Resist the Urge to Send Your Resume Over the Top, Stick to Your Target Audience Instead

You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that over-the-top resumes are the way to go right now. The candy bar resume, the vine resume, and a dozen others come to mind, but the career experts at Glassdoor suggest that toning down your resume might be a better way to make an impression.

When we talk about resumes, we normally talk about ways to make them stand out and make a bigger impact, but the best way to do that is to target your resume at the job you're applying to and the person you'll be hired by. Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, over at Glassdoor, advises you filter out the hype and stick to what really works:

Unfortunately, the media's need for sound bites and traffic-generation often supersedes providing pragmatic value to the job-seeking audience. While boots-on-the-ground resume strategists who have intimate experience working alongside job seekers sit quietly holding their tongues, the airtime often goes to reports touting sexy, outlandish resume methods under the guise of ingenuity.

If this confusing message has sent your blood pressure soaring and compelled you to seek the craftiest way to market yourself, calm down ? creative resumes that tell a ?value story' still net the best results.

More than ever, in fact, doing the roll-up-your-sleeves work to research your target company, hiring manager and company culture is critical (Glassdoor's robust company search features will help speed your research!) By doing the arduous work in understanding your recipient's needs and then vetting out your methods of fulfilling those requirement in your resume, cover letter, emails, elevator pitches, biographies and social media profiles you will ultimately stand apart and get the right person's attention.

In short, if every "creative" resume that pops up around the web every couple of weeks makes you roll your eyes, think about how many hiring managers are rolling their eyes too. The best resumes are the ones that look good, address the needs of the job, and appeal to the hiring manager.

How To Tone Down Your Resume For Better Results | Glassdoor Blog

Photo by NotarYES (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/WmsCk5PsqLM/resist-the-urge-to-send-your-resume-over-the-top-and-stick-to-your-target-audience

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