique opportunity. Like most job hunters, you make a calculated guess and hope for an interview.
Serious job seekers make judgment calls about future employers all the time. It’s called strategic marketing. But, some candidates take this strategy a bit too far. They assume that employers want a certain “type” of candidate, so they prepare documents that intentionally hide or reveal details about their race, religion, nationality and gender. They remove religious associations. Eliminate racially specific schools or organizations. Or modify their names (using initials, for instance) to help overcome potential gender issues.
How do you decide if you should remove these possible screen-out topics from your document?
Here is my recommendation: If your cultural, ethnic or religious background directly supports your career goals, include this information in your resume. If it doesn’t, take a moment to reflect on your personal priorities. Determine if it is genuinely important and personally significant for you to inform employers of your religious beliefs, ethnicity or cultural history before you show up for interviews. If it is, don’t hesitate to convey these truths in your document. On the other hand, if you would rather keep your religion, race or ethnicity to yourself, strip these facts from your resume.
Most of the time, it’s smart to eliminate as many screen-out factors as possible. Just don’t sacrifice your integrity or set aside your personal priorities. That’s not smart. It’s selling out.
Eve Nicholas can be reached at Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.
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