Thank you for an interesting perspective for resume content, especially as it aligns with my thoughts on what a company would be looking for in a quality candidate. I believe the challenge that many individuals in transition face is understanding the audience they are writing for.

Most postings and comments on resume writing focus on getting it past the HR gatekeeper, who are focused on identifying the ideal candidate(s) for the position, and are reviewing several hundred resumes for a specific position. The other posting are nearly unanimous in the short amount of time a recruiter spends looking at a resume and the need to get as many “key words” or phrases/accomplishments onto the resume while still keeping the length at 2 pages or less.

Additionally, many individuals provide their accomplishments and look to the interview in order to provide more detailed information on how it was accomplished, giving them the ability to demonstrate their communication skills, and lead to further discussion during the interview.

Finally, it seems that in many instances, the job descriptions are tightly focused to meet the current needs and skill set. Requirements that specify the minimum number of years of industry experience, specific computer system or programs experience will either eliminate potentially great candidates at the gatekeeper level, or cause these individuals not to pursue the position because they lack the industry or specific technical experience, or have the wrong technical background (such as JD Edwards or Oracle instead of SAP).

Personally I believe a diverse background in different industries brings a fresh perspective to the position and different ways of addressing the problems. While I feel that it is important to show a strong technical understanding, I feel that inexperience with a specific technical requirement allows the individual to challenge the status quo and drive solutions for the company and the customer.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.