Blog Post: The Boomers Employment Blog, Résumé Myths

The Baby Boomer Résumé is not your typical résumé and will close more doors than it opens if it does not demonstrate the value the boomers bring to the workforce.  Do not get lost in “Internet Overload” and misinformation when it comes to getting back to work.

As a career coach and a proud Baby Boomer, I, quite frankly, am disappointed when I see the amount of misinformation in cyberspace regarding finding work during this double-digit time of unemployment.  Every day I meet unemployed boomers who have “read somewhere”, “heard somewhere”, or were told some inaccurate, incomplete or very wrong information regarding some aspect of their job search.  Some of the myths out there right now can be a detriment to a job search, especially for a boomer.  Let us review and dispel five myths regarding résumés and hopefully get you back on track with your search.

Myth 1: Boomers, you must dumb down your résumé because you will come across as being over qualified.

The value that Boomers bring to the job market is knowledge and experience.  One of the biggest problems business will have in the next few years is the void in the knowledge gap as the boomers leave their jobs.

Dumbing down does not work and never will, some might slip through but in the end it will catch up to them.  Not only will you need to dumb down your résumé, you will need to dumb down your interview, which is difficult since you really need to shine during the interview, it will become a big disconnect in the interviewer’s mind.

Please be wary of those suggesting you dumb down your résumé.

Myth 2: You must embellish your career achievements to get people to read your résumé, especially since you are competing with younger job seekers who have the current lingo and technology down.

There are major differences in job titles and job responsibilities and the skill set needed to be successful are just as varied.  There are big differences in skills and competencies between a supervisor, manager and director. A manager for instance, is tactical in executing their responsibilities where a director is strategic and views things more from a big picture organizational view.  Managers usually manage budgets (tactical); directors develop budgets (strategic), two entirely different processes.  This is not to say that a manager cannot develop a budget, however if you add “P&L responsibilities” or “developed departmental budgets” to your résumé, make sure you have done that.  A perceptive interviewer will discover your “creative writing skills” pretty early in the interview and you can predict the obvious outcome.

Myth 3:  Those who read résumés can write résumés.

For the sake of full disclosure, I am a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and write résumés for a living.  I must address the recent increase in the number of résumé writers, career coaches, and business consultants and what they can do to you or can do for you.  Just as with many things in life you get what you pay for, up to a point.  Make sure you do your due diligence on anyone you hire to write a résumé, the prices vary from 25.00 dollars to over 1000 dollars.  So when shopping for a résumé keep budget in mind but make sure the individual has been in the writing business, not the reading business for at least 5 years(my opinion), especially once you get to the 250-500 dollar or more range.  I would expect, at those higher rates you should meet with the writer. That is not to say those new to the business cannot write an effective résumé, just caveat emptor. 

Please note I have not commented on the quality of the various résumé services or writers.  The only true mark of a good résumé is measured by its effectiveness in meeting its goals.  The true mark of a good résumé service is their responsiveness to the client’s needs and making sure the goals of the résumé and client are met.

Myth 4: With résumés, one page is better than two pages.

Your résumé needs to be as many pages as required to demonstrate your value to the reader.  On average, a typical baby boomer’s professional career can be captured on two pages and still demonstrate value. I have written single page résumés that capture the essence and value of the boomer. I have also written 10-page résumés for doctors, attorneys and PhDs. The résumé's length and format is determined by the targeted reader, computer, HR screener or hiring executive.

Myth 5:  Online résumés in the format of audio/visual presentations will help the boomer compete with the “Face book”  “Twitter Crowd”.

As the Internet slowly absorbs humankind and becomes the only method of communications, many résumé services have started to offer online résumés, audio/visual elevator speeches, testimonials and online introductions.  Do they work for the baby boomer?  You will have to decide if they will work for you.  Just a few points though; first of all, do you really want to give your first impression through “YouTube” or other online video?  If you were a hiring manager what would be your motivation to preview candidates on the Internet?  Only one, to filter out as many people as you can in the shortest amount of time.  It becomes a virtual “cattle call” where the job seeker has no opportunity to communicate value or respond to questions.  This is not to say that these types of services have no value, just make sure you weigh the pros and cons and that you a comfortable with the cost and the value it adds to your search.

These are only five myths being perpetuated throughout the job seeking community, my intention is not to indict those that are making an honest effort to assist the job seeker.  I am very concerned with baby boomers getting “stuck in the mud” in their search because of all the information, some good, some bad, being disseminated throughout the Internet. 

Thanks for your time, good luck in your search. Please look for more installments on  The Boomers Employment Blog. Future blogs will cover the myths of networking, the nuances of interviewing and other topics to help the boomer get back to work.

As  President of ECI Careers, Russ Haines, CPRW  works with executives and baby boomers to help them achieve their careers goals . Russ@mycareerstartshere.com