Employment History vs. Modern Resume

If you want to get an employer’s attention, don’t send them an employment history. Send them a results-driven, easy-to-scan resume.

While many people think they are one and the same.

They’re not.

The reaction they get from employers isn’t the same either.

Here are a few reasons why.

Old-School Resume (Employment History)

• Generic Summary statement
• Job History – Names of companies and dates of employment
• Information about duties and responsibilities for each position. Sometimes formatted as a long list of bullets.
• Plain format in black and white
• Runs 3, sometimes 4 pages in length
• Worst Offences – Times New Roman font, Objective Statement, Education listed at the top (unless the degree is new)

Modern Resume

• Summary that serves as a career snapshot, demonstrates key abilities, differentiates candidate
• Representation of core skills
• Professional History – Names of companies and dates of employment
• Information about overall scope of the job, followed by bullets demonstrating impact on the employer, differentiates candidate.
• Story behind accomplishments
• Engaging, easy-to-scan format, tastefully infused with color
• Contemporary Sans Serif fonts
• Runs 2 value-packed pages

If you want recruiters and employers to contact you, show them what you can offer. Demonstrate your value. Convey what makes you different from the other 50 resumes on their desk.

You wouldn’t interview in the suit you bought 10 years ago, why would you use the same resume?

Related Posts

Resume Strategies That Work

Does Your Executive Resume Generate Calls?

Optimizing Your Resume For An Internal Promotion

The Perfect Resume – Don’t Make These Mistakes