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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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