Read Online The Google Resume by Gayle Laakmann McDowell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gayle Laakmann McDowell
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Instructions
Dear Gayle,
I just attended a career fair at my school and had what I thought was a good chat with a recruiter there. But at the end of the conversation, she told me to apply online.
What gives? Did I misinterpret the tone? What should I do now?
I was, however, able to snag her business card from the stack on the table.
~N. C.
Dear N. C.,
It’s unlikely that your recruiter was blowing you off. If she told you to apply online, she probably told everyone that.
What’s probably going on internally is that paper résumés are difficult to deal with. People are spread out, and sheets of paper are just not an effective way to manage content. So, HR is now pushing all the recruiting online. It’s a bit disconcerting, but—if handled properly—it doesn’t have to hurt you at all.
Do as your recruiter said and submit your résumé online, and then follow up with her. Thank her for the wonderful conversation and throw in a few unique details to remind her of your conversation. You are writing, essentially, a cover letter, and you should handle it as such. Tell the recruiter why you’re a good fit (“As we discussed earlier today, I’ve built . . .”). Finally, explain to her that you applied online as she instructed, but you also wanted to attach your résumé here for her reference. If she could give you an update as to your status and/or keep an eye out for your application, that would be fantastic. You are confident that you would be a great match for the company, and you look forward to hearing from her soon.
Make sense?
~Gayle
Chapter 4
Résumés
Just three months into my freshman year of college, I gave Microsoft my résumé—all three pages of it. Large blocks of text recounted in excruciating detail the features of the three C++ games I’d created. Under “Work Experience,” I reported every web page I had designed as though each shed some unique and fascinating light on my credentials. The recruiter tossed my résumé aside without a second glance.
With a bit of persistence but mostly dumb luck, I did in fact wind up at Microsoft that summer. My résumé drifted its way to the desk of perhaps the one person who would give me a chance, and he just so happened to need an intern. Jon had a penchant for the less traditional. My three-page faux pas didn’t faze him.
I am fairly sure that I exhausted all luck right then and there. Résumés are an art form, and what I submitted was the equivalent of a four-year-old’s crayon drawing: cute, perhaps, in an incredibly clueless way.
A good résumé clearly highlights a candidate’s relevant skills. It must present the candidate in the best possible light because, after all, it is one’s first chance to persuade the reader that she is the best candidate for the job.
Six Hallmarks of a Powerful Résumé
A powerful résumé should leap off the page saying, “Me! I’m the one you want to hire!” Each and every line should contribute to the employer’s wanting to hire you. Why, then, does a candidate list his vague and totally unprovable love for running? One has precious few lines on a résumé, so unless you’re applying to work in a health club, skip the fluff.
Before submitting your résumé, go through each line on it and ask yourself why it would help convince an employer to interview you. If you can’t give a reason, there’s a good chance it shouldn’t be there.
The six hallmarks of a powerful résumé is a checklist that your résumé should pass with flying colors. Does yours?
1. Accomplishment Oriented
If your résumé reads too much like a job description, then there’s a good chance you’re doing it wrong. Résumés should highlight what you did, not what you were supposed to do.
Example:
Responsibility oriented: “Analyzed new markets and explored potential entrance strategies for China division.”
Accomplishment oriented: “Led entrance strategy for Foobar product in China, and successfully persuaded CEO to
Dear Gayle,
I just attended a career fair at my school and had what I thought was a good chat with a recruiter there. But at the end of the conversation, she told me to apply online.
What gives? Did I misinterpret the tone? What should I do now?
I was, however, able to snag her business card from the stack on the table.
~N. C.
Dear N. C.,
It’s unlikely that your recruiter was blowing you off. If she told you to apply online, she probably told everyone that.
What’s probably going on internally is that paper résumés are difficult to deal with. People are spread out, and sheets of paper are just not an effective way to manage content. So, HR is now pushing all the recruiting online. It’s a bit disconcerting, but—if handled properly—it doesn’t have to hurt you at all.
Do as your recruiter said and submit your résumé online, and then follow up with her. Thank her for the wonderful conversation and throw in a few unique details to remind her of your conversation. You are writing, essentially, a cover letter, and you should handle it as such. Tell the recruiter why you’re a good fit (“As we discussed earlier today, I’ve built . . .”). Finally, explain to her that you applied online as she instructed, but you also wanted to attach your résumé here for her reference. If she could give you an update as to your status and/or keep an eye out for your application, that would be fantastic. You are confident that you would be a great match for the company, and you look forward to hearing from her soon.
Make sense?
~Gayle
Chapter 4
Résumés
Just three months into my freshman year of college, I gave Microsoft my résumé—all three pages of it. Large blocks of text recounted in excruciating detail the features of the three C++ games I’d created. Under “Work Experience,” I reported every web page I had designed as though each shed some unique and fascinating light on my credentials. The recruiter tossed my résumé aside without a second glance.
With a bit of persistence but mostly dumb luck, I did in fact wind up at Microsoft that summer. My résumé drifted its way to the desk of perhaps the one person who would give me a chance, and he just so happened to need an intern. Jon had a penchant for the less traditional. My three-page faux pas didn’t faze him.
I am fairly sure that I exhausted all luck right then and there. Résumés are an art form, and what I submitted was the equivalent of a four-year-old’s crayon drawing: cute, perhaps, in an incredibly clueless way.
A good résumé clearly highlights a candidate’s relevant skills. It must present the candidate in the best possible light because, after all, it is one’s first chance to persuade the reader that she is the best candidate for the job.
Six Hallmarks of a Powerful Résumé
A powerful résumé should leap off the page saying, “Me! I’m the one you want to hire!” Each and every line should contribute to the employer’s wanting to hire you. Why, then, does a candidate list his vague and totally unprovable love for running? One has precious few lines on a résumé, so unless you’re applying to work in a health club, skip the fluff.
Before submitting your résumé, go through each line on it and ask yourself why it would help convince an employer to interview you. If you can’t give a reason, there’s a good chance it shouldn’t be there.
The six hallmarks of a powerful résumé is a checklist that your résumé should pass with flying colors. Does yours?
1. Accomplishment Oriented
If your résumé reads too much like a job description, then there’s a good chance you’re doing it wrong. Résumés should highlight what you did, not what you were supposed to do.
Example:
Responsibility oriented: “Analyzed new markets and explored potential entrance strategies for China division.”
Accomplishment oriented: “Led entrance strategy for Foobar product in China, and successfully persuaded CEO to
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