This is What I Want My Resume to Look Li

You’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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)?

How to Address Working for a Company in Turmoil

You’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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

The Importance of a Covering Letter

You’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.

---

I recently checked with a client who – at the start of our project – was as anti-covering-letter as anti-covering-letter gets. She was one of the many people out there who believe that a covering letter is a "throw away" item – something that needs to be done but not very mindfully. Early on, I explained to her the importance of writing a covering letter.

First off, always submit a covering letter (or, as they are called here in the States, a cover letter) with your resume unless a company/organization specifically asks that you only submit a resume. An ideal covering letter can take many forms to be sure, but its main goal should be to motivate the reader to take a closer look at your resume. Moreover, I typically like to see a covering letter that gives the reader a bit more information – some  context that will help them to make further sense of the resume. Oftentimes, a covering letter becomes more important once the list of job candidates has been whittled down. That's when the "extras" that a covering letter provides can make all of the difference.

Back to that client… She let me know that she believes it was ultimately her covering letter that got her a job. Her new employer told her that it expressed a level of interest and sincerity that set her apart from other applicants.

Covering letters are still a big part of the hiring process. So don’t skip them.

---

You Need More Than a Great Resume

You’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.

---

I am employed in a horrible job I am desperately trying to leave, I have been applying very actively for the past months. I do get callbacks and sometimes do phone interviews and face to face interviews however I have not succeeded in landing the job just yet. I feel the only interviews I have gotten are due to the sheer amount of applications I put in each day -between 10 - 20 day. It's like a numbers game to me.

Let’s start here… focusing on quantity and quality is fundamental mistake when it comes to job searches. Two well targeted, thoughtfully researched applications are going to be way more effective than 20 applications a day. Stop relying on the ineffective and frustrating “spray and pray” approach. Instead, get a resume you are really proud of and that you can easily target toward each specific position.

Having said that, I am the first to say that powerful job search documents are only a part of a successful career management plan. That is why I place so much emphasis on the entire process; I want clients to walk away with a success orientation and the kind of bolstered confidence that can change their career trajectory. Projects are about a lot more than a new resume, and that’s why I love what I do.

My full-service clients walk away from their projects with the guide, Beyond an Outstanding Resume. The suggestions in Beyond an Outstanding Resume serve as guideposts to point clients in the right direction, steering them away from “looking for a job” when necessary and moving them to comprehensively navigate their path to achieving the ultimate professional goal: career fulfillment.

Perhaps most important… An outstanding resume and what clients take away from Beyond an Outstanding Resume, get them out of the awful cycle of being 100% dependent on job search documents when it’s time to move on. The guide’s 12 tactics have clients reporting back that they feel bolstered in their quest to comprehensively manage their career.

Designed Resumes Do Not Set You Apart

You’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.

---

I read so many resumes at work that I’ve also become immune to the super flashy style of some current resumes and want this to be a very clear, concise document that doesn’t have to rely upon glitzy formatting.

That’s an excerpt from an e-mail from a senior-level client I recently worked with.

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. If you take a look at the post I wrote about those e-mails (and the resume in question), you’ll see a detailed critique of the approach.

What that post doesn’t address, though, is the critical point that my savvy client references in the above quote. Designed resumes are now so common that they don’t set you apart. Additionally:

• Highly designed resumes do not play well with automated software, and that's where many resumes start in today's hiring environment.

• For every person in the hiring continuum who appreciates a design-forward resume, there will be nine who don't. Simply put... When it comes down to the presentation of solid, achievement-centric information, designed resumes miss the mark.

As I've said here on the blog many times, I do think there is room for varying degrees of a designed resume, depending on the specifics of your situation. For example, I've seen design-forward resumes work very effectively as a "leave behind" after an interview. The reason? The organization is already working with your primary resume – the one that is clearly presenting specific achievements and your actual impact. This "leave behind" version simply presents your information in a unique way.

Work and Your Health

You’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.

---

I worked 6 months as a Software Development Engineer Intern at XXX, and then I got converted to a full time employee and worked as Software Development Engineer for a year.

But during the year I got stressed and my health declined too. Mainly because I wasn't able to live up to the expectation of my manager and team members. I was constantly stressed. I don't know how or what happened. I started being aloof from people and that loneliness further added to my problems and I fell into depression. I took 2 months of leave. When I returned I was being monitored quite strictly because of my performance before, and this I couldn't handle well. I got severely frustrated and quit my job. A really really good job, with a really good pay scale and great opportunities for growth.

I need advice about how to take next steps as I am very down in confidence and all I feel that I may not get that good level of job again.

Last week, I received a lot of e-mails about my post on Workism – elevating the role that work plays in your life to unhealthy levels. Sadly, though, that is not unusual. Thanks to the increasingly competitive employment landscape, e-mails like the (lightly edited) one above regularly flow into my inbox.

Have you had something similar happen in your career? Here are three suggestions:

1) Regularly scout “the best” companies. Always have an idea of places you’d like to work. Believe me, the span is wide when it comes to healthy vs. unhealthy workplaces. As a matter of fact, I’ve started to limit my Business Consulting practice to only organizations that have decent work environments (and are actively working to make them better). There are a lot of toxic work environments out there. Steer clear.

2) Evaluate your relationship with work. Are you searching for too much meaning in work, causing you to fall prey to some of the symptoms of Workism? Check out the list and honestly evaluate your relationship with each factor.

3) Start with you. You can give to others (friends, family, employers) no better than you give to yourself. That’s why I always say that life’s greatest challenge – and greatest reward – is figuring out yourself. Nothing can take away your confidence if you have a strong sense of who you are. With deep self-knowledge, setbacks become road bumps rather than complete life-derailing events.

Currently, I’m putting the finishing touches on my ultimate manifesto for living with purpose and vision (it’s all about figuring out you). Watch for it in the months ahead. For now, feel free to sign up for newsletter updates by clicking on the green box in the lower right corner.

Update: Our podcast on how to avoid the trap of workism is now live. Additionally, our book – Stop Hating Mondays – is also available for individuals looking to build more fulfilling, on purpose lives.