Engineering a Hybrid Resume for a Tech Pro

Engineering a Hybrid Resume for a Tech ProEngineering a Hybrid Resume for a Tech ProResume writer Steve Burdan likened job seeker Jeff Helds mix of formatting details to dumping ketchup over a meal. Heres how Bardan and Held created a tastier story for the former CIO.What can you control in a job search? Your resume, according to professional resume writer Steve Burdan.Sure, its in his best financial interest to say that, but that doesnt make it any less truthful.Burdan, who resides in the Chicago area, has been in the resume-writing profession for 17 years and an independent, certified partner with Ladders for several years. With his expertise as a resume writer and a background as an executive, hes quick to sum things up for job seekers.There are too many variables in a job search, Burdan said. So, I tell people all the time to manage their expectations and do their best to avoid getting an ulcer over the things they cant control. Focus on what they have some control over, and that s their resume and how much they push the networking end of things.Steve recently worked with Ladders subscriber Jeff Held, a former CIO at Watson Wyatt who hadnt had his resume tuned up in at least eight years.Researching job-search servicesIt had been a long time since I had done much with my resume, since I got my job back when the opportunities were more plentiful, Held said. I had done my homework on a variety of sites and services out there.So, after he subscribed to TechnologyLadder, Jeff decided to give the complimentary resume critique a try. Many places offer free critiques, but he felt comfortable with this one since the site has a real focus on C-level and senior stttes, the level at which Held operates after 20-plus years in technology and government work.With a million places to go online for job searching, only about 5 percent of what is out there is something Id be interested in. Ladders separates the wheat from the chaff, to use an old clich, Held said. You dont was te your time on things you know you dont want to do.Based on the free critique he received from Ladders, Held said he knew hed be satisfied with the results of a full resume rewrite. In fact, Held has had three interviews since his resume was reinvigorated.Highlight areas of expertiseJeffs resume was on the right track, but his opening statement had some weakness, Burdan said. He had a branding statement, but his areas of expertise needed to be muscled up a bit. Also, there were too many bullets that all looked the same. We needed to mix up the language and format to keep the readers attention and avoid being repetitious with wording.Burdan spruced up the opening statement by adding some keywords and stronger leadership language, and he added a stack of six solid bullet points that profiled Helds overall strengths. He followed up that section with a more assertive areas of expertise section that got into more detail about Helds management and technology background. Then several of Helds stated accomplishments were integrated back in to the chronological areas of his past positions without repeating the same words.Burdan made it a point to talk about formatting and bullet points because he finds too many resumes dull the readers eye.Its like putting a bottle of ketchup on top of a meal, Burdan said.One, its not tasty. Two, it looks bad, and three, it misses the target because thats all you taste You have to mix up the look and feel.Held detailed the experience After the initial questionnaire process which took a few days to do, I talked to Steve a few times over e-mail and the phone. And within about a week total, the new resume was completed I can see now that my old resume had been too chronologically focused. The new one put a lot of emphasis on keywords and the most important information way up front in the document.Burdan said, He also needed to play up his international experience more. Helds international experience could be a profound differentiator in the job search, so Burdan brought that more to the forefront using a mix of keywords and sentences.The hybrid resume winsThere are three types of resumes out there chronological, functional and hybrids, Burdan said. The brutal truth in this business is the best resume is the one the works.What works for Helds qualifications and career goals is a hybrid resume that is easy to scan, hits on quantifiable business metrics regardless of the position and presents his qualifications in a way that will spark interest from a potential employer.Content is king in a resume, Burdan said. An information technology resume like Jeffs can sometimes be more jargon heavy rather than a profile of what you can manage and lead for the new employer. I look at my role like a dating matchmaker One person is looking for chemistry the other may be looking for stability. Its a match game, but one I can help facilitate since Ive gone through the process thousands of times.I love what I do because I get paid t o help people, Burdan said. You sort of realize that after doing this for as long as I have that people who are having their resumes done are at a vulnerable point in their life. You have to treat that with a certain amount of respect, and you become a kind of coach behind the scenes with the wording. I believe that 99 percent of the people I am working with have the talent to get to the next level, but they lack the knowledge on how to package it for others. I can help with that.