If your resume is in the form of a curriculum vitae, there is no limit
to its length. Since a “C.V.”is meant to include all of your publications,
presentations, and professional honors, the game here, in fact, is to
make it as long as possible.
If you have been out of school for some time, you are likely to want
to use both sides of a page. You should probably use only one side of a
page if you are fresh out of school, but do not use narrow margins and
miniscule print to fit everything in.
Whether you use one or two pages, be sure to include lots of “white
space”so that the text does not appear to be too crowded.
Be consistent.Make sure that whatever approach you use for pre-
senting your information, you keep with this approach throughout your
entire resume. The order in which you present information should be
consistent. And visual things like patterns of spacing and fonts used for
highlighting should not vary.
Make certain that your resume is visually appealing without being
flashy.If you wish to make a “statement”with your resume, do it with
words, not with flashy paper and unusual fonts. Use high-quality paper
in white, off-white, or other conservative colors. Use standard fonts that
are easy to read. Avoid smudges when printing copies. Have the final
version of your resume professionally reproduced, if that’s what it takes
to get the copies looking right.Step 8: Getting Feedback on Your Resume Prior
to Distributing It—and After
It is extremely helpful if prior to showing your resume to a prospective
employer you are able to get some feedback not just on how it looks and
reads but also on whether or not it is properly targeted for the situation
in which you want to use it.
As noted in the last chapter, you are likely to be able to get par-
ticularly useful feedback on drafts of your resume in informational in-
terviews. If you can’t show it in an informational interview, at least
show your resume to some people who receive and assess resumes
from time to time. If there is a glaring gap or mistake, they’re likely to
flag it for you.
The key test for a resume is simply this: Does it generate invita-
tions to job interviews? People do not get invited to job interviews for
many reasons, including a downturn in the economy. But if you keep
sending a particular resume and you never get any nibbles from the
people who receive it, you should again ask people who are knowledge-
able about resumes and will be absolutely candid with you if there isn’t
something basically wrong with the way you have targeted this resume.
You can also get useful feedback on your resume if a person who is
interviewing you for a job uses your resume to review your credentials.
Does this person seem impressed by the P.E.A.K.S. you have featured
in your resume? If so, your resume is working for you. On the other
hand, if the interviewer keeps mentioning the importance of some
P.E.A.K.S. that you have not referred to in your resume, this emphasis
suggests that you might want to try to work these P.E.A.K.S. into your
next draft.76 Part I: Building, Using, and Maintaining Your Career Portfolio