Should my resume contain an objective statement?
Human Resource professionals and recruiters
vary widely in their preferences with regard to inclusion of an
objective statement. Some HR managers say they do like to see an
objective statement because it makes matching your resume with
available positions an easier task. Many recruiters prefer that this
element is not included, since it restricts the potential positions
for which they can submit your credentials. This potential for
restricting your options is the reason that I believe it is
disadvantageous in many cases for you to include this element in your
resume.
Say, for example, you are a high caliber
financial professional. Your experience and education may qualify you
for any number of positions at different levels depending upon the
size of the company. With a smaller or start-up company, you may be
ideally suited for a CFO or VP Finance position, whereas at a Fortune
500 company, a Controller position at division level might be a
realistic target. Stating your objective as "Controller" or
"CFO" might cause your resume to be passed over in some
instances when in reality the position would have been an excellent
match!
Alternatively, there are situations where
stating an objective is appropriate. This would be the case if you
have a very specific target in mind, this target would be the same
regardless of company size, and you would not consider any other
opportunities under any circumstances.
The critical element here is that, objective
or no objective, the reader has a clear idea within 10 to 20 seconds
of the types and levels of positions for which your qualifications
are a potential match. Do not include an objective specifying a
position title unless you really would not consider any other
opportunities. Avoid self-serving, uselessly broad objectives such as
"A position offering opportunity for advancement and greater
earning potential." If included, always couch your objective in
terms which reflect the employer's perspective; for example, "A
challenging sales management position offering the opportunity to
drive growth through increased market share and account
penetration." And remember that you can always customize your
cover letter to state an objective specific to the target company's
needs.
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Should an executive resume
include a photo?
As a general rule, it is not customary in
the U.S. to include pictures on resumes. However, in places such as
Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Far East, and some Latin
and South American countries, the practice is quite common and in some
cases mandatory.
With the exception of industries where personal appearance is a
legitimate qualification, including modeling and acting, for example, I
would advise against adding a picture to a resume that is to be used
within the U.S. Most likely, the picture will be ignored and discarded
(this is official HR policy in many companies, and should really be so
in all companies based on U.S. anti-discrimination legislation). At
worst, your entire resume will be discarded as part of a general
corporate policy that resumes including possibly discrimination-inducing
information (such as picture, age, marital status, race, etc.) are
automatically discarded.
Even in those cases where the picture (or the whole resume) is not
immediately discarded, think of the possible outcomes. A reviewer or
hiring executive at any point as the resume is passed along is:
1) Wowed by your personal appearance and eager to get you in for an
interview.
2) Unimpressed or for one reason or another does not like your
appearance, and in a borderline case, this is enough to make him or her
discard the resume.
3) Driven to discriminate based on personal or organizational prejudices
regarding gender, ethnicity, or age.
4) Repelled due to their personal preferences: too thin, too fat, out of
shape, different fashion sense, not good looking enough.
5) Threatened based on their insecurities: too "buff," muscular, or good
looking (a threat to their self esteem).
You can see that odds are that a picture is going to hurt rather than
help you.
Consider this comment made by a hiring authority on an employment law
resource center's message board, where the issue was under discussion:
"Fortunately, very few people are foolish enough to include their
pictures on their resume, although when one pops up, it always makes me
wonder what the candidate is 'up to' (same goes if they include personal
data such as age, marital status, religion, etc.).
I don't know if I'm supposed to be bowled over by their good looks,
winning smile, or the fact that they happen to be Caucasian or whatever.
Interestingly, I've never seen a photo on a resume from a female
candidate - only males and almost always white males.
In truth, I don't think I've ever put a resume with a photo included
into the 'let's interview' pile."
Enough said.
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Which is better: a functional or
chronological resume?
This is one of the most contentious topics
regarding resume preparation (second only to the "How many pages?" question). Functional and chronological presentations each
carry both advantages and disadvantages, and each style is suitable
in different situations. Several things are clear on this issue:
- Executive Recruiters and Human Resource professionals generally do
not like functional resumes.
- Chronological resumes are the most
commonly used and generally accepted style.
- Functional resumes tend to raise a red
flag: This individual may be trying to hide career gaps, age, or
job hopping.
A chronological resume highlights progressive
advancement in responsibility, provides a clear picture of employment
history, and enables you to tie your responsibilities and
accomplishments together in a logical fashion that makes hiring
authorities most comfortable.
A functional resume allows you to highlight
major accomplishments up front regardless of where in your work
history they occurred, categorizes accomplishments from different
positions, and eliminates repetitiveness in a work history consisting
of very similar positions. It also permits de-emphasizing current or
recent positions not related to your career objective, frequent job
changes or gaps, or apparent demotions in responsibility. These last
characteristics of the functional resume are, of course, the very
reason that employers and recruiters generally do not like them!
Generally I recommend preparing a
chronological resume unless there is a compelling reason to do
otherwise. If a functional format is used, you will want to be
certain to include a brief employment chronology after your
functional presentation of experience and accomplishments. There is
another option which allows you to have the best of both worlds: the
combination or hybrid style resume. In this style, you create a
powerful profile or overview section which states up front your
skills, knowledge, and capabilities. You then back up those
statements with a work history providing specific examples of when,
where, and how you have applied these skills, knowledge, and
capabilities to benefit your employers.
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What about personal information? Should I
include marital status, health, hobbies, and personal interests on my
resume?
Personal information such as marital status,
health, number of children, and birth date are potential
discriminators for which an employer can face severe consequences
under the law. For this reason, it is better not to include this
information in resumes intended for use in the U.S. market. If you
are seeking an overseas position, inclusion of some of this
information is in some cases appropriate. If you are of foreign
origin, you will want to include your status as U.S. Citizen,
Permanent Resident, or Green Card holder, so potential employers will
be assured of your eligibility for hire.
Hobbies and interests are generally not
included unless they are considered unusual enough to spark the
reader's interest and serve as an ice breaker, indicate an
exceptional level of accomplishment or skill (e.g., Olympic medalist,
marathon winner), or are particularly relevant to your target
position (e.g., avid amateur golfer applying for position as manager
of a country club).
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How long should my resume be? I've heard it
should never be longer than one page.
Your resume should be as long as necessary to
adequately portray your qualifications and experience. It's as simple
as that! If this task can be accomplished in one page, you are probably
not an executive or senior manager! If it
takes two pages, that's fine. And if you have advanced to a very senior
level or are in a highly
technical or scientific field, academia or medicine, three or even
four pages may be appropriate.
Two caveats to keep in mind are:
Remember that your resume is not intended
to present a detailed accounting of your entire life story and of
each and every task you have ever performed for your employers.
It is a marketing document which summarizes and highlights your
experience, qualifications, and accomplishments in answer to the
employer's question: "What's in it for me if I hire this
person?" As an advertisement, it touts features and
benefits. So do not include information which is irrelevant,
boring, excessively repetitive, or damaging to your ability to
close the sale!
The critical
factor is to make absolutely certain that your reader's interest is
piqued within the first half of the first page. If you've sparked their
interest, they will be hungry for more and will continue to read
whatever you have provided (within reason). If you have not succeeded in
capturing their attention, one page or ten will make no difference in
the ultimate outcome.
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Typically a resume in Latin America
(including Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America) is 2 to 3 pages
in length, and cover letters are held to 1 page.
Although Spanish is spoken in most Latin American countries excepting
Brazil (where the primary language is Portuguese), the majority of
employment opportunities for expatriates (people from outside the
country) tend to be either subsidiaries of international corporations
or large domestic public companies. For this audience, English as the
international business language is generally used, but you may also
need to supply a copy of your resume in Spanish or Portuguese.
As is the case in other countries, the resume (or "CV" as it is called
here) must be a marketing tool for your capabilities rather than a
detailed autobiography. Present your work experience in reverse
chronological order and include full education information. It is
also advised to include information on the languages you speak and
your availability for travel or relocation.
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There are no easy or
one-size-fits-all answers in a situation such as this. However, it is
usually advantageous to create a resume that leans towards a
"functional" format and de-emphasizes dates, so that your reader will
see your valued experiences and capabilities and not immediately
focus on the gap in employment.
With a gap of this length, you may want to provide an entry
indicating unpaid/volunteer work, academic pursuits, travel, or
personal fulfillment activities during this time period. Or you may
also simply state in either the cover letter or resume that you were
absent from the work force due to a health condition (no details
needed). Indicate that you are fully recovered and released for
work, and you are enthusiastically seeking employment.
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