From almost the very beginning of my resume writing career, I had a different outlook than most others. It was several years ago and I was a new career resource coordinator at a community employment centre funded by the federal government. Part of my job involved helping clients, young and old, with writing their resumes and cover letters. I had never done that before. I had read thousands of resumes in the past, and prepared many of my own, but this was the first time I had the responsibility of assisting others with theirs. I was good at critiquing them, but could I create them?
I soon found that many of my views differed from my colleagues and from what was deemed "normal" in the resume writing field. I had tremendous respect for my co-workers, although they typically took a far different academic path to the industry than I did. Where I concentrated on marketing, they generally excelled in psychology, criminology, or addictions counselling. And, sure enough, they were far more skilled at helping clients identify and overcome barriers to employment. But I knew something that many of them did not. Job searching is a marketing function, and a resume is a marketing tool.
As I progressed through my career as an employment counsellor and job search training instructor, I helped hundreds of clients design targeted and compelling resumes that attracted considerable attention from employers. Most of them varied somewhat from the industry standard, either in content or appearance. Sometimes the differences were subtle, other times completely obvious, but each resume was designed from the perspective of an employer. I knew from my experience as a hiring manager what I liked and didn't like about the resumes I received, and what my fellow hiring managers liked and didn't like, and I used that viewpoint to help job-seekers create resumes that proved very successful at generating interviews.
When I transitioned to self-employment as a book author and resume writer, I instinctively knew that my book, service, and website would be called Alternative Resumes. Not "alternative" simply for the sake of being different, but because the overwhelming majority of resumes I saw were not designed by someone who understood what it's like to review resumes and assess applicants as part of their job. Most resumes, unfortunately, follow standard protocols that result in candidates looking very similar to their competitors. Rather than standing out and getting noticed, they blend in and disappear.
My training in marketing and my experience as a hiring manager, which initially seemed an odd path to employment counselling, have been instrumental in my resume writing success. Until most resumes are designed with an employer's perspective and a marketing focus, mine will continue to be...alternative.
MICHAEL HOWARD
Author of Alternative Resumes: Definitely Not Your Parents' Resume Book
I soon found that many of my views differed from my colleagues and from what was deemed "normal" in the resume writing field. I had tremendous respect for my co-workers, although they typically took a far different academic path to the industry than I did. Where I concentrated on marketing, they generally excelled in psychology, criminology, or addictions counselling. And, sure enough, they were far more skilled at helping clients identify and overcome barriers to employment. But I knew something that many of them did not. Job searching is a marketing function, and a resume is a marketing tool.
As I progressed through my career as an employment counsellor and job search training instructor, I helped hundreds of clients design targeted and compelling resumes that attracted considerable attention from employers. Most of them varied somewhat from the industry standard, either in content or appearance. Sometimes the differences were subtle, other times completely obvious, but each resume was designed from the perspective of an employer. I knew from my experience as a hiring manager what I liked and didn't like about the resumes I received, and what my fellow hiring managers liked and didn't like, and I used that viewpoint to help job-seekers create resumes that proved very successful at generating interviews.
When I transitioned to self-employment as a book author and resume writer, I instinctively knew that my book, service, and website would be called Alternative Resumes. Not "alternative" simply for the sake of being different, but because the overwhelming majority of resumes I saw were not designed by someone who understood what it's like to review resumes and assess applicants as part of their job. Most resumes, unfortunately, follow standard protocols that result in candidates looking very similar to their competitors. Rather than standing out and getting noticed, they blend in and disappear.
My training in marketing and my experience as a hiring manager, which initially seemed an odd path to employment counselling, have been instrumental in my resume writing success. Until most resumes are designed with an employer's perspective and a marketing focus, mine will continue to be...alternative.
MICHAEL HOWARD
Author of Alternative Resumes: Definitely Not Your Parents' Resume Book