Considering Your Audience is Not Selling Out

“I want my resume to be a creative expression of my unique gifts!” This not uncommon request prompts me to delicately remind potential clients that the resume is “about you but for them” and that many readers will be turned off by a creative approach. Most people instantly get the differentiation and appreciate the frank advice. But sometimes a potential client balks. “I don’t want to sell out to get a job” is usually the subtext, if not the out-and-out response.

If you feel like following resume writing best practices is selling out, let me allay your fears. Considering your audience is not selling out. And your audience – your potential employer – is what is most important when creating a resume.

I am all for individual expression. There is a time and place for communicating your unique gifts in a creative way. However, as hard as it may be to hear, an effective resume is rarely a creative resume.

Person vs. Machine – Taking on Applicant Tracking Systems

As I’ve shared several times on this blog, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – the systems responsible for scanning your resume among other things – are incredibly common. With companies increasingly inundated with resumes, that makes perfectly good sense. But it means you need to be armed with some tips to keep your resume out of the “black hole.” You already know to avoid creative resume formats. Here are three more tips for taking on Applicant Tracking Systems:

Target your resume first – Because many applicant tracking systems require you to essentially type all of the data from your resume into an on-line application, it can be easy to make small changes to the content as you enter it. A better idea is to target your resume first. You can then use the content to complete the application and you will have the targeted resume to hand over when you meet for an interview (this is key!).

Save your responses to specific questions – On-line applications will often ask you to answer some questions specific to the role for which you are applying. In addition to keeping a copy of the targeted resume you used to complete the on-line application, save all of your responses to those questions in a separate document. This way you’ll be sure to remember how you responded when those questions come up later in the process. Additionally, these questions can tend to be similar from organization to organization, so having your responses handy could save you a lot of time down the road.

Revisit core profile settings frequently – Many Applicant Tracking Systems will allow you to fill out some default profile settings. However, settings change and your experience evolves, so make sure you are checking the default profile from time to time. It would be a shame to go through the application process only to realize that, for example, a new profile question was auto-populated with a “N/A.”

Applicant Tracking Systems save companies a ton of time, but they also add a fairly complex layer of technology to the already confounding job search process. Being aware of how your resume and application are being handled can mean the difference between the resume “black hole” and an interview.

Personal Branding – You Are Not A Product

Let’s get this out of the way. I don’t love the term "personal branding." It practically begs the response, “But I’m not a product!” No, you’re not. But you might be letting semantics keep you from recognizing just how essential personal branding is to the effectiveness of your job search and career management strategy. Personal branding is about being aware of who you are (your strengths, achievements and potential impact) and being able to communicate that message concisely and consistently. In even simpler terms: personal branding is knowing yourself and communicating that clearly. In those terms, it is hard to argue that personal branding is not important.

Having a clear personal brand often translates into greater confidence, smoother interviews and overall career success. Who isn’t willing to set aside semantics for those benefits?!

If you are struggling to identify your personal brand, reach out.

The Maddening Candidate Experience

“I submitted my resume last week, and I have not heard anything yet. What should I do?” Despite the fact that I get the question almost every day, I am still surprised when it pops up. While it may sound glib, the honest answer to that question is “be more realistic.”

I understand that the candidate experience is maddening. The entire process can feel arcane and arbitrary. Recognizing that, you’ve got to remain realistic or you the entire process will get the best of you. Here are two things to keep in mind as you navigate the application process.

There is no standard timeframe. Companies are inundated with resumes at the same time that HR departments are often running like skeleton crews. It is not uncommon for positions to be open for extended periods.

Don’t rush to apply. Check the requisition close date and plan accordingly. Even if the company is taking a rolling review approach, there is no benefit in rushing to submit a sub-par resume.

As an HR professional, I am pushing my business clients to adopt more transparent and candidate friendly application processes. Until things change, you’ve got to remain realistic and work with the processes that exist.

There Is No Debate

I recently came across a very popular article dissecting the debate between “creative vs. boring resumes.” I will save you the read because there really is no debate. Design cannot save a boring resume – If your resume is boring without creative elements, your resume will be boring (and more frustrating) with them. Your resume should stand out based on the quality of the content, which means clearly communicating your impact and highlighting quantifiable accomplishments.

You’ll be judged on design choices – When you design your resume, you give people one more element to critique. Remember, for every person who loves the color and graphics, nine won’t. For most of us, design is not a key qualification, so why distract readers with it? It would be a shame if readers missed your actual qualifications because they didn’t like the, say, green headers and drop shadows.

Design doesn’t play well with screening systems – What does your resume look like when you strip away the creative elements? You should know, because that is what readers will likely see after the automated screening system has done its job. Actually, readers probably won’t even see your resume because the screening system won’t pass along what it “sees” as a jumbled mess.

Again, focus on creating a resume that clearly communicates your qualifications, accomplishments and potential impact. While everyone else tries to grab readers’ attention with flashy design, you will stand out on the strength of your content.

Multiple Versions of Your Resume

“I am going to need at least three different versions of my resume.” While it would make smart financial sense for me to simply say "yes" to the above (very common) request, the truth is that clients rarely need multiple resume versions. What they really need is one agile, easy to target resume. And as I have written about before, you should always be targeting your resume toward each specific position.

Let’s use a recent client as an example... John got in touch because he wanted to pursue opportunities in business analysis and IT solutions development. He was certain he needed two versions of his resume to accomplish this. He didn’t.

In John’s case, those two areas of expertise complement each other very well and are both natural extensions of his experience. So instead of creating multiple versions of his resume, we developed one easy-to-target version that highlighted those aspects of his background that were relevant to both business analysis and IT solutions development. By working in some customizable introductory elements, he was able to easily target the resume so readers were prepared to “see” his expertise in a specific area.

There are times, though, when it makes sense to have multiple versions of your resume. I recently worked with a client whose background was equal parts administrative support and social media marketing. Those are pretty different career paths. Because her goal was to lean further into social media marketing, it made sense to create a resume that shined a spotlight on that aspect of her experience while downplaying her background in administrative support. However, she felt like she might also still pursue administrative support roles. Because we had limited the focus on administrative support in her social media marketing resume, it made sense to create a second version where we shifted the spotlight to her administrative support experience.

If you think you need multiple versions of your resume, reach out. You may be surprised to learn that one, customizable resume will serve you better than multiple versions ever could.

Social Media Lock Down

Today, a quick post about the intersection of social media and job hunting. I get asked repeatedly about the need to "scrub" social media accounts when searching for a job. I have severely mixed feelings about this but will keep it very simple because the reality of the employment landscape makes it my response necessarily simple.

Recruiters, hiring managers and interviewers will likely use your social media accounts to make determinations about you. Even if it illegally figures into an employment decision (because it's done casually or, perhaps, off the record), it will happen.

Do not serve up another reason for these reviewers to eliminate you. Remember, with loads of people applying for every position, that's what they are looking to do – thin out the pool of candidates.

Bottom line... I hate that this invasion of privacy can have such a detrimental effect. Even more, though, I hate that candidates are sailing along as if drunk pictures of themselves on Facebook and Instagram don't matter.

People are looking at your social media accounts when making employment decisions. Act accordingly.

Applying For Multiple Positions Within One Company

Q. There are three positions at a NGO that I am really interested in. The on-line application system allows me to upload a targeted version of my resume for each position. Is that a good idea or should I just use one resume for all three? A. I get this question a lot and there tends to be a deeper concern lying just below the surface. The worry seems to be “will I get found out for targeting my resume?” So let’s just get this out of the way. Targeting your resume is a smart strategy and a courtesy to the reader. You are simply highlighting your specific qualifications for a specific role. There is nothing suspicious about that.

So to answer you actual question, yes. Submit a targeted resume for each of the three positions.

Because it is likely that all three resumes will be read by the same people (just assume they will be), make sure the three resumes complement one another. Remember, targeting does not mean sweeping changes (or presenting dishonest content), it means subtle shifts to focus on different aspects of your expertise. That's why it's a smart move!

Listing Career Development Work and Training On Your Resume

Q. I’ve taken several Coursera.com courses while I have been out of work. Should I list these on my resume? A. Expanding your professional skill set and honing your expertise is an excellent way to maintain your competitive edge while out of work.

For the most part, I suggest you list on-line courses like those offered by Coursera.com and Codeacadamy.com on your LinkedIn profile and keep your resume to degrees and highly relevant “on-site” training. Even with LinkedIn, don’t overdo it. If you’ve a lot of courses, select a handful of the training courses that you feel are most relevant or that highlight your knowledge in especially-in-demand areas.

When you do list career development and training on your resume, it's a good idea to separate the activities from your degrees. Consider placing them in a separate Career Development section. That way your degree(s) don't get lost among less critical content.