from The Job Journal

Does Your Resume Say Too Much?
For many job applicants, less is best

by Rich Heintz

I think about my greatest career accomplishments, the achievements I list on my resume do not necessarily come to mind.

Sounds improbable, doesn't it? How can you write a resume and not include your greatest career moments? The answer is simple - some of your accomplishments may not fit in with your future employment plans.

One of my favorite memories, for example, goes back years ago. I was having lunch with a posse of scientists in the mountain community of Flagstaff, AZ. Why, they wondered, couldn't my newspaper focus more on the positive achievements of the research facilities that ringed the town?

"The arts community gets better press," complained one researcher.

"That's because they have a festival of the arts," I answered, and as the words left my mouth, inspiration struck. Usually I can envision a story or a publication, but this time I pictured a citywide event - the Flagstaff Festival of Science.

Fifteen years after that luncheon, the festival is still going strong, providing 16,000 school kids each year with firsthand tours of the many scientific facilities. All designed to create an excitement and curiosity about careers in science.

That's great. But so what? Yes, I am proud of my ability to conceive and help launch a major event. To me, it demonstrates a lot of transferable skills - resourcefulness, creativity, organization, leadership.

But again, so what? The harsh truth is my little claim to fame won't help me get a job as a journalist. In fact, putting the festival on my resume will merely confuse the matter. Someone looking for an editor or writer will junk the resume from the community event organizer.

The Wrong Approach
For too long, I did include the festival. I was just too proud to let go. I confused my resume with my life's story, when in fact it is just a marketing tool. Whether or not your resume is an effective marketing tool depends on how well you craft it.

For me, a resume writer's job is similar to creating an edition of the Job Journal. We write to a particular audience. You, as a reader of the Job Journal, are either actively seeking work, considering it, or want to learn how to better manage your career. So what do you read in the Job Journal? Not the sports report, not the stocks page, not used-car ads. You can go somewhere else for that. If we gave you anything but job-search info and career guidance in the Job Journal, you would be disappointed.

To use a different example . . . What if you went to a comedy club and a preacher walked on stage to give a sermon? Or worse, what if you went to church and a comedian showed up? The point: know your audience.

You will be on the right track if you remember that a job-winning resume is a carefully culled collection of career events chosen to make you more desirable (and hirable) in the eyes of a manager at your target company. Needless to say, that's why each resume you send has to be customized to the job at hand.

The Right Choices
Every employer considering an applicant has one overriding question: "Can you do the job?" That is the key question you must answer in a convincing fashion. That's the role of your resume. Just be sure to give them what they want.

When an achievement doesn't relate to the work you are seeking, jettison it. Furthermore, ignore or downplay those achievements that do not match what a particular employer is looking for. An exception might be necessary for a new entrant into the labor force or someone with very little experience. If your resume is short on substance, you may have little choice but to expand your list of achievements into unrelated areas. A quick and effective way to bolster your accomplishments would be to undertake volunteer work in your target area.

Typical resume mistakes revolve around an activity or hobby an applicant is particularly proud of - but which has no bearing on their qualifications for a job. Examples: Climbed El Capitan (unless physical conditioning is part of the job criteria) . . . Sang in the church choir (unless the job duties include carrying a tune).

Consider my background. Since I am usually looking for work as a journalist, the fact that I have won awards for writing and editing typically makes my resume. Using that same criteria, however, I have learned to dump my civic achievements.

Of course, there may come a time when I can use them. Journalists often cross over into community organization and leadership roles to take jobs with tourism boards and chambers of commerce. In that arena, having created a civic event might set me apart (in a good way).

That resume by definition would downplay or ignore many of the other accomplishments I list when seeking journalism work. The writing and editing awards might not make the final cut, depending upon the job duties.

So, you need to rethink your resume content as you pursue careers in related but different fields. Outstanding feats in one field may be meaningless in another.

While you cannot rewrite your life to make yourself into something you're not, you can get to the point by focusing exclusively on those skills and activities that relate to the position.

If you are still having trouble gaining perspective on what to include and what to leave out, put your resume aside in a drawer for a week. When you come back to it you will have gained some distance and, hopefully, some objectivity.

If that fails, ask a friend you respect to give it a read. A little constructive criticism just might help you decide what accomplishments really don't belong in a particular resume.

No matter how proud you are.