I’ve always believed that if what you are doing – and how you are doing it (in your life, in your job search process, etc.) is working – then keep on doing it!
If, on the other hand, your way of doing things doesn’t seem to produce the results that you had hoped, then a change, an alternative, a different approach might need to be considered.
I see hundreds of resumes a week. They all look and read the same. We are not the same. We all have our different life experiences, values, and perspectives. It’s impossible to fit everyone into one mold – to force everyone to see the way we see things and to present themselves to the work world the way everyone else does.
If you are sending your resume to jobs and positions to which you know you are qualified (whether academically or empirically) and you are NOT getting a phone call for an interview, there is something wrong with your resume. It is getting lost in the shuffle; it is being overlooked; it is not getting noticed. It’s the resume. Period. (If you are sending your resume to positions that you know you are truly not qualified for, then that’s a good indicator of why you aren’t getting called).
If your resume – however you have chosen to present yourself – IS getting you lots of phone calls and interviews – then stick with it!
If you are getting lots of interviews but nothing beyond that – then perhaps there is something with how you are carrying yourself in the interview that is causing you not to get through to the next step (that list of potential reasons is endless).
Again, the purpose of the resume is to get noticed – because once you get a phone interview and/or an in-person interview – YOU ARE INTERVIEWING THEM TOO! It’s not a one-way street. Do not go on the interview hoping you say everything you think they want to hear. YOU are screening them as well. You are asking yourself “Is this where I want to utilize and hone my skills 40+ hours a week?”
