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Some advice to my job searching friends

Writer's picture: Meg BearMeg Bear


I have noticed a few great pieces of advice lately on do’s and don’t for job searchers.  Now I  have one to add myself.


First a recap. 


Gretchen suggests practical things like don’t forget to make your contact information visible. 


Kris Dunn gives some pro tips for Extreme Job Hunting with a vote in favor of a solid and customized cover letter.


Jenn Barnes gives the useful tweet that your photo is not a good idea.


Here is my item to add to the pile. 


For the love of god, please keep your resume to two pages.  I saw one today for someone with nine years experience that took nineteen pages!   The idea that more is more is just not true with a resume.  Every page over two, is a page I realize you have no clue how to write a resume and you are wasting my time.


I’ve got [cough] sixteen years under my belt and my experiences are a very comfortable fit on two.  Maybe, when I hit the twenty year mark I’ll go to three, but I suspect I’ll do what all intelligent  some women do and start casually removing stuff to make myself feel younger.


I do not give this advice to make anyone uncomfortable, I am saying this to hopefully help.  It seems that building a solid resume is a skill that has been under-represented in many technical circles, as I come across novel length resumes a good 50% of the time.


For my good friends in technology who need jobs, I do hope you land in a great role and realize your potential.  I wish you all the best in your search.  I’m also happy to help with editing and review if you need someone to provide that service.   Send me your best two page draft and I’ll give you my honest feedback.


For my hiring friends, what other tips have we missed?

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