SteveAnderson's picture

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Submitted by SteveAnderson on
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Career Management

After reviewing my resume, my VP (boss's boss) asked me to apply for several internal positions. (Yay!)

He's also asked for four different variants of my resume tailored to each job. (Yay!)

And he's "strongly recommended" that I change my resume format from M-T "so as to present myself in the most favorable light possible." He then went on about how it needed to be more visually appealing, clear and concise. (And, in case you're wondering, the recommended format was three pages long with page borders and a two inch tall summary section.)

My VP won't be the hiring manager but will be providing a recommendation to his peers who are over the jobs in question.

So - go against my skip or stick with what's worked?

GlennR's picture
Submitted by GlennR on Thursday October 10th, 2013 10:04 am

Who currently has more clout in your organization, your VP or MT? If that doesn't answer your question, read on.

I would change the format even though it doesn't fit the MT format. Here's why:

  1. Because your VP said so. There may be cultural influences here that favor the format suggested by the VP. Even though he is not the hiring manager, do you want to risk him discovering you ignored his advice?
  2. This is for an internal position. It sounds to me like you're already going to get interviewed, which is the primary purpose of a resume, right? Therefore, in your case, the purpose of the resume shifts to inform the interviewers of your background. The format, to me, is less important.
  3. I use the MT format, however, I also know that every day people are hired even though their resumes followed a different model. The MT model is effective. That does not preclude other models from being effective.
  4. Let me give you a different paradigm. In this case, you are selling yourself to the hiring team, therefore, they are your customers. Your customers prefer the resume in a particular format. Meet their needs, not yours.

Put a note in your delta file to remind you to change the culture when you achieve senior management status or perhaps rise to a position where you can recommend adoption of this and other MT practices..

Good luck to you.

Glenn

 

mike_bruns_99's picture
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Submitted by mike_bruns_99 on Thursday October 10th, 2013 4:19 pm

I fully agree with Glenn, change your resume to match your VP's preferred format.  He knows the higher levels of your organisation much better.  And MT recommendations apply to 90% of situations 90% of the time.  Perhaps this situation is one of the 10%.  However,

I don't see a downsize with sending the MT version also, called "Steve_Anderson_Resume_Condensed"

If your boss is firm that he doesn't like the MT format, obviously don't push it.  

duplicate_account_MarkAus's picture
Submitted by duplicate_accou... on Thursday October 10th, 2013 6:54 pm

 Yes, in this case I would also do what the VP instructed.  If he expressly told you to do it, and he has influence over the decision, the last thing you want to do is disobey clear instructions.   S/he probably wouldn't look favourably on that.

The VP may be wrong, but would you rather be right or be effective?

duplicate_account_MarkAus's picture
Submitted by duplicate_accou... on Thursday October 10th, 2013 6:54 pm

 Yes, in this case I would also do what the VP instructed.  If he expressly told you to do it, and he has influence over the decision, the last thing you want to do is disobey clear instructions.   S/he probably wouldn't look favourably on that.

The VP may be wrong, but would you rather be right or be effective?

mattpalmer's picture
Submitted by mattpalmer on Friday October 11th, 2013 5:31 am

"Who currently has more clout in your organization, your VP or MT?"

Says it all and then some.  Made me smile.

SteveAnderson's picture
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Submitted by SteveAnderson on Friday October 11th, 2013 8:53 am

 Thanks for the very wise advice. At the end of the day, I needed to act before any of your advice came in so I ended up changing the format and casually asking for some feedback on the M-T format. Turns out he actually was torn about it, too since he thought it was a great résumé if it was one out of a dozen or more on a hiring manager's desk - in this case it's the only one. To resolve his own his own questions about it before he asked me to use the new format, he put my résumé side by side with the other format and showed them to three hiring managers and asked them which they'd read and it was the three pager every time. 

So, I'm a little red in the face for asking the question here but deservedly so. Thanks again for the sage advice. 

-Steve

tedtschopp's picture
Submitted by tedtschopp on Thursday October 17th, 2013 1:37 am

I wouldn't do:

"Steve_Anderson_Resume_Condensed"

I would do:
"Steve_Anderson_Resume_Executive_Summary"
"Steve_Anderson_Resume_Career_Management_Document"

Or something along those lines.  As these are internal jobs a career management document is probably more along the lines of what is expected.  And your VP probably knows that your internal HR file is a piece of crap due to them not having the bandwidth to keep it accurate or detailed enough so he is probably giving you the best advice possible to overcome the cultural challenges within the organization of not having a company provided management document.


Ted Tschopp
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