Thursday, March 11, 2010

job search notes: what Dr Seuss does to your tongue, you shouldn't to your resume

Indeed, Dr Seuss' book Fox in Socks builds from simple tongue twisters to rather elaborate and complex ones.
The book begins by introducing the main characters, Fox and Knox (sometimes called "Mr. Fox" and "Mr. Knox") together with some props (a box and a pair of socks). After taking those four rhyming items though several permutations, more items are added (chicks, bricks, blocks, clocks), and so on. As the book progresses the Fox describes each situation with rhymes that progress in complexity, with Knox periodically complaining of the difficulty of the tongue-twisters
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What does this have to do with the job search?

Have you read your resume out loud and really listened to it?

Does it contain any tongue twisters?

Acronyms beyond comprehension?

Buzz words that sound great and mean nothing?
While I am open to the initial nature of an assignment, I am decidedly disposed that it be so oriented as to at least partially incorporate the experience enjoyed heretofore and that it be configured so as to ultimately lead to the application of more rarefied facets of financial management as the major sphere of responsibility.

Other bad examples can be found here


Make your resume a good one.


Keep your terms simple and to the point. Show action. Show measurable achievements.


If you need help with your resume, there are hundreds if not thousands of resume writers. You can pay for help or you can get a group together and work it out for yourself. Peer review will help.


Don't make it sound like Fox in Socks!





Other entries in this Dr Seuss Series for job searchers can be found here