Response from a Reader

I'm always flattered and humbled when I hear that someone reads my blog much less likes something I wrote. I'm even more humbled when someone takes the time to write to me!
In this case "Gary" is responding to what I've written about resumes and agreeing with me.
Thanks Gary for taking the time to write!
Ev


Hi Everet,

I was always a firm believer that you must have a basic resume that could be adjusted to the position in which you are applying for. Now that I have been doing exclusively recruiting for almost 2 years, I am convinced more than ever.

When recruiting, positions are sent to us by the hiring manager. Ultimately he wants us to send him resumes that only match his job description 100%. If he has 5 different acronyms listed as skill sets needed, then the resume has to have those listed. Even if it is obvious that the candidate has that skill, if it is not listed, then the hiring manager may not even consider the person. We have in the past tried to explain the missing acronyms in a brief summary that we would produce after speaking with the candidate. We are now telling all of our candidate prior to submittal that they will have to revise their resume, or we will do it for them.

I think that this approach is necessary for all applicants, even programmers. If a position calls for a Oracle Systems Programmer, just saying you have 5 years Oracle Systems Programming experience is not enough. It needs to say exactly what that included.

I am also a firm believer (for IT jobs) that although years of experience always count, past work history may not be relative. I prefer a candidate to closely look at the job description and highlight all work history with those skills.

It takes a little extra work on the candidate as well as the recruiter, but number of hires speaks for itself. When a resume mirrors a job description, success is almost certain (at least for an interview).

Thanks,

Gary