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very time anyone enters the job market, the same question arises:
What does the jobseeker want to do? Whenever that question is left ambiguously floating
in the air, a troubled journey lies ahead.
The employment highway is
crowded. A large percent of that traffic remains clueless when it comes to what
they want to go. They resort to phrases like, “I want to be open to whatever
becomes available,” or “I need to keep all my options on the table.”
From the employer’s perspective, these
jobseekers represent lost souls wandering the highways hoping to find a destination. Employers see generic
jobseekers as a drain on their valuable interviewing efforts.
From the generic jobseeker’s view,
they envision things differently. They are looking for a steady paycheck and
perhaps benefits. Anything that will fill the vacuum in their empty life will usually
suffice.
The lack of career focus creates
multiple problems for which there are no viable solutions—only short-gap maneuvers.
Designing and creating a generic résumé becomes insurmountable, if not futile
mission. Without a focus, the jobseeker sees everything as being relevant.
The issue is that the jobseeker
is heavily relying on potential employers spending the time and effort to study
the résumé and figure things out. Then perhaps, the employer will identify a
suitable opening that will satisfy the jobseekers skillsets. Fat chance of that ever happening.
Anytime one relies on the
kindness of employers to make a critical decision in the jobseeker’s best
interest amounts to a fool’s quest. Résumé writers often confront this in
preparing material for those who have lost their employment soul.
Jobseekers conducting searches for
whatever comes down the pike often require expansive presentations. Suddenly,
there is the need to cover all venues, skills and disciplines. Even
non-relevant employment needs to be included in an effort to satisfy all far-reaching
possibilities.
What otherwise might be addressed
in a page or two now requires more. Statistically, 95 percent of employers will
not turn to a third page. The exceptions involve in-house promotions, medical
and academic positions involving search committees, and some senior-level
government positions. Even then, the content needs to remain relevant and focused.
The thumb rule involving
exceptions comes down to whom is being compensated for reading lengthy material.
In most cases, it’s an unwelcomed additional chore. Whenever the recipient is not being compensated extra to
scrutinize and analyze the material—relevancy, conciseness and focus matters.
Concise, well-focused résumés curry
a 10-to-1 advantage over material attempting to be all things to all employers.
Concise material sends a message the jobseeker knows what he or she wants to
do. Likewise, generic résumés send an equally strong message—unfortunately, that
message travels in the opposite direction. –Next!
Copyrighted © 2014 by Robert James