Ask Paul

Why the fuss over a 3-4 page resume? My experience spans 30 years, and there is no way for me to convey my experience and skill set in a shorter version.

-Director of Engineering, , interior fixtures [not employed currently]

Paul: I understand that you may feel that a shorter resume doesn’t do your background justice, but I always say to think of one’s resume as the ‘trailer’ to the movie, not the movie itself. The resume should be a brief summary that briefly touches on enough of the high points to interest the viewer in knowing more (not unlike a movie trailer), without distorting one’s background or being misleading. Keep it to two pages maximum and one page if possible. Recruiters, hiring managers and human resources and personnel professionals are receiving more resumes than ever. When they receive a multi-page resume, they do what we all often do when sent a mulit-page document: unless it was something we were looking for or had requested, we put it aside to read when we have more time. And guess what? That time may never come, and the person who received your resume may have even forgotten about it once the newest 15-20 e-mails arrived in their inbox. Remember, most employers really are most interested in your past 10-15 years of experience. For examples of one page resumes, feel free to e-mail me.

I’m really not that happy at my current company for several reasons and feel like I’d definitely be in a better situation somewhere else. I’d like to resign in the next week or two so that I can begin a full-time job search, but my wife is saying I should first find another position. Please answer as soon as possible, as I’d really like to make a change soon. Any problems with this?

-Director, Marketing Lamp Manufacturer

Paul: Yes, primarily one---you’re putting yourself at a real disadvantage by resigning your current job before you have another position secured. A candidate currently employed in our industry has a much better chance of being hired (and more quickly) than one who is out of work---even if only for a few months! And, if your job search takes longer than you expect, the longer you’re out of work, two things happen:
1) you will get lower offers, as many employers will feel that you’re a ‘motivated buyer’ and that they have the upper hand in negotiation (which they will!);
2) employers will often be skeptical that you left on your own without another position to go to which now gives you another issue you have to deal with that you wouldn’t have if you were still employed.
Finally, the risk in looking while being out of work (if you don’t have to be) is that if your job search takes longer than you project, you’ll find that positions that otherwise may not have looked that good to you will suddenly seem more interesting because, since you’re unemployed, you may feel like you’re racing against time to some degree.
Even though you may be frustrated, stay with your current position, keep a very positive attitude and work to the very best of your ability for your company and look discretely careful not to let your job search get in the way of your current responsibilities. This might take longer, but it’s the best way to go. Plus, it’s not impossible that you might surprise yourself during your interview process and find that the grass on the other side is not always greener and you’re not that bad off with your current company after all.