YOU CAN find insane amounts of resume advice online, and some of it's ok, but most of it is just garbage. We have entered a brave new world of job searching. The people who wrote the books on job searches and resumes have never had to apply for jobs in the modern, Internet-driven world of 2008. This is a keyword-focused, spam-filter-dodging, impersonal job market we're working with. The rules have changed.

For example if anyone ever tells you to fit your resume onto one page, slap them in the face. This is the worst thing you can do! Do not be convinced that your experience should just so happen to fit on an arbitrarily defined paper size. In fact, 8.5" x 11" isn't even standard in most of the world.

I say damn the one page limit! If you have skills that are applicable to the job you are applying for, put 'em on there. Any piece of equipment you've used, go for it. Definitely list specific projects you worked on in college or at your current company.

These are not only additional keywords for the resume filters to recognize, these are talking points for the interview. By limiting the conversation to what you already know, you eliminate some of the bs-ing you have to do when they ask a question that starts with "tell me about a time.." (See Human Resources: Your Worst Enemy)

On the flip side, though, this isn't a license to write. If you worked as a deli clerk in high school, there's no need to put that on your resume after you graduate college. In fact, if your resume is strong enough while still in college, get rid of it. It's not going to help someone hire you. No matter how good "helping customers in fiscal transactions" sounds when applying to be a marketing specialist.

BioPharmGuy