1- What do you mean by 'selling yourself'?
Organizations normally seek candidates who have already been exposed to similar positions. They are also interested in knowing what ‘transferable’ skills you have used to manage difficult situations and meet your goals.
So, selling yourself is to demonstrate, through your previous accomplishments, that you have the necessary skills and experience to succeed in the required position
2- Should I lie to capture the reader’s attention?
No. Even if lies might help in a first time to show an outstanding resume, you would never be able to defend it in an interview, for instance.
The idea is to show your real values, not to invent skills or competencies you do not have.
3- How many pages should resumes have?
Well, it depends. On what?. Mainly on two things
- Your profile
So, selling yourself is to demonstrate, through your previous accomplishments, that you have the necessary skills and experience to succeed in the required position
2- Should I lie to capture the reader’s attention?
No. Even if lies might help in a first time to show an outstanding resume, you would never be able to defend it in an interview, for instance.
The idea is to show your real values, not to invent skills or competencies you do not have.
3- How many pages should resumes have?
Well, it depends. On what?. Mainly on two things
- Your profile Applying for a University Professor or Researcher position, for instance, may require a lot of details about published articles, books, previous courses, etc. This profile will probably require a several pages resume.
However, two or three pages are enough for the vast majority of profiles.
- The way you are applying
If you know that your resume will be electronically scanned, you should include all possible keywords, and your resume will probably have several pages
On the other hand, if you are sending a resume directly to a Hiring Manager, you should not include too much detail. Just your main accomplishments and transferable skills. Remember, the main goal of a resume is to sell your proposal to get an interview, where you will have the opportunity to give more specific information about your background and previous experiences.
As a rule of thumb, usually one page is not enough while more than 3 or 4 pages could be too much.
4- Should I include my picture or other personal data
This mostly depends on cultural matters. In some countries, resumes usually contain personal information such as age, sex, nationality, as well as a candidate's photo, which is considerd as a professional touch.
In other countries like USA or Canada for instance, these practices are neither recommended nor accepted, since they promote discrimination.
That been said, try to adhere to local practices in order to optimize your chances.
5- Where can I find assistance to build my resume?
Having an experienced mentor or coach would be the best option. If this is not possible, here are some excellent online tools that will help you with that.
Resume Secrets
Amazing Resumes
You can also ask a friend, a previous boss or colegue to have a look at your resume. They will be more than happy to help you, and you will get a precious feedback you can use to enrich your proposal.
6- Should I have more than one resume?
Having 2 or more CV is sometimes very useful, mostly if you are applying for different positions at the same time.
You could also have a high level resume and a more developed version. Sometimes you start with your short version and you are asked to give more specific information about your previous mandates.
7- Could you recommend a book?
Please see below some recommended books currently available at Amazon. Enjoy it!
