I'm a middle manager who recently realized I have been neglecting my career. My resume stunk and I have scrupulously followed Mark's advice and made it one page of bulleted accomplishments. Mark also recommends John Lucht's book "Rites of Passage." Got the book for Christmas and in it Lucht argues for a "long copy sells" approach. Lucht suggests a three or four page resume that relies on narrative paragraphs rather than bullets.
Is Lucht's advice only practical for those pursuing top executive positions?
My own experience with both
Hi Jenninmi - I went through my own effort to reconcile the two about a year ago. The following list isn't exhaustive - just my two cents, having built both "Manager Tools" and "Lucht" versions of my resume...
* Don't fall into the trap of thinking one source "right" and the other "wrong" - they're BOTH right; they just apply to different sets of circumstances
* Yes, I tend to think that Lucht's advice is better applied to top executive positions (maybe VP and above) - but even that varies by industry. Those professions that value prose (marketing, creative, literary) are probably the most receptive to the long copy approach.
* The readers of your resume are the ultimate variable in the equation - they may not have the patience or interest to read it.
* Even though "long copy sells," remember Lucht's admonition that it's really, REALLY hard to write good copy. If you're thinking of doing a Lucht-style version, the odds are stacked against you, unless you're one of the few people who can honestly write effective copy.
* Regardless of the final length of your resume, the Manager Tools emphasis on paring away everything that isn't about accomplishments and results is probably the best resume advice I've ever received. My takeaway is that "your resume stinks" because it's too hard to find hard-edged accomplishments and results among all the blah blah blah of objectives, job descriptions and generalizations.
For what it's worth, here's what I did (background: Since earning a Master's Degree, I've had 13 jobs for 8 employers over 28 years. I've worked in public service, in private industry, and have also been self-employed as a consultant. I am not a technical person, and the majority of my jobs have been in sales, marketing and training. I have managed as many as 18 and as few as 1, and I've been an individual contributor. My highest level in private organizations has been Senior Director):
1. I took all of my old resumes and combined them into a single document (just to have EVERYTHING - even my college jobs).
2. Using the Manager Tools podcasts, I boiled it all down to a very tight, single page document.
3. I then read Lucht, and faithfully built a "long copy" version (almost four pages). Having already done the MT version was invaluable, because I had scraped out all the fluff. I was simply taking the bullet points and turning them into clear and complete sentences.
The truth is, I ended up with a "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears experience." For me, for my background, for the jobs and the industry I was targeting, MT was too short, and Lucht was too long. I ended up with a "just right" version: 1.5 pages and much more like the MT version than the Lucht version. Essentially I took my MT version, expanded some of the bullets into complete sentences to tell the story better, added a Lucht-style overview/summary at the top, and bumped the font up and the margins in a bit to make it more attractive.
...and that's the version that got me the most interviews and my new job.
My Learning:
There's no "one best way" that applies to every person, looking for every job, in every industry. Make sure your resume reflects you (after all, it's the first impression they get of you). Don't be afraid to change it if it's not getting results. Listen to different experts, and use what works for you.
I asked...
The husband of my wife's friend is a top recruiter. Really, the kind of guy you'd kill to have in your rolodex. C-Level placements above my pay grade.
He's a really nice guy and he met with me to help my search. I asked him, "is my one-pager good, or should it be like Lucht recommends?"
He said, "This is perfect. I can see your accomplishments quickly, and it's a good overview of you career."
I'm sticking with the ManagerTools format.
- Parritch