Beware the Job Search Expert

The other day, I was reading an article over at ABC News about how to recession-proof your job.

There were some good points, like this one:

In a challenging economic climate, you might not be able to recession-proof your specific job, but you can definitely recession-proof your career. That means if you’re a mortgage lender and your company is in trouble, that job is likely impossible to save at this time, but that doesn’t mean your career is in the gutter …. Don’t panic; just get prepared.

But there was one glaring error, when the author offered examples of “resume templates that can help you to showcase your skills, abilities and accomplishments.” The link opened to show a functional resume format. You can view it here.

Yes, you can showcase your accomplishments by using a functional resume. You can also showcase your Italians suits or Rolex watches by selling them off the back of a truck. But, in either case, you’ll have trouble making the sale.

Why?

No competent recruiter or hiring manager I’ve met since 1996 will buy into the claims you make in a functional resume, because functional resumes are used by job seekers with something to hide. It’s like selling stuff from the back of a truck — smart people will know something’s wrong.

Functional resumes are used by job seekers who want to downplay a potential negative, like a firing, frequent job changes, gaps in employment or the like.

So, what’s the alternative? Actually, there are two …

If you’re making a career change, like going from the Army to teaching high school French, for example, use what I call a “hybrid” resume format. Read more in the article I wrote for Net-Temps, here.

If you’re not changing careers but still want to showcase your abilities, be sure to include the 3 ingredients of an effective resume. Read more in the article I wrote for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, here.

As always, when you get career tips from well-meaning friends or “experts,” be sure to ask them this question: What happens if your advice doesn’t work? In other words, do they have any skin in the game?

Most academics, government bureaucrats and job-search pundits interviewed by the media have absolutely nothing to lose if their advice doesn’t pan out. They’ll still have a job on Monday morning dispensing more of the same “expertise,” like telling you to use a functional resume, for example.

But I don’t enjoy that luxury.

Since 1996, the 2,000+ resumes I’ve written for clients, the 2 books, 3 ebooks, 4 audio CDs and other products I’ve created have all come with an ironclad, unconditional, money-back guarantee. That means, if job hunters don’t find my advice useful, they can tell me to shove it — and give their money back. I have to return a chunk of my salary every time I make a mistake. So, guess what? I am very motivated not to make mistakes.

I offer only job-search advice that I am certain will work in the real world. Because, if I’m wrong enough times, the bank will come and take my house. I definitely have some skin in this game.

Keep that in mind the next time you hear or read job-search “expertise” in the news, or anywhere.

------------------------------

Spread the Word:

 digg this  del.icio.us  Technorati  Blogmemes
 Ask Jeeves  Furl  Reddit  Rojo
 Simpy  Spurl  Socialize It  Earthlink
 Google  Netscape  Windows Live  Yahoo

------------------------------

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under changing careers, job search tips, resumes. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.