Five Resume Tips for a Recession Economy
Been wondering why you haven’t gotten an interview yet? Applying for jobs isn’t like it used to be. Your resume needs to be in tune with the recession economy.
Downplay Your Strengths
You don’t want your future employer expecting a Superman. This may seem contrary to most advice, but remember: a Superman requires a super salary. Rather than boasting, be modest. Note your strong points, but don’t stray too far from mediocrity.
Sell Yourself as a Settler
There’s nothing shameful about settling. In this economy, it’s best to take what you can get. In fact, most companies love a prospective employee who they know is willing to accept a less-prestigious position and/or less pay than he or she truly deserves.
Leave large gaps in your history of experience unexplained
This will add an aura of mystique to your resume. Can’t you just picture someone in HR thinking, “I wonder what (your name here) did from 2002-2007? Must be interesting! I’ll call them for an interview just so I can find out what it is!”
Make them feel like they really know you
List your high school, middle school, and grade school. Also, if your neighborhood has a nickname, use it. The person reviewing your resume has to identify with you. What better way than discovering that both of you had the same second grade teacher?! (Background research on the company’s employees helps A LOT here.)
Use Clipart
Since most prospective employers will not spend more than 20 seconds on your resume, you need something to stand out. The answer is not colored font, heavy parchment, or a non-traditional layout but a simple and relevant generic symbol, e.g. if you’re applying for a position on Wall Street, use a large money sign ($) or a stack of bills. If you can’t locate appropriate clip art, a 2×2 headshot printed in the upper right corner works just as well.
7 Comments
Interesting findings.. -your opinions., perhaps?
“…If you can’t locate appropriate clip art, a 2×2 headshot printed in the upper right corner works just as well.”
Do you mean by “headshot”, your “portrait”? My, my!
In Canada (and probably the US as well), 99.9% of the time a resume with a ‘image’ of the resume-owner’s face get TRASH-canned, for legal reasons. Showing one’s face or photo on a resume can constitute a bias (s/he’s cute let’s hire her / s/he’s not attractive so let’s not hire, etc) and legal suites/challenges can arise from rejected applicants whom feel they were rejected based upon appearance. It is common overseas (Europe) I am told, to place one’s photo on the resume.
I am curious where you got our information from? A few of the ideas are probably sound, but that ‘headshot’ idea is way off I’m afraid…
-It is a RESUME, not FACEBOOK.
But if you are beautiful, why not post your picture?
I think this article is tongue-in-cheek guys… who would actually use clip art on a resume?????!!!1
Also, who cares what middle school or grade school you went to? All that does is tell the employer how well off your parents were. If you graduated high school, they shouldn’t really care where you came from. Just look at their college and how they performed.
Points 1 and 2 were good, but then they started to get daft.
3- CV’s with large gaps don’t get calls If you have to lift up that phone to call yet another person who may have accidentally deleted a couple of lines from their resume, you trash it.
4- Researching your company is good for interviews, no argument there. Cheerleading for your old street however is over the top. Unless you’re applying to work at a local convenience store, act professional.
5- NEVER put clip art on a CV. A photo is required for most European resumes, except in Britain. If you are applying for a job in a foreign country, research their CV layouts first, don’t assume your native country’s method is universal.
Great post! Look forward to reading more good stuff from you!
ok… i will do as you say… good advice…;-)