> The gist of his editorial comments was this: since resumes are
> searched by computer nowadays, it doesn't matter how lengthy they are
> as long as they contain all the right keywords. In fact, because
> people read through resumes after having done a keyword search, they
> are starting to take the place of cover letters. So one's resume
> should focus on one-paragraph narrative descriptions of key projects
> rather than just a bulleted list of duties and technologies.
This is true.
I've noticed a few things since I got access to the employer side of Monster.com.
Many people create lousy headings for their resumes. For example:
"Talented, Intelligent Real Estate Site Selection Consultant" "Experienced developer" "Experienced Consultant" "Experienced Web Developer" "Joe Blow resume" "Highly motivated I.T. profesional"
My headline read, up until several weeks ago, "Web Designer and Librarian." I recently changed this to "Senior Web Developer". I don't need to use Monster.ocm or Careerbuilder for library jobs, because you always apply directly to libraries and they don't search boards for employees. Last month I realized that I'm more of a web developer than a designer. I have an art background, but my experience involves coding, not in making websites pretty. I also added "Senior" because this is a common job title. It pays much more money than average web developers. I may not have all of the current skills (ASP, .NET, AJAX), but I have enough experience to qualify me for these kinds of jobs.
As a person searching Monster.com for a recruiter, I rely heavily on saved searches which use a few keywords each. The research on how people search the Internet still shows that most people rely on a few keywords and will scroll through pages and pages of results instead of creating sophisticated search heuristics. Librarians wring their hands over this, but this is reality.
So you want to make sure that your resume has the right kywords that match the job you are looking for.
For IT jobs you really need to list what tech you know, which current version, how long you've used the tech and how recently. Monster.com allows you to create a series of fields attached to your resume which outlines which tech you know.
But what do I know? I always manage to get interviews, but never any offers. I'm the Susan Lucci of web developers.
All the more reason to run my own company. See below.
Chuck -------------------------- Bread and Roses Web Design serving small businesses, non-profits, artists and activists http://www.breadandrosesweb.com/