Often, deciding what to list on your resume in terms of education is to ride the horns of the proverbial dilemma.   Too high an academic level can remove you from the candidate pool as the employer may fear that a.) you will demand an exorbitant salary or b.) usurp him as manager, as his own education is not as impressive as yours.  The opposite side of the coin indicates that too little education could also knock you out of the ball park, and not in the way that you’d like, as the employer will view you as a.) basically unschooled and/or b.) not ambitious.

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In more than thirty years of crafting resumes, cover letters, and other documents targeting career advancement, we have witnessed a specific trend that emerges time and again during floundering economies. Seeking reinvention of their core competencies leading to broader career opportunities, a good portion of our client base streams out of vocational/technical institutions, recently graduated and eager to attain placement in their new industry of choice.  These hopefuls span the gamut of the more mature employee displaced from the industry in which she had previously realized success, to the younger, college-age applicant who eschewed a more traditional university education in favor of a focused technical training program.

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If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes one to produce a seamless film, theatrical production, or televised piece.  Behind-the-scenes personnel including film editors, lighting technicians, and set designers perform indispensible functions in transforming a story concept into a finished production.  In creating resumes to secure employment, these people must be equally adept in conveying their skills, experiences, and accomplishments in manners distinguishing them from their prospective job market competition.

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Like the unicorn of mythology, the perfect resume represents an ideal.  Much like that horned stallion (or would that be a mare?), it stands as a proud testimony to itself, marrying quiet confidence with strength, and manifesting promises of great things yet to come.  And, like the wondrous, legendary beast, the perfect resume exists but within our imagination.

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In the boxing ring of the current recession, competition that was heretofore nonexistent or negligible has now pulled off the gloves and tossed them down on the mat.  While mega-retailers such as Wal-Mart tempt consumers with packaged foods that, assembled and heated at home, are more cost-effective than patronizing restaurants, eateries such as The Outback and Appleby’s are hanging on to their piece of the pie by offering complete meals and/or select menu items for under ten dollars.  McDonald’s now muscles in turf that was once exclusively Starbucks, with a new line of gourmet-flavored coffee drinks accompanied by an unabashed, “We are up-scaling and cheaper!” ad campaign.  With the food service industry so aggressive, front-of-the-house professionals must expand beyond feint-and-jab maneuvers to remain standing in the ring.  They must give better than their qualified job-seeking peers have got.

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Traditionally, entry into veterinary school has been nearly as difficult to accomplish as entry into a credentialed M.D. (Medical Doctor) program.  Like those seeking to become physicians, many applicants make the choice to study abroad, where the academic requirements are less stringent.  What of those unwilling to relocate, yet still burning with the desire to contribute to the health and well being of animals?

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