Re: Job market and potential age discrimination?

Subject: Re: Job market and potential age discrimination?
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 11:34:19 -0700


Wilcox, Rose (ZB5646) wrote:

if HR departments and hiring managers are throwing away resumes based on chronology or length, should I fix that?

I suggest that you should probably fix that anyway. A lengthy resume may be rejected for other reasons, such as poor organization. Nor can you assume that hiring managers are going to read more than the first half dozen or so entries anyway; if you haven't caught their interest by then, you're probably not going to.

One of the most common fallacies about resumes is that they should be a complete job history. However, hiring managers aren't interested in knowing everything about you - what interests them is how you can help them. A resume needs to be customized at least to the job field, and preferably to the job itself.

For example, I have had three careers: an inglorious one as a store clerk, a second as a university instructor, and a third one as a technical and marketing writer/manager. The first career doesn't get mentioned at all on my resumes. The second one is mentioned only in terms of how it can enhance my marketability in the third; for instance, if I am applying to write teaching material, it's worth mentioning that I've planned and delivered university level courses.

In case a hiring manager wants your complete job history, you can always take a list to the interview. However, offering a complete history at first contact probably isn't the ideal strategy.

--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield

"We are not beginners, we will not be fooled,
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We do our best work in the dark, we do our thinking on the run,
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References:
RE: Job market and potential age discrimination?: From: Wilcox, Rose (ZB5646)

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