Résumé
You can find great advice for building a résumé on Websites like Monster, Hotjobs, and How-to-write-a-resume.org. It goes without saying that as a contractor, you need to update your résumé more often than an employee. When I decided to become a technical writing contractor, I took advantage of the résumé service offered by my alma mater. My existing résumé stressed my teaching experience, which needed to be downplayed in preference of my writing experience. I learned a lot from that résumé coach; if you have the opportunity to take advantage of a résumé service, do so. I believe you will find it well worth your time.
Maintain Separate Résumés
If you work in more than one area of expertise (such as technical writing and project management), you may want to maintain two different résumés. Specializing your résumé helps potential clients think you are just the person they need. Granted, a few opportunities may demand all your skills, but most don’t—and you won’t get an interview if you present an unfocused or irrelevant résumé because hiring managers don’t want to pay for experience they can’t use.
Focus On Current Opening
Good ways to focus your résumé include:
- Fine-tuning your Objective statement
- Switching the order of some of your bullet points
- Deleting (or at least rewriting) entries that are too specific to skills that don’t appear necessary
- Elaborating on responsibilities and accomplishments that seem more relevant to the position requirements
- Altering your previous job titles (within reason, of course)
To get inside the hiring manager’s head, ask yourself “What will convince this decision-maker that I’m perfect for his or her opportunity but also that I won’t abandon it for an even better one as soon as it comes along?”
Don’t Appear Overqualified
When managers believe a candidate is overqualified, they may be thinking:
- “This résumé doesn’t convince me that the candidate will commit completely to doing what I want done”
- “This candidate has skills that are more valuable than the ones I need”
- “This candidate will probably be a flight risk”
- “This résumé inflates the candidate’s accomplishments and makes me doubt their veracity”
In addition, giving the recruiter more information about your varied experience than they need may even cause you to seem less suitable for the opening. It takes time, but focusing your résumé for the opportunity pays off in the long run.