How Long Should A Resume Be?

I'm often asked how long a resume should be. The short answer is: as long as it needs to be to convince the reader to call you in for an interview.

The longer answer is:

If you have 10 years of experience or less, consider keeping it to 1 page; if you go to two pages, you should have enough material to fill up at least 1/2 of the second page.

If you have more than 10 years of experience, go to 2 pages.

If you are a senior executive or academic, 3 pages is fine.

The key is to focus on clearly tying your accomplishments and related skills and qualities to what is being sought by the employer (or employers in general) for the functional area and/or job to which you are applying.

Readability; professional look and feel; and having ZERO spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors is also key.

The average recruiter will give a resume about 15-45 seconds of attention before deciding whether to read on or put the resume into long-term storage. You want to make a strong positive impression from the get-go to make sure that you are not passed over before the recruiter and hiring manager have the chance to find out just what a great fit you are for the job.

8 Ways to Win More Contracts

Hotjobs.com recently published an article proposing 8 ways for consultants and contractors to win more contracts:

1. Prepare to make a great first impression - research the company and subject matter
   
2. Focus on the client and their desire to solve a problem cost-effectively
   
3. Anticipate objections and prepare to deal with them
4. Create a sense of urgency (but understand the client's constraints first)
   
5. Provide an incentive
6. Avoid auctions - don't compete on price; compete on value
   
7. Keep in touch - start with a nice e-mail and then follow up weekly by phone until you get a yes or a no.
   
8. Know when to walk away (better to walk away from an unfair deal)

For the entire article with all the juicy details, click here.

5 Core Behaviors to Succeed as an Independent Consultant

According to a recent article on Hotgigs.com, IT pro's are flowing out of the corporate world "like traders after the closing bell on Wall Street" in order to become consultants. The main motivators are more money and time flexibility.

But what does it take to succeed as an independent IT professional? The article suggests 5 core behaviors or practices:

1. Stay current on technology.
2. Invest in yourself with training and new skills acquisition.
3. Know/Learn how to run the "business side" of being a consultant - and apply that knowledge.
   
4. Think more about long-range career opportunities, not just money, when considering a new gig.
5. Know/Learn how to market yourself and do so frequently and consistently.

These recommendations apply to any independent consultant - just substitute the word "subject matter" for technology - for you non-tech people.

For a longer discussion of each of the 5 recommendations, visit the article by clicking here.