This is the first book review on JobGet.Net. The author Martin Darke, contacted me and inquired if I would be interested in reading and reviewing his ebook. At the end of this review, if you are interested in this ebook, feel free to navigate to Martin's website, www.a-new-career-direction.com, for information on how to obtain the ebook in it's entirety. Along with the ebook, you will find other helpful information to get that job.
 Of course at JobGet.Net we are always on the lookout for new and insightful information that will assist our readers in getting that next job, so I agreed for a few reasons:
- This was our first request for book review.
- The author, Martin Darke, has years of first-hand experience in the workplace and not just another journalist writing about a topic they researched through others experience.
- I like the title of the book!
In the first chapter, “What do companies and organizations want?”, the author stresses the point that employers will post a job with seemingly lofty expectations of experience, education and other qualifications, this is done to dissuade unqualified individuals and narrow the field of applicants. This might also dissuade those applicants that the company wishes to interview and narrow the applicant pool in your favor. Correctly stated, companies will post lofty criteria but realistically expecting to get less, since it is extremely rare to find an applicant that fits 100% of all criteria listed. Armed with this information the author encourages you to send in your resume, even though your “perception” is that you do not meet the qualifications. You never know unless you try!
He goes on to state that listing your “Achievements”, JobGet.Net we would say “Accomplishments” or “Summary of Qualifications” which is the same thing, is of primary importance. Make no mistake about it, we live in a “what have you done lately” world, so listing your Achievement/Accomplishments at the top of your resume is always sound advice that we recommend at JobGet.Net. Also, don’t forget that hiring managers review hundreds of resumes for a job and will dedicate a finite amount of time for the initial review…Achievements/Accomplishments at the top will help your resume survive that first cut.
Another good point is the fact that you are not required to provide every piece of information about yourself or your experience. The person who gets the interview is the person who successfully markets their qualifications opposed to just relying on them.
Chapter 2 addresses “Three critical elements”:
- You have 30 seconds to make and impact.
- An employer is not interested in your objectives.
- No more than two pages.
What do you mean I only have 30 seconds to make an impact?! Hiring managers review hundreds of resumes and can only provide a finite amount of time in reviewing each one. As suggested by the author, you assume a base-line of 30 seconds for a hiring manager to make the first pass at your resume. While this baseline can be more or less, 30 seconds is a good rule. Enlist a friend or relative to review your resume for 30 seconds and see what they can discover in this short amount of time.
Is a hiring manager not interested in your objectives? Possibly, but why chance it? Many people use the objective incorrectly by providing general and ambiguous statements. The objective should be included in your resume but should be a one line statement that specifies the job posting. For example, if applying for a computer programmer position, then your objective is to obtain a position as a computer programmer…that’s it! Since the hiring manager must fill numerous positions and not just one, correctly using the objective provides a clear message as to which position you are applying for and also indicates that your resume is not just a template. In short, I believe the objective is worth the space.
Final topic for this chapter discusses keeping page length under two-pages. This is a must do, otherwise you risk the trash bin. To accomplish this you must use the author’s suggestions on keeping it short and sweet by providing only the most important information that pertains to the job posting. Hiring managers do not have time to read a long resume, so instead of getting a comprehensive reading you might get the trash bin for all of your work. So is there a time when more than two pages are permitted? If you are a doctor, scientist, scientific field, education, etc. then a Curriculum Vitae (CV) Resume would be required and it is expected that you provide great detail that could encompass more than 2 pages…maybe 10-20 pages. But for the rest of us mere mortals, no more than two pages.
The next chapter discusses personal details that should and should not be on a resume. Do you use your given name or the name you want to be called? The author suggests using the name you want to be called. On this note I disagree, your given name should always be used on your resume in order to be more formal. While he suggests this will make it easier for the hiring manager by calling you what you want to be called without guessing, I see this as an opportunity since the hiring manager might ask and it is a good ice breaker, almost like a leading question. For those foreign nationals who have non-western names but use a western first name, you can provide your first name followed by your western first name in parenthesis then your last name.
Other personal info to include would be the basics such as email address, home address, phone numbers (mobile and home), etc. Also ensure your email address includes your name, such as Joseph.Smith@yourisp.com and not something unprofessional such as bigjoe@yourisp.com. No further personal info is required at this point. I very much like the heading the author recommends for your personal information, since it is very similar to the space saving heading that we advocate at JobGet.Net.
In fourth chapter, the author discusses “Qualifying Descriptors”, which essentially equates to your objective. I would be more conservative in this area and just use the familiar objective heading followed by the specific position you are applying for. I don’t see the necessity in using the author’s format since your risk altering “reviewing flow” of the hiring manager. This is more of a style issue than a right or wrong.
Next chapter the author has you describing yourself in 5-7 sentences providing various examples for your review/use. “What you are, what you are good at, what you can bring to an organization.” As we saw in Chapter 2, it is not about your objectives, it is about your future employer’s objectives. Why would they want to employ you above everyone else? While I agree with the content, I don’t agree with the placement. This information is exactly what you would provide in a cover letter for your resume. Most will need to keep within the two-page limit and using 5-7 lines on your resume for this information is space that can be put to better use. For example, in place of this information I would strongly recommend placing your Accomplishments in this space. As we have mentioned several times before, a hiring manager will allow minimal time in reviewing your resume…the Accomplishments at the top will grab their attention. Use the cover letter to describe yourself and support the resume.
Chapter six completes the 30-second impact with “Skills and Attributes” or “Areas of Expertise”. Again I agree with the content and even like the three across and three down format to save space…but not the placement. While having the skills, expertise and attributes required for a position, it would be assumed you have these things before applying so I would include them on your resume but at the bottom giving greater weight and space to your Accomplishments at the top. Keep in mind, providing sufficient focus on your Accomplishments will provide the hiring manager with what they want to see…results.
Chapter seven is dedicated to your past experience on a resume. Here the author suggests a un-bulleted line or two about the company for each position you held in the past. While on the surface this may seem helpful, unfortunately, it takes up valuable space and detracts from the bulleted items that you want reviewed by the hiring manager. The hiring manager is not going to review paragraphs so stay with bulleted items. Also, stating information about your previous employer could harm or help you. Too much risk for my taste and suggest leaving off the resume. Maybe they want someone from a small company and not a big company, maybe they want the reverse…why risk it? Let this information be asked in an interview. When reviewing a resume, a hiring manager is more interested in your accomplishments, opposed to information about your previous/current employer.
The author also, suggests a line after each position so as to indicate promotion. This is more information that a hiring manager requires at this time, so it is sufficient to just list the various positions held within an organization and provide detailed info about the responsibilities of each position. Some positions might be promotions some might be lateral moves, either way do not open the door for the hiring manager to wonder why you only made lateral moves or maybe even went down a position. This is one of those instances where you should not volunteer info on a resume since it can come out in an interview. The author also suggests putting your Achievements in this section. As stated before, put your best top 5-10 achievements at the top and not in the body of this section. If you have more than 5-10 achievements then list the extras in this area…don’t let you best stuff be missed because it was mixed in with the responsibilities.
Chapter eight correctly discusses not leaving gaps in your work history. No gaps in full-time work are best, but what can you do when there are gaps? You list the time-frame on the resume and state what you were doing during this time. Looking for full-time work, took classes, took care of elderly parent or baby while wife worked, etc. This way you are up front with the hiring manager there will be no issues during an interview….very nice suggestion. How far back do you go on your resume is discussed in chapter nine. The author suggests no more than 10 years, but leaves the door open if you want to include more, which I agree is the correct path. If more than 10 years is relevant then add a single line with the year range such as 1990-2000 and then list positions horizontally. This way there are no gaps and the hiring manager can ask you questions during an interview for greater detail, if necessary.
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Chapter ten discusses listing information in “other” categories such as education, references, awards, highlights, community involvement, volunteer work, etc. The only one I would consider a requirement would be education. It is a must requirement for most positions to have a certain level of education and this section will tell the hiring manager what they need to see. List other relevant categories if you have space and feel it would benefit, based on the position and organization. For example, if you are applying to a non-profit then your community and volunteer work would be relevant but possibly not so with another company in a different sector. As with all resumes, do not volunteer more info that you have to, so not indicating references is acceptable…if they want them they will ask. If you feel strongly about references, then at the most a simple line at the bottom indicating references available upon request would suffice. Awards and Highlights should be included but at the top under Accomplishments. Doing this puts your best foot forward for the hiring manager to review in their 30 second glance. For example, you are applying for a sales position and you won the “Multi-Million Dollar Salesman of the Year” award from your previous job…this should be at the top, not the bottom.
I’m all for trying something new and being innovative to stand out from the crowd, but you need to know your audience. Chapter eleven the author suggests using humor in your resumes to get noticed. Again knowing your audience, you might be able to pull this off with say Google but not so with a more conservative company. Be careful when stepping out of the box. The remainder of the book contains an appendix of action verbs and another appendix with real-world resume examples that support his book in the previous chapters.
Conclusion
In reading this book there much to like and use to build a successful resume. While much of the information is very good and valid, the resume examples should be used as you see fit based on your locality, career and the recipients of your resumes. Hiring managers outside of U.S. would expect this type of resume and in fact many in the E.U. would expect to see more personal information and maybe even a picture. In contrast, U.S. hiring managers are more concerned about the facts and getting someone in the door as quickly as possible, so this format may not benefit or get a fair reading. If you find your traditional resumes are not yielding results then I would encourage you to try an alternative format such as the examples in this ebook. Who knows, you might strike a chord with a hiring manager or company looking for something a little different.
