In the corporate world, both students and professionals are required to undergo a number of tests and considerations in order to establish their own name in the market. Besides the external aspects, the foremost work starts right from the home itself. In other words, the candidate is required to perform some important things for a strong head start. This is where the resume writing steps in!
Given the paramount importance of a strong resume with an appropriate sentence structuring and wording to cater your specific industry and expertise, even resumes are not safe from some equally critical myths that plague the professional life of most of us.
As for this blog, we are going to talk about a couple of major, unexplained resume misconceptions that both students and professionals should essentially realize before applying for their next job.
Resumes shouldn’t exceed one page
Easily one of the most common, but rarely considered myth is that “resume shouldn’t exceed beyond a single page”, or your entire career will be finished even before starting. It is an old-school belief that has drilled in the minds of generations up till now, only to no good and limiting the professional’s, even worse, newly graduated student’s cognitive development from writing his or her resume confidently.
It can be said that the origination of this misconception dates back to the time when resumes where printed in paper and sent to the employer via mail. It makes sense due to the fact that no one likes to write their resume on multiple pages only to elevate the probability of paper cuts. The hindrance is now successfully countered, thanks to the digital age where a click of the mouse is all you need to do the job.
However, students should understand that no employer appreciates a resume that goes on boasting endlessly especially when it markets a tedious individual, or more commonly, the resume is irrelevantly lengthier than it needs to be. On the other hand, the individuals that have some really interesting and productive competencies and experiences to share, it becomes important for them to communicate themselves through more than a 1-page resume to let the company know how they can benefit them.
The problem especially bothers seniors who have much more experiences to share than fresh applicants in the industry. Therefore, no issue if their resume somehow crosses the 1-page barrier.
At the same time, you should see if a couple of pointers or a paragraph is exceeding one page, then try to squeeze the information within the 1st page. A proper rephrasing and effective formatting skills will help you in this regard.
Resumes are professional, but work hiatuses are personal
It is not uncommon to see people hesitating to talk about the work gaps they had, let alone adding in their resume. Most employment hauntings come in this form, where some employers might try to highlight the big “no-no” of a work gap simply for the sake of marketing themselves, or telling the candidate what impact his personal life can have on his professional tenure and accomplishments.
In reality, most work gaps account for some personal reasons that do not have any implications on the candidate’s resume at all. Even the most qualified of resumes will display some work gap, after all, death of a loved one, having a serious accident that sidelined you from action for good 6 months, attending a voluntary work in your family business, etc. do not require any justified explanations from the student or professional.
However, a work gap of 2 years or more is something you need to worry about. On the plus side, even this length of gap can be justified, provided you spent the interval abroad, indulged in a series of internships or voluntary activities, pursued further education, or any activity you felt was needed to further strengthen your practical and life skills . In addition to that, if you drop off the grid for years every now and then and still want to maintain a professional resume, then vigilantly write it in a functional style rather than in a reverse chronological order.
On the down side, if you fail to provide any genuine reasons (as stated above) for a prolonged employment gap, there is a high chance you will struggle more than ever to land a nice job. The point is, people should realize that work gaps have their own story to tell (if any) and may not harm your future employment chances as you might have previously thought.
Author Bio
Steve D’Souza, a traditionalist teacher with equal experience in the modernized classroom and education technology, is primarily known for his works in delivering lectures with varied teaching styles. Apart from his creativity, Steve also operates a top-notch assignment writing company with a large student base from all the major college and university degree programs as his specialty.
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