ShareThisBy MARVIN WALBERG
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Mr. Walberg:
Everything I've heard, and read, in your column as well as other job search related publications says to limit your resume to one or two pages and limit your relevant work history to the last 10-12 years. I hear this loud and clear, but I have 30 years of relevant experience, plenty of energy, and many more years to give. To tell my story effectively, and give proper coverage to my accomplishments, my resume could easily become four to five pages long.
Why can't I sell my self this way? To omit so much pertinent information is to reduce my strength and ability to prove my worth.
E-mail from C.P., Boulder, CO
Dear C.P.:
There are ways to present 30 years of relevant experience without creating a tome that few hiring managers or employers would take the time to read by creating a second category headed "Additional Work Experience", leaving off dates of employment. There are two problems related to lengthy resumes that present much more than 10-12 years of work experience. They are:
1. Too lengthy to take the time to read when one has hundreds of other applicants for the same position.
2. Too intimidating to some hiring managers or employers who might be 30 years younger than you.
Accept the fact that age bias exists, even when it is thought of, by the resume screener, as simply eliminating someone who appears "over qualified".
Understand that your objective is to GET THE INTERVIEW so that you can, in person, prove your youth (in spite of your age), your energy, your favorable appearance, and passion for what you do. You can virtually melt years away by being personable, knowledgeable, and able to close a sale like your job search.
In order to play any game, you must study the rules. Play by the rules, using strategy, positioning, stamina, and per-severance to win.
Get the interview using today's game rules, win the interviewer over with personality, energy, and winning answers to difficult questions. Ask questions that demonstrate your advance preparation and interest in the company, and then you can sell your extensive experience more effectively than any length resume. In the end, you will get hired, not your resume.
Marvin Walberg is a job search coach and resume writer. Contact him at mwalberg@bellsouth.net, marvinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO Box 43056, Birmingham, AL 35243.
