Polishing Your Resume

There's nothing more rewarding for most of us than the joys of running our own business, but let's face it-the aggravation and worry (and attention to minutiae) that go hand in hand with running a business. And there are some professions that just don't lend themselves to setting out on your own-laboratory work, for example! If you work in one of those fields that just doesn't encourage professional independence, or you're happier letting someone else deal with the details, you're in good company-and you're going to need to keep your resume up and running!

The first thing you need to do before you take your resume on a job hunt is check and see if it's current. You'd be amazed at how long we can go between resume updates as long as we're employable. If you don't double check your resume before you take it out on the market you might find that the last five to ten years worth or "relevant" job experience you've obtained aren't even mentioned-the rough equivalent of professional suicide!

When making your resume, be sure it is direct, to the point and geared toward the job you're applying for. When you mention your education make sure you highlight the areas that pertain to the field you're trying to enter. The same principle applies to job experience; if you worked as a grunt, occasionally stepping into a supervisory role, and you're applying for a position in lower level management you're going to want to make sure that supervisory experience is emphasized. It's all about gearing your experience toward your target market.

Don't toss in too much detail, however. Resumes longer than a page and a half long are usually skimmed with little attention to detail, and your would-be employer might miss something pertinent because they're too busy trying to wade through the minutiae you didn't really need.

Whether you choose to provide references on your resume is entirely up to you; some employers prefer not having to go to the trouble to contact you to check your references when they have hundreds of applicants, others simply don't care. Most professionals recommend keeping your references private until requested, and to maintain a current list that you can rapidly produce and send via email should your employer request it.

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