Hi There,
I get surprised when I read over the various social networking sites the so called ‘6 second rule’ of your resume.
A resume is supposed to be a window to let the employers know more about you and if I can say so then exactly about you. If at all an employer has the ability to gauge a person in the 6 seconds that he allows himself to browse through a life time of the candidates work, the employer for sure has to be declared the Guru of psychology.
I wonder if the employer during the interview expects the candidate to answer in 6 seconds the most common question (‘Tell me more about yourself’)! If not then what is the relevance of the 6 second resume?
Let us look at the argument that a shorter and crisper resume portrays a more professional image to the employer. This brings us to another important aspect of a ‘professional image’. If indeed sheer writing skills can portray a person to be a thorough professional, I then wonder why is it that most letters, reports and memos ultimately gets drafted by the interns and entry level staffs. The higher you are in the corporate ladder, the more you end up reviewing and lesser actually writing. Are we then to imply that the interns are actually at the peak of their best professional display?
Let us now look at the argument that the objective of a shorter resume is to create a powerful impact in the shortest possible time …something that immediately catches the eye of the employer and which forces the employer to shortlist and then interview you. Got it! What the employer actually expects me is to exaggerate, convert operational processes into numbers and then bloat blatantly! Does this ring any bell? Ever come across any colleague who are self-proclaimed geniuses and may never actually be seen putting pen on paper! I wonder what would have they written on their resumes?
Am not sure why do employers not spend decent enough time to understand each resume, each person behind the resume. When an employer is willing to risk his millions on hiring the right candidate, would spending at least 1 minute on each resume be too much to ask for?
Your Thoughts?
Deliberations 