Resumes

What's the trend? I got some advice from someone very reputable about what employers are looking for. Just putting this out there to get some opinions.

I was told to put the skills right on top along with accomplishments and then a timeline of the jobs, titles and summaries of responsibilities. One pager. Two at the most.

I'm going to give this a try and see what kind of response I get in general. This person is a very senior HR person at my firm and offered to give me feedback once it's ready.

I think this is golden advice and I'm thankful for it. What's your take?

Re: Resumes

My take -- and I haven't been in the job market for awhile, so take it with a grain of salt -- is that it totally depends on your field and your situation.

I know when I practiced law, and did a lot of interviewing for my firm, there was a specific format to a legal resume that we expected to see. Creativity would NOT be rewarded! But from what I've seen from friends, relatives, etc. in other fields, other formats were accepted or even desired. There seemed to just be more flexibility in the presentation of information.

So if the advice you received came from someone who is reputable in your area of work, then I am sure it is good advice. But if it's from someone who works in another type of industry or line of work, I'd look into it a little more.

Also, I think if someone is changing careers, it makes sense to put skills and accomplishments upfront, as your contact suggested. You'd want to highlight the skills you have that you have honed in your former career that would be transferrable to your new field that you don't have actual experience in. But if you are changing jobs but hope to stay in the same line of work, I think it would be more beneficial to highlight your former jobs and experiences (esp. if you worked for prominent, well-respected companies in your existing field).