Resume Digest Blog

Not quite. In the days before the internet people had just one static resume they used to send to everyone. The cover letter was there to explain what on that outstanding resume happened to be relevant to the position applied for. Current trends in resume writing have moved on from that. Here is how:

Recruiters receive resumes via email. So, you might ask what's the problem? The problem is that it is so easy to blast a resume across the internet. Result? Once a vacant position would attract say 20 applications, all of them fairly relevant for the role. Today a deluge of 100 to 500 resumes hit the inbox - either directly or through recruiting agencies or even resume farms. Needless to say most of them don't stand a chance to be called for an interview. Why? In order to cope with the onslaught, anything which does not address precisely the requirements of the advertisement within the top half of the resume will be rejected.

You read correctly. It is pointless to send a 5 pages resume listing all your experience since kindergarden. On a computer screen people read much less than on paper. Even this article you are reading is limited to about 400 words to keep it short and sweet. Your resume should be the same.

A direct consequence of all of this is that you can no longer afford to dispatch the same resume to all the jobs you are applying for. Because of the sheer volume of competition you have to stand out from the crowd in such a way that you appear as the perfect fit for the position.

Each resume you send has to be custom written to match the much-have features called for that given job. Failure to make the right connection results in instant dismissal. (Have you noticed that rarely employers even bother to acknowledge receipt of your application?)

This is the cyberspace age. The world is your oyster but also the one of thousands others who at first glance look just like you. What if your last role wasn't the most relevant for the job on offer? Well, who said you have to list your employment history by chronological order? What about listing your experience by order of relevance? Now you've got it. That's the only way you stand a chance to rise to the top of the pile.

So in summary don't bother about boilerplate resumes and cover letters that will be lost as an email attachment. That was the way it was done twenty years ago. Instead spend all your time selecting the jobs you have a fair chance of winning and roll out your tailor-made pitch-resume for that one alone.

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