The bottom resume format is one that I recently suggested was not good for the 21st century. For that matter, it wasn't good in the last century either.
I was asked if the bottom example was the only format that is ineffective. The person who asked this question paid for "professional" resume assistance before they came to me and he/she has not been getting desired results in their job search.
The top example is not the resume of the person who asked this question. This resume sample is one that I found on a professional resume writing website posted as a sample of the writer's work.
This format was good in the 1980s and 1990s. Times have changed. We're in a different century now and the rules of the game have changed.
While this format is nice looking, it is very ineffective for many reasons. I chose this example because I see resumes like this come to my own Inbox every day.
This is a tidbit of my resume writing advice.
You have 10-15 seconds to communicate:
- Who you are
- Where you are
- How someone can communicate with you
- What you’re great at
- How you’re educated
- How you’re credentialed
- What you do today
Ideally this is accomplished on the first ½ to 2/3 of page 1 of your resume. This is the first 2/3 of a resume that came to me yesterday. If you don’t know how to do this yourself, get help.
Resume writing is a complex topic. This is especially true if you are a technology professional. Your resume needs to be a blend of Technical Writing, Business Writing and Creative Writing.
Too much of any particular ingredient and your resume will likely be ineffective. If you choose to work with a resume writer or a resume coach, determine if this person's clients have achieved desired results lately.
