A capable senior manager has been looking for a new job for a couple of months. He's a capable guy, and although two months isn't that long, I was surprised that he's had no nibbles.

Then I saw his resume. His resume was 5 pages long, and had too much detail to read quickly. It also seemed to repeat information from one page to another.

Candidates, remember you don't have much time to impress a hiring manager. Those of you looking for senior management positions--you probably have less time because once the more senior manager takes a look at your resume you may only have 10-15 seconds to impress that manager.

It's ok to have two versions of your resume: the short one that's no more than 3 pages long (one overview page and two reverse chronological pages), and a longer one that you explain is available if people want more detail.

Remember, a resume is a marketing piece. Your job is to whet the hiring manager's appetite, not kill it. Think about how long you really need your resume to be.

Labels: resume

posted by Johanna Rothman at at 2:51 PM | link |