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Tandem Powered offers a full suite of Professional Resume Writing, Career Development, and HR / Business Consulting services.
Our blog and podcast dive into the real stories and everyday strategies behind building a No Vacation Required life. We challenge outdated norms, share fresh perspectives, and explore what it means to find fulfillment right now—in a world that rarely makes it easy.
In the last few weeks, I've advised a couple of companies as they have worked to source candidates for critical senior level positions. In doing so, I was reminded of a very important resume truth – at least based on the way the "other side of the table" sees something that you (the candidate) likely view entirely differently.
Read MoreSometimes we can't get out of our own way – or head – when attempting to put our best foot forward via a resume.
Read MoreWhen you're pondering your next employer or interviewing for your next job, ensure that the organization you're interviewing with values – truly values – employees' reasons for joining the company. Organizations that walk the talk will have employee-forward initiatives baked right into recruiting materials and employee literature.
Read MoreIn many cases, I recommend not listing any education over listing an incomplete degree on your resume. And – unless you are in high school – I also don’t recommend listing high school on your resume.
Read MoreThe goal of most of my Career Development activities is to get clients in touch with their natural strengths. A big realization for most clients is that one's natural strengths are not necessarily those things that one is good at
Read MoreYou’re viewing an archived post. This post was originally published by The Change Laboratory, which is now part of No Vacation Required — our platform for Everyday Fulfillment. While this content is archived, it’s still full of solid advice and timeless insights.
About once a month a client or potential client sends me “Marissa Mayer’s resume” as an example of how they would like their resume to look. And I always say the same thing, “I can completely understand why the approach interests you, but we can do MUCH better.”
Before I even get into what is wrong with this viral resume – a resume that, despite glaring issues, has been elevated by major trusted publications – let me say that this is not, in fact, Marissa Mayer’s resume. It was created by a CV design company as a marketing tool. In fact, I would be very surprised to learn that Marissa Mayer even has a resume.
So, despite being pretty and eye-catching, let me point out a few things that are likely to keep this resume from, you know, actually working.
Design – The resume design is compelling but, as I go on-and-on about, a highly designed resume is rarely a good idea. Designed resumes generally don’t take into account resume screening software or even the way actual humans consume information. This resume is a perfect example of form over function.
Picture – In the US, including a photo on your resume is a no-no. Yes, readers can go right to LinkedIn to check you out, but including a photo on your resume communicates that you haven’t done some basic research about the job search landscape. I am pretty sure Marissa Mayer wouldn’t thumb her nose at basic HR practices around resume design, so I don’t suggest you do.
Quotes – Sections like “Life Philosophy” take up room that could be used to speak to actual accomplishments. Focusing on platitudes may be an option if your achievements make headlines on Bloomberg, but otherwise you need to leave the quotes for desk calendars and dedicate the bulk of your resume to what you’ve actually accomplished and the impact you’ve made.
Charts – The “Day In My Life” chart is an example of something that looks like a good idea – it’s a chart! – but is fairly meaningless. Does anyone believe that Marissa Mayer spends nearly as much time baking cupcakes as she does sleeping? Sure, it’s a cute way to make a point, but cute is rarely effective on a professional resume. And talking about your kids or staying at the Four Seasons on your resume... Let’s not even get into that.
Skills Meters – Like the above chart, skills meters are generally a complicated way of communicating something that could be easily and more concisely said otherwise. In this instance, it is fairly easy to grasp the meaning – 5 dots means fluent – but there are many instances where that isn’t the case. So why not just simply state your level of proficiency instead of making time strapped people decifer what 3 dots means next to German? Also, how does an automated screening system grasp what 5 dots means (assuming it can even "read" dots)?
If recruiters see a recent MBA graduation date, you’ll tend to get lumped in with MBA graduates of all levels. There are some ways to help overcome this obstacle.
Read MoreYou set your intention by how you dress, which, in turn, motivates you to rise to the occasion.
Read MoreMany people are unsatisfied with their job titles. Here are some things to keep in mind if you feel that what you do isn’t adequately represented by your title.
Read MoreYou’re viewing an archived post. This post was originally published by The Change Laboratory, which is now part of No Vacation Required — our platform for Everyday Fulfillment. While this content is archived, it’s still full of solid advice and timeless insights.
“My current employer is having financial hardships. Fearful that I might be laid off, I am looking to start applying for other jobs. I lost the file to my old resume so at the moment I am without one. I also have no idea how to speak to my employer’s problems.”
At some point, most people will be associated with an employer experiencing some sort of turmoil – financial problems, a scandal, a public relations ripple, etc. Here are some things to keep in mind when and if you find yourself in a similar situation:
Never speak to it. So often candidates feel that they have to bring up a past employer’s turmoil. The truth is that most potential employers don’t know and don’t care. They are considering you for a job, which they believe you are qualified for. They are not asking you to speak to the actions of a previous employer.
As always, focus on the impact you made. What potential employers want to hear – despite the turbulent history of a previous employer – is what you did. What you achieved. If the previous employer’s negative history comes up, speak to what you were able to accomplish despite the difficult situation.
Always have your job-search documents ready to go. I get lots of e-mails like the one above. Always be prepared for your next move. You never know what opportunity might pop up that you may want to run to, or what problem might occur that you may want to run from.
