ASK the Expert
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By Amy Rossi
QUESTION: I’ve had a lot of experiences in the past five years, and I want to make sure I include them on my resume, but my resume is three and a half pages long. What should I do? This is all important information.
ANSWER: Is the need to keep that content EGO DRIVEN or EMPLOYER DRIVEN?
Consider a time when you were trying to find information you needed, but they sent it mixed in with PAGES of information you didn’t need, and all the needed information was confusing and/or hard to figure out. Think of how many times you reread that email, letter, article, or the web page only to find the pieces of information that you needed buried in an obscure place! It was probably FRUSTRATING.
A cluttered resume is like that to a recruiter and an interviewer—frustrating because they can’t find the information they need. The most important information is buried underneath the applicant’s ego spread out across three or four pages of their entire life’s story. Resumes should be employer, not ego driven.
The ONLY information I STRONGLY SUGGEST you ALWAYS include on the resume is Contact information, Experience (places and dates of employment), and Education.
Use the remaining space to DEMONSTRATE to the employer the additional skills that you can bring to the company and position. You have a small amount of space so be stingy with it.
It is important to distinguish between information that is important to you and information that is REALLY important to employers (or the person reading your resume).