[vox-jobs] intent in a resume

[Richard Crawford]

Peter Jay Salzman said:

> hi all,

[and some stuff about the agonies of job-hunting...]

I finally got to the point, personally, where I don't bother with an
"Objective" line in my resume.  I never know what I want, exactly, and
after years of talking to people in the job hunting process, I don't trust
anyone else who says that they do know exactly what they want.  I think
that the best approach is to target your resume specifically for a job
that you're interested in, and then write an objective specifically for
that position.  Generic resumes don't really work that well.

Bear in mind, of course, that a resume isn't really anything more than
just a piece of paper.  Its only purpose is to get you an interview, which
is where the whole hiring action really happens.  In my own experience,
the only time I've used a resume as part of the hiring process is *after*
I've gotten a job and the employer wants a resume on file so they can
justify me to their higher-ups.  At that point, it's really easy to write
a targeted resume.

Don't get discouraged, Pete.  From what I can tell, you've only been at
this for a few weeks, and a job hunt can sometimes take a few months even
in the best of times.


> does anybody know what "we don't have a position for your skill set"
> mean in plain english?  is that a code phrase for "you suck" or
> something?

It can mean a lot of things.  Sometimes it can mean, "You've got so many
skills and talents that we're afraid you'll get bored and quit too
quickly."  Sometimes it can mean, "We thought at first we wanted someone
with C programming experience but after reviewing our needs for a bit we
realized we really need someone with Java programming experience." 
Sometimes it can mean, "We like you but we don't think our current staff
will work well with you."  And sometimes it means, "The boss's nephew got
the job."  Very rarely does it mean, "Man, this guy really sucks!  We're
embarrassed we even interviewed him!"  If they thought you truly sucked
you wouldn't have gotten as far as you did.


> this is utterly disheartening.  i'm beginning to understand why everyone
> seems cynical about job hunting now...   :(

My worst experience was when I got an interview with a now-defunct
web-based company called "Mywebhr.com".  The recruiter thought I would be
a sure-hire because of my web development skills and my history in human
resources.  I drove for two hours to the interview site, had my resume in
hand and a set of questions to ask in mind.  I'd done my research on the
company and I knew their platform and their goals and their numbers and
all that.  The interview lasted about five minutes before the hiring
manager said, "Let's not waste any more time on this."

Ouch.

Of course, I got that interview through a recruiter, and recruiters hardly
ever know what the company really wants.

Keep at it, Pete.  You've got a lot of technical skills and talents and,
more importantly (from what I can see) you have some great strengths in
dealing with people.  You'll find something.

Sliante,
Richard S. Crawford

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