Why Resumes are Lame
First of all I think resumes are a waste of time for many fields. This is especially true of PR, marketing, social media, advertising, et al.
Why? Because they tell me virtually nothing about you that truly matters. How strategically do you think about complex problems? Would you be fun, interesting, inspiring to work with? I don’t care that you can hold a job, even it sounds cool. You could’ve been a cog in the wheel. You could’ve embellished.
Resumes go in big stacks. They don’t get read, if they do you have something like 15-20 second to impress someone with a piece of paper you probably spent too much money on and Times New Roman. Fah-get-about-it.
Resumes get your foot in the door. Guess who wants their foot in the door in this economy? That’s right. Everyone. And their mom. There are significantly better ways to get your foot in the door.
IF… IF you insist on sending a resume please keep these things in mind:
> Unless you’re in academia keep it to one page. Seriously. Nobody is going to read your second page. Whatever your explanation. It’s wrong.
> If it doesn’t pertain to the company you’re applying for a position at, leave it off. I don’t care if you were an awesome cater waiter, leave it off. Maybe it shows perseverance, and that’s great, but I want to know if you can sell widgets. You’re welcome to explain how being a cater waiter taught you the discipline you need to succeed a X company, just save it for the interview. If you get it.
> Throw an interest or two on there at the very bottom. Plenty of people will disagree, but I’ve found it to be an excellent conversation point if it’s something unique, potentially relevant, and/or aligns with the interests of the person interviewing you.
> If you’re a Junior in college or older, do not under any circumstances tell me that you were the captain of your football team. With a ton of context this could be valuable, but my initial reaction is that your graduating class was 11 people, and I don’t care. Student council secretary though, that’s a big deal.
> Be creative. If I was applying for a job right now, one where I thought I’d have to send a resume I’d break all the rules your business school tells you. I would make a huge Venn diagram with my specialties, the companies specialties, and how the two align to create something awesome in the middle. Yes, some would throw it away, but others would stop flipping through long enough to stop and take a peek. They’d be more likely to remember it. And who knows, my ideas might warrant an interview.
And a better alternative to a resume?
How about starting a blog. Then hiring managers can get a solid indication of your ideas, your thought process, how you communicate, how well you write, who you affiliate yourself with. It’s a much better measuring stick. Who knows, you might become a thought leader and end up on the other side of the interrogation.
What say you?
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I wouldn’t go as far as you as to say resumes are AS big of a waste of time as you said, after all, you have to have some way to separate lame people from halfway decent people, especially for entry level positions. You can tell a lot about someone by not even looking at the content of it. If I see one that just looks ugly, find mispelled words, or has minor errors here and there, you miss the cut.
For companies who ARE active in reading blogs in their industry, I think a tremendous way to find talent is target some of the bloggers who really act like they know what they’re talking about. Unfortunately, I think most companies aren’t going to find your blog unless it is on your resume.
But yes, I am 100% with you on your tips/rants on bad resumes and would put special emphasis on how you need to customize your resume to the position, which, for some reason, a lot of people don’t do.
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admin Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I suspect you’re right, but writing a straddle the fence post about how resumes are (kinda) lame just didn’t seem as enticing. Even still, if I’m a hiring manager I’d rather go out and find what I’m looking for. Often the best candidates are already taken.
I read somewhere that a surprising (insert mind blowing stat here) number of companies were using LinkedIn to find recruits. If that’s true, that platform enables you to show what you’d have on a resume, but also a whole lot more.
Could agree more re: customize your resume for the position. It’s LAZY to send out 8 of the exact same e-mails. Adjust them accordingly.
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Patrick Ambron Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 12:10 am
The stat came from a study conducted by career builder recently. I should pull it up, but the number is somewhere in the ball park of 75%. That is, 3 quarters of recruiters use linkedin to research candidates. Not surprisingly, 83% of employers will at least Google a candidate. So sure, a resume might pique some interest, but you better make sure you have some google results that back up your qualifications. Ryan nailed it on the head. There really is no better way to own your google results and demonstrate to employers you are a continual learner, than starting a blog.
Taking the time to create good content doesn’t just fill your google results, either. It is a proactive step in your job search. As any recruiter would tell you, most jobs are found through networking. Young people can leverage social networks in a way no generation could before them, breaking down geographic and social barriers and allowing them to connect and share with like minded people everywhere.
I know we are WAY behind the ball on this Ryan, but our ebook on this exact topic will be done VERY soon.
Patrick Ambron´s last blog ..Returning to the blog
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admin Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Thanks for supplying those statistics Patrick. And an excellent point about Google. I don’t know why I neglected to include that in the rant, but everyone Google’s you now days. Even potential dates. I try to make sure what people find tells the story and conveys the information I want it to.
And I’m looking forward to the e-book Patrick!
Very true…I’ve never been a fan of resumes. People take a “drop and wait” attitude about it. The 21st century marketplace demands a lot more these days than just a follow-up phone call. Time spent sending out resumes is time you can spend connecting with people and leveraging your social networks. Instead of tacking on credentials I’d want to see what people actually accomplished beyond pieces of paper.
Alexander Rinehart MSACN´s last blog ..ARinehartDC: Much needed workout, feel a lot better
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admin Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
You hit the nail on the head Alexander. (And thanks for stopping by also – I look forward to more comments insights from you). I definitely think in the time it takes you to customize resumes and send them out you could’ve determined the company you want to work for, found someone in the company whose work you admire, connected with him via LinkedIn or a cold call AND added insight/value to his/her life. That = much larger chance of getting an interview.
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Ha, one of the interests at the bottom of my resume is “trying to meet every single person on that planet.” During my hour long phone interview today, that was definitely the single thing that had my interviewer laughing and getting comfortable with me the most. So… good advice!
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admin Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 10:29 am
@Nicole – I always liked to put that I played chess. I think it balanced all the uber jock stuff I had on there. I don’t know why it always amazes people, it’s not that hard.
Question for you. Since you discuss some more NSFW topics on your blog do you refrain from including it on your resume? I don’t guess it matters since it comes up first when you Google your name. Just curious.
My philosophy has always been that if they don’t like (or at least not take issue with) what they read then I probably don’t want to work for them anyway.
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Finally, I find something that I can start a friendly argument, and actually disagree with you on a few points.
I’m not sure where to start, so pardon if my thoughts are a bit messy. I see your point, and I do believe that resumes may lose their value in certain fields like PR, Marketing, Advertising, graphic design. In creative fields, a resume will always lose value, but to an HR department, they are of course a formality in the process and are always needed, so at a strong resume will always help.
Personal branding, and making oneself seem like a super star compared to others will always be important. Going above and beyond the resume will surely help, and you posted a few great examples of how one can truly make themselves stand out.
Where I disagree with you most, and maybe the only true argument I can make is on your point about resume length. Here is your quote, followed by my response:
” Unless you’re in academia keep it to one page. Seriously. Nobody is going to read your second page. Whatever your explanation. It’s wrong.”
—I disagree with this. I’ve had to review thousands of resumes per week for hiring managers and one thing I hate is when resumes are bunched together. Recent grads are told to keep it to one page, and for many of them without a great deal of experience they should keep it to one page, but there are a handful who should not limit themselves. Years ago, when resumes were printed out it would be annoying to go through 3-4 pages of a resume, but now adays its a simple scroll down to read a resume and page legnth doesn’t matter as much. My rule: If you have relevant content, and the experience to back it up, then include as many pages as you need. Up to 5 years experience, I limit to 2 pages, some people have 3-4 jobs in 5 years. No one sticks around with one company these days.
Also, I’m happy to let you know that my mother is not trying to break her foot in any door.
In the end I don’t think I’m really disagreeing with you, I just see resumes as crucial to the hiring process. Lame? Yes. Better ways to sell oneself? Definitely. But, a well written, professional resume can do wonders to set a candidate a part from the others. A resume should include the other creative ways a person may be branding themselves (like by including a link to their blog), or it may talk a bit about how they were Senior Class President in Student Government at their college (like I was).
Again, you’ve found a way to have me write a long response. I find myself questioning if I disagree with you on this, and my thought process has changed over and over while typing up this comment. I think I’ll end it here, and wait for you to come back at me, so I can plan my next response. Ugh.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..The Importance of Networking for Interns
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November 19th, 2009 at 1:45 amResumes freakin’ blow.
I hate them.
I actually asked my boss if he had even seen mine.
“Nope, and why would I?”
That’s because they DON’T MATTER.
Stuart Foster´s last blog ..Creatives: The New Necessity for Public Relations?
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admin Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
By boss, I presume you mean Edward? He seems pretty awesome! My CEO never even requested a resume from me either. She saw a letter of recommendation from an influential person in the community, and read a few posts from my blog.
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Stuart Foster Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Haha, yeah.
He makes me look retarded. Always a plus.
Stuart Foster´s last blog ..Creatives: The New Necessity for Public Relations?
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Ryan, you are right on!
Resumes are the most OVERRATED pieces to the job-search puzzle. For the record, I landed a job with the Dallas Mavericks without one.
They cared about two things above all else: 1) Do they like me and believe I fit into their corporate culture?; and 2) Do they believe I can do the job at a high level?
I proved I could because I showed them my track-record (i.e. pictures of events, testimonials from clients.)
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admin Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 10:57 am
@Chris
1.) Congrats on the job man. From what I can tell the Mavs have an awesome culture instilled by that Cuban guy.
2.) Fitting into corporate culture & how well you can execute the gig are two things that are a lot easier to demonstrate via a blog, letters of rec, etc. than a resume. I mean, what exactly does a resume communicate?
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If you’re filling a position that is more advanced than entry level, then you should be out there with your ear to the ground all the time. You should KNOW who’s qualified and who’s not.
Resumes should be used to back up what you’ve already discovered. They shouldn’t be a starting point.
Finally, if someone meets your qualifications, then use the interview as a chemistry check. So often, interviewers go off topic, asking about the person’s experience that’s NOT tied to the job in question.
Sure, the interviewee can change the subject and get the conversation back on course, but part of the dynamic of an interview is to show that you listen and respect the other person. If you re-direct too abruptly, that can backfire, too.
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November 19th, 2009 at 10:51 amNONE of the opportunities I have enjoyed have come from a resume. The only reason I have one, is sometimes people want to pass along my info and ask to send over my resume.
Honestly, my resume kind of sucks. I had one internship at school, did a couple clubs here and there…
I think the true value of a candidate cannot be represented in a resume effectively.
BAH I hate resumes haha…remember my post?! Eliminate those damn things already.
David
Community Manager, Scribnia.com
@DavidSpinks
David Spinks´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at
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November 19th, 2009 at 3:23 pm[...] 20, 2009 in Uncategorized This post comes as a response to a recent article called “Why Resumes Are Lame” by Ryan Stephens. Ryan makes the argument that resumes are a waste of time, especially in certain [...]
November 20th, 2009 at 1:20 pmAs someone who reviews resumes not as a recruiter but the first line in hiring at my management office, I can’t emphasize enough how much it matters to put things that will make your resume stand out. I look at cookie cutter resumes as if I’m checking items off a list. Work history – check. Objective vaguely pertaining to my company – check. Attended college at someplace higher than XYZ Clown School – check. Throw in callback pile – check. Sigh. Blah.
Interests, accomplishments, individual list of skills – these are the things I CRAVE in resumes. They will immediately warrant a quick trip to the TOP of my callback pile.
Elisa´s last blog ..Being “Good Enough” In Activism
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November 21st, 2009 at 8:33 pm[...] response to my post entitled, “Why Resumes are Lame,” I had a few people respond via Twitter and e-mail that you simply have to have a resume to [...]
November 30th, 2009 at 7:03 am