How A One Page Resume Can Get You Your Dream Job?

We have all heard about the “elevator speech”, but what about a one page resume which is an equivalent of an elevator speech. Has an elevator speech helped anyone grab that offer one has always dreamed of?

If yes, can a one page resume do the same? I was just reading through an article on Forbeswhich discussed “if a graphic resume can get you a job” and one of the experts, Sue Karlin, President of Suka Creative, concurs. “Resumes should be clear, clean and to the point. I don’t believe they should entertain, distract or compete with the information the prospective employer or recruiter is looking for. I’m looking for a resume that is clear and easy to scan and for me to get information I need. No fancy fonts, no wild colors, no background designs.” This article was published in June 2012, not very old, but has the competition for standing out from the piles of resumes lying on the recruiters desktops, physically or as soft copies, grown fierce over the years?

Another Career advice site mentions “Ideally, your resume should be one page, because recruiters and managers have short attention spans, It’s your ad; it doesn’t have to be comprehensive. If you feel the need to write down everything you’ve done in your entire career, you’re not thinking about the buyer, who just needs to know what’s relevant.” Their tip for keeping your resume short and easy for the “buyer”: Use a summary statement. “It’s better than a career objective,” it says. “It’s what you want me to know about you in a nutshell. That makes it easy for recruiters to know your focus and your skills.”

A third argument is whether or not a personal website can help you improve the chances of getting the desired job. In the age of LinkedIn, do you really need one? If so, why, and how much should getting a URL of your own cost you? Among many career experts, the verdict is that a personal website can meaningfully enhance your job search.

“Having a website can help employers see that you are knowledgeable about current technologies,” says Donna Schilder, a leadership and career coach. “It also gives an employer an additional experience of you. It adds dimension to their understanding of your skills and personality.” And while a personal website can help anyone get employed, it can be especially beneficial for millennials. A website “allows people to showcase their true talents, be found online by recruiters, and invest in their careers long-term,” says Dan Schawbel, the managing partner of Millennial Branding. According to recent surveys, only 7% of the general population—and 15% of millennials—currently have a personal website.

That certainly gives you an edge in the competitive world especially if your job profile demands a bit of creativity, innovation and that X-factor to be short listed. A personal website can surely place you on the top of the short listings and garner that call for an interview if not more.

Like any good argument, there is a middle ground solution, Recruiters read for speed. They are on a minute-long word hunt for certain titles, skills and years of experience. Hiring managers read for detail. So, whether you may or may not have a personal website, but ideally, you would at least want to have, a one-page resume for the recruiter and an in-depth resume format to be shared with the hiring manager. In your short version, make certain to highlight keywords and titles referenced in the ad for the position. In the longer version, provide the hiring manager with enough detail for them to get an accurate picture of you, what you are capable of accomplishing and what you want from the career path.”

But the proof is in the pudding; hence in order to let you decide for yourself, I have two versions of my own resume along with this post. One being a creative, one page version which includes all the vital information any recruiter may seek while the other, standard two /three page version, which is detailed enough for any hiring manager to see in-depth career history. Both of these are in word document formats so that based on your style or liking, you might be interested to use any one (or both) and create one for your own career progression. Yes, in addition to this I also have created my personal website called www.avinashdeshpande.com which has been created by me from scratch having neither development background nor any experience in webpage coding, not even a small budget to invest in a website designer. The website is created and maintained at an annual expense of 10$ with a little support of my friend who has helped me host it on his server.

As a next step, download my two resumes from the dropbox link below and use them as a template for creating your own. Aim for that job you always wanted and apply using one or both of the resumes and let me know which one of them helped you get your dream job.

Link to One Page Resume https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwn6uK5wquTIOE42ZUhMVDgtUFU/view?usp=sharing

Link to two/three page resume https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwn6uK5wquTIUHVzSnM1UW5sbHFjUG9ZVWtSWFJCeklaN2Rv/view?usp=sharing

Link to Website : www.avinashdeshpande.com

Please write your thoughts about this article in the comments below and share your own experiences with other LinkedIn members.