Paper Resumes Are Not Effective Story Tellers

When job candidates think about writing or rewriting their resume, they usually get the same feeling they get when they think about doing their taxes. Like filling out tax forms, resumes are time consuming and you’re never really sure if it was time well spent. If you’re getting a tax refund or you get called in for an interview, then you can justify the amount of time you spent working on them. If you owe tax money or you don’t get called for an interview, you think about how you could have revised them to change the outcome. When you’re filing taxes, you can always file for an extension. When you submit a resume, you often don’t get a second chance. An executive recruiting service like The SearchLogix Group can help you tell a company what the words on your resume can’t. Click the “Click to Read More” link below to view the video in this posting, it will explain alot about why your paper resume may fail to tell your story.

We understand that there is only so much information you can fit on a one to two page resume. It’s why we call qualified job candidates to do a pre-screen interview after they’ve submitted their resume to us. The phone interview will give you the opportunity to tell us more about you, including what your needs and goals are. We want you to be happy with the position that you’re applying for, as much as our client wants a happy employee. Employers know that an employee, who is passionate about their work are their company’s greatest hidden asset. We also want you to be happy with your new job. We want you to look forward to going to work for a company, who appreciates and understands that you have a lot to offer them. If you think you qualify for one of our open positions, submit your resume to us today so we can help you get the kind of job that you deserve.

Phone interviews help interviewers pick up audible clues that can help them determine things about you that your resume doesn’t. Do you sound tired or energetic? Grumpy or friendly? Do you have a sense of humor? Do you sound enthusiastic or aloof? When you’re speaking to an interviewer over the phone, think about how you sound to them. Would you hire you based on how you present yourself on the phone?

In addition to phone interviews, video resumes can also help fill in the hidden gaps on your paper resumes. Many employers don’t like video resumes however, because they fear they might be accused of discrimination. But, sometimes video resumes are a good way to “strut your stuff” to an employer. If you have a special talent or skill that is unique, the words on your resume may fail to get you the attention you deserve. For more ideas about how to differentiate yourself from your competition, read my earlier posting called “Creative resume tricks that don’t come in colored envelopes”.

I think employers should reconsider the video resume. The engineer featured in this video might be overlooked by an employer, if someone with more experience or more education applied for the job. Yet, eliminating him as a viable candidate for their open position might bite them in the you-know-what, if he should take a job with a competitor. Innovative and creative thinking “individuals” are what make good companies great.

Don’t put a price on creativity until you understand its true value.

If this job candidate sent you a paper resume, you might consider him “just another” engineer. But, how would you feel about him after viewing this video?