Myth Number Five: A Great Resume is a Guarantee of Success

posted by Waffles

What have we here?
A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
There is a written scroll! I’ll read the writing.
All that glitters is not gold…

- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, 1596

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, 1596 Shakespeare, the VP HR of Stratford on Avon, LLC, knew the truth over five hundred years ago. All that glitters is not gold, including your resume.

At its best, a resume can be a door opener. But be careful. The door swings both ways.

Certainly, your resume is the most important document in your career-changing arsenal. Just as certainly, if your resume is weak, you need to do something about it – right now. A poor resume eliminates you from consideration. A well-written and powerful resume shows that you meet the threshold requirements for the position, impresses the reader with your accomplishments, and establishes that you have some credibility. It paves the way. But even a glittering resume cannot capture the position for you. In fact, if you rely exclusively upon your resume to carry the day, your career change will come up short. And any hiring manager who relies too heavily on resumes is likely to have a short career.

The company isn’t hiring a sheet of paper, no matter how glossy or impressive it may appear. The company is hiring a person to solve problems. So, canny hiring managers and HR executives want to know a lot more about you than your resume can explain. Will you fit into the corporate structure and culture? Are you a clear thinker? Can you think on your feet? Are your verbal skills impressive? Are you persuasive? Do you have strong cognitive skills? Were you prepared for the interview? Will you panic “under fire”? Will you fold under pressure, or will you focus? Can you deliver on a deadline? Can you lead? Can you follow? Can you do the job? Are you too timid, or too bold? Will you be an irritant, or an inspiration? Will you solve problems, or create them? What do your references have to say about you? The list goes on and on. No resume can answer those and other critical questions. You must answer those questions for yourself.

Many owners of a fine resume have had their egos crushed during the hiring process. Don’t become one of them.

Do not rely on the resume; the company certainly won’t. Your presentation skills, interview skills, preparation and references must be every bit as polished as your resume, or success will prove elusive. As Morocco said to Portia after flunking his interview:

Adieu. I have too grieved a heart ?To take a tedious leave: thus losers part.