Some Readers Will Like It
Kent R.
This showed up in my inbox the other day:
“I read your post on why you shouldn’t use narrative to tell your story on a resume. I understand what you are saying, but I don’t care. I want to defy convention and tell my story in a really creative and narrative way. I think some readers will like it.”
Given that I take a very clear stand against a narrative approach, my response to a portion the above email might surprise you. When it comes to the assertion that “some readers will like it,” I agree. Some readers will like it. However, lots of readers won’t like it.
Just about any convention you can come up with – no matter how quirky – is going to appeal to someone. But crafting a resume for one-off tastes is not a smart strategy.
The most effective resumes appeal to a broad range of readers across the hiring process by employing some powerful, proven resume writing best practices.