Career Talk JDR

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I have job seekers on a regular basis approach me, asking if they should redo their resume. After a careful review, I’m impressed at how well they’ve put together the resume: aesthetically pleasing, solid hook, right level of detail supporting the hook, no gaps in employment history, etc. (By the way, if your resume is [...]

How many times have you heard the word overqualified?  Anytime I see a manager applying for a lesser position, I immediately assume this person is looking to take any available job until he or she can find a better one.    Tip: If you truly want the lower level position, downplay the upper level responsibilities and [...]

  When jobs were plentiful and skilled workers were at a premium, you could expect a recruiter or hiring official to study each resume, willing to make whatever mental leap necessary to deem the candidate a fit for the job. Today, hiring officials believe there are enough resources on the market that they do not need [...]

The three most important aspects of the resume: Emphasis, Emphasis, Emphasis.   Okay, here’s the situation. I’m a recruiter and I’m advertising a systems architect position for one of my clients.  I have a desk full of job orders to fill and more under- and overqualified candidates than I can possibly interview in a month’s time, and [...]

When I started twenty years ago as a programmer, I read every book and article I could find on resume writing.  Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege to recruit hundreds of IT professionals, reviewing no less than 65 resumes a day.  I look back at some of the advice I read and [...]