Dear SafetyXChange Members:

I recently received the following letter:

Dear Lauryn:

I read your story (published in the ExecuNet CareerSmart Advisor newsletter) about the ExecuNet member who found success with a one- page résumé. I was so inspired that I reduced my own résumé from four pages to one.

Instead of bullets under each of the four jobs that I have held over the past 10 years, I listed all of the positions and then had one section called "Results." But I often found that this resulted in my repeating the same information throughout the résumé.

I am hopeful that it is more important to list the results that I have achieved rather than specifying these results under each position that I have held. At the end of the day, it seems to make a lot of sense - who has time to read a three- or four-page résumé anyway?

Sincerely,

Betty Brief

The Long and Short of the Résumé

Ah, the résumé. The question of how to encapsulate a career's worth of achievement into a single document has bedeviled job seekers for decades. The debate over how long a résumé should be is as old as the résumé itself. One school of thought is to lay it all out and not worry about how long the final product runs. But recent thinking has stressed the effectiveness of brevity. Get it all on one page and your résumé will work better.

As Betty Brief (obviously not her real name) mentions, ExecuNet recently published an article about a member who used the one-page formula with great success. Many others have had similar success with the same strategy. So there is something to the one-pager. But you don't want to take things too literally.

A Two-Tiered Résumé Strategy

Let me put this discussion of one-page résumés into the larger context. To maximize the effectiveness of a résumé, you must do two things:

• Understand what makes you unique as a manager and distinguishes you from your peers; and
• Craft a document that conveys these qualities to recruiters and prospective employers.

There's nothing magical about a single page. It's a nice benchmark but it doesn't guarantee success. Cramming a life's work into one page simply for the sake of achieving the one-page résumé is elevating form over substance. By the same token, brevity is important and a one-page résumé can be a powerful weapon in your career arsenal.

So my advice to Betty and the members of SafetyXChange is to create two versions of your résumé: A one-pager and a full blown version.

Some situations call for a one-page overview or quick snapshot. Consider this your executive summary/micro résumé. But a one-pager won't serve you well in all situations. Decision-makers, board members and others may want to know much more about you - like who you are as a decision-maker, troubleshooter, influencer, etc. So I would urge you to describe these nuances within an extended portion of the résumé. Be prepared to extend the résumé to two or three pages or create attachments to flesh out the core qualities set out in the one-page version of your résumé.

I have learned from recruiters and career consultants that résumés of executives and upper managers typically run up to three pages. The experts recommend that you treat the first page as your "snap-off"synopsis and include all the essential information including a dynamic executive profile, a chart or graph to illustrate easily grabbed information and the most phenomenal accomplishments (as related to the target goal).

Conclusion

In summary, I would encourage SafetyXChange members to include the one-page "micro"résumé in your toolkit, but don't rely on it exclusively. It's also important to create either a longer, meatier résumé or to attach addenda to the one-pager. The essential point is ensuring that the résumé - however long it runs - captures and conveys the qualities and intangibles that make you unique.

Wishing you career success!

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

RÉSUMÉ BLOOPERS

Top 10 Résumé Typos

By Glenn Demby

Don't forget to proofread your résumé. Even the smallest typo can have a disastrous effect. If you don't believe it, here are 10 classic examples from real-life résumés:

1. "Seeking a party-time position with potential for advancement."

2. "I was proud to win the Gregg Typting Award."

3. "College: August 1880-May 1984"

4. "Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details."

5. "Instrumental in ruining entire operation for Midwest chain store."

6. "Experienced supervisor, defective with both rookies and seasoned professionals."

7. "As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments."

8. "Reason for leaving last job: Maturity leave"

9. "Received plague for Salesman of the Year."

10. "Directed $25 million anal shipping and receiving operations."

POP QUIZ

The Most Common Interview Mistake

By Glenn Demby

Question: Sticking with the mistake theme, name the most frequent mistake job candidates make in interviews.

Answer: Showing up for an interview without knowing anything about the company (47%). Other common mistakes:

• Unprepared to discuss skills and experience (17%)
• Lack of enthusiasm (9%)
• Showing up late (5%)
• Lack of eye contact (3%)

Tied: Hogging the conversation, dressing inappropriately, lack of self-confidence and focusing too much on salary/benefits/perks (2% each)

Source: Accountemps survey of 150 senior executives, http://www.accountemps.com.

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