When people hear that I’ve written a career advice book, the #1 question I receive is “will you take a look at my resume”? At the risk of sounding unsupportive, I almost always say “no” unless the person making the request is someone I’ve known well, over a long period of time. I really am a helpful person (honestly), but without a good bit of knowledge about the competencies of both the person and the requirements of the desired position, my advice is always the same (and a bit predictable). Here it is:

1. Understand the key competencies necessary for the job you want.
2. Make sure a demonstration (e.g., education, experience) of each required competence appears (honestly) on your resume.
3. Triple and quadruple check for spelling and grammar.
4. Format professionally.
5. Tailor each resume you send to the job you want (return to #1 and #2).

We have become obsessed with our resumes because we know what precious few seconds they may receive from a decision-maker (often a first screen is not even conducted by a human, rather the artificial intelligence embedded in an HR system). However, your ability to demonstrate that you possess high-demand critical and unique competencies will always open more employer doors than the weight or color of your resume-quality paper. And, for the record, I truly have no opinion on whether ivory or dazzling white is the better color for resume paper. Does anyone?

Any focus on the formatting of your resume in a vacuum really misses the point. It is your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that matter most. Work on adding those to your repertoire.

As you’ve probably guessed, Get a Life, Not a Job (FT Press, due out in April 2010) is not the book to buy if you are looking for resume advice. In Get a Life, Not a Job I encourage you to own your career destiny by crafting, over time, financially-rewarding career acts that focus on your interests, talents, and abilities -- not your resume.

All the best for your career success,

Paula