Does Your Resume Need an Extreme Makeover?

Is your telephone ringing?  Is your email Inbox presenting you with genuine job opportunities (no, not offers for “work at home” jobs or various “get rich” schemes)?  Are you scheduling interviews?

If  you’ve answered “No” to these questions, understand that employers are saying “No” to your resume and cover letter, and that it is time for you to consider an extreme makeover.  Despite our immersion in a most challenging economic upheaval, job openings are still appearing on electronic job boards and company Websites, and your competition is capturing those jobs!  These individuals are not necessarily more qualified or more fortunate than you.  However, they are savvier, in that they have optimized their potential for gainful employment via high-impact resumes and cover letters.

Much like ordinary-looking people reinventing themselves via cosmetic surgery, flattering new hairstyles, and updated wardrobes, an extreme makeover for a resume does not tinker with the essence of an individual, or rather, an individual’s career.  It does, however, highlight one’s background and accomplishments to the fullest, thereby maximizing opportunities for interviews.  In addition to employment and educational histories, a retooled resume contains an eye-catching Summary or Professional Profile, well-written descriptions of duties, explanations of several (not all) achievements, and a liberal dose of keywords relevant to the position and/or industry.  If it warrants a two-page format, a refurbished resume receives it; it does not cram too little
information onto a single page in 9-point type size.  If a reverse chronological resume has not produced interviews because it is repetitious and/or lengthier than a two-page format, it is time to prepare a functional, or skills-based resume, or perhaps even a hybrid style of resume.

An extreme makeover for a cover letter is no less critical, as the letter must not merely introduce you, it must entice the employer to review your resume and consider you as a serious candidate.   Exceedingly succinct cover letters do nothing more than fill the most basic requirement for a letter of introduction, and in this employment environment, “basic” is not good enough.  Therefore, the cover letter need not be very lengthy, but it must do the job of marketing you properly.

If you plan to submit hard copies to some potential employers, an extreme makeover does not include the use of stationery of garishly colored or illustrated borders.  And a beautiful typeface, while advantageous, means nothing if the content of your documents is not substantial and indicative of your own unique story.

Think of your career package as a contestant in a beauty pageant:  the winner must not only present the best qualifications but must also represent and enhance the organization that crowns her.  Apply the same guiding principles in creating a makeover for your resume and cover letter.  Showcase your experience, and do so in a way that not only speaks of your past accomplishments but infers your potential contributions as viable, new talent on the employer’s team.