Relevance Outweighs Details Save the Whole Life Story for Your Momma! -

Relevance Outweighs Details Save the Whole Life Story for Your Momma -If you asked your parents how to write a resume, they would probably tell you to list every job youd ever had, and then detail everything youd done at those jobs. Twenty-five years ago, when people mailed their typed resumes to the person to whom theyd be reporting, that was sound advice. In todays market, wasting space on your resume with irrelevant information is a quick way to land it in the rejection pile.If youve been in the workforce for a while, chances are good that youve had at least one job that wasnt relevant to your overall career path. For instance, someone looking to hire you for corporate communications really wont be interested in the job you had serving milkshakes at the Dairy Queen. So dont waste space on your resume talking about it.Lets say that youve been in the workforce for 20 years, but youve only spent 10 of those years in related professional roles. Its okay to include a line on your resu me that says, Ten years previous experience providing outstanding customer service in the retail and restaurant industries. It wont matter to a finance company when or where you held those positions, but it lets them know that you understand how service businesses work in the real world.The next time you encounter a recruiter, ask him how much time he typically spends reviewing a resume. Most will tell you a number between five and 30 seconds. Thats right the saatkorn document into which you invest hours of your time receives just half-a-minute of his. Thats why its critical that your resume contain only accomplishments relevant to the job youre seeking. If youre applying for that corporate communications gig, you dont want the hiring managers eyes to fall on Dairy Queen rather than published company newsletter.Forget what your parents told you. In todays job market, a resume doesnt have toand generally shouldntinclude every single thing youve done at your past jobs. Tailor each res ume to highlight your most relevant accomplishments, and employers may actually spend a little mora time reading it over.Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http//www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.