Industry-specific resumes: What’s the difference?

On Saturday morning, I spent four hours sitting at a round table on a plastic chair, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee, and reviewing resumes.

Although it can be difficult to find time to do volunteer work, I really enjoy these events.  The people that attend are professional and motivated, the discussions are positive and proactive, and everyone involved learns something new — including me.

This week, I learned about the challenges of preparing a resume in industries where it seems the typical resume format doesn’t apply.

Twice on Saturday, the questions that I usually ask to delve into accomplishments and unique value garnered responses of “Well, that’s not really how we do things,” or “See, in my job it was more like..”  And we’d dig to find the common ground — the place where their job experience overlapped with the conventional wisdom.

While you may find that certain industries’ requirements differ from the “general” resume advice that’s out there, the basics are always the same.  Any resume should be:

• Professional. Neat, organized, easy to read and free of errors.
• Results-focused. Details of previous positions should tell the reader not only what you accomplished, but how and why.
• Fresh.  It shouldn’t use too many buzzwords, or language that doesn’t sell.

From that standpoint, EVERY resume should follow the “general” resume advice that’s out there, even if you feel like your industry, job or background requires its own spin.

So tell me, am I wrong?  When should a resume writer ignore the popular advice?

photo credit: roger.karlsson

Related posts:

1. Resumes: Show off your accomplishments
2. Recent presentation: Your strongest resume
3. Please STOP reviewing your friends’ resumes
4. Resume roundup: 15 must-reads for job seekers
5. My resume objective? Eliminate yours.

Tagged as: Career, job change, job hunt, job search, resume, resumes, trends