Gone Fishin'

No, I haven't given up on this blog already. But something I overheard today got me thinking, and (lucky you!) I decided to share my thoughts here.

These two older gentlemen were sitting around, talking about fishing. Now, I wasn't eavesdropping (much), but their conversation wasn't about the fish so much as it was about the bait. They each had some pretty strong ideas about what sort of bait to use for what sort of fish, and although they didn't always agree, it was clear that they both knew that what catches catfish doesn't necessarily catch bass.

Turns out, the same is true for resumes. Another thing my newest best friend and hero Bill (remember him, from yesterday?) taught us was the value of the targeted resume. Most folks, he said, use a template they got from the internet, and it lists every job they had, starting at McDonald's, through Home Depot, to Bob's Used Car Sales, to Sales Manager at the biggest Dodge dealership in Memphis, in reverse chronological order. Which is fine... if you've already got the job.

A targeted resume, on the other hand, is specific to the job you want. Which means you write a new resume for each job you apply for. You include in it all the "applicants will" requirements from the ad, because if you don't tell the hirer that you can, well, it's the round file for you. It's easier if you make a master resume first, then cut and paste each time you need one.

So yesterday, I went fishing. I sent out three different resumes, to three different places. One for a writing job, one for a linguist job, and one to a job board. Let's see if I get any nibbles.

Oh... I also got a bunch of nice comments and new connections over on LinkedIn. So, thanks for that. You can comment here, too, if you want. But anywhere you want to comment, thanks for stopping by, and come back again soon!

But not tomorrow. I'm taking the weekend. Today's my 18th anniversary, and I've got plans.