Resumes -- the Apollo syndrome

There is a story about a clerk at Cape Kennedy who claimed to be responsible for the first Apollo mission by providing key support to top scientists. Further questioning revealed that his contribution was serving coffee to the scientists (to keep them awake).

That clerk is uppermost in our minds now when we read resumes! Through the years, we have learned the hard way that we must be very careful about taking the words on a resume literally.

Routinely, we question nearly every achievement -- and especially those that might have some Apollo-syndrome influence. Certain key words and phrases are so overused that they probably should be avoided. "Implemented" and "system" immediately come to mind. Implementing a system could mean anything from responsibility for the full project development cycle to nothing more that copying the finished program modules to the production library.

What is the real difference between "supervised," "managed" and "directed"? Of course, the people who use these words aren't necessarily lying -- it's difficult to write a resume without using them. The burden is on the writer to be factual and the reader not to misinterpret. All parties must understand that:

(1) The resume writer will put his best foot forward.

(2) If the writer is caught using the Apollo syndrome, everything else on the resume becomes immediately suspect.

(3) The reader must use the resume as a document to dig for the background information. If the information is true but "embellished," and you misinterpret, don't blame the writer.

Resumes, I suppose, are necessary. We just have to get over believing that merely because it sounds good, is on expensive bond and is delivered by express mail that it means what it says.

"How long a time lies in one little word." -- William Shakespeare

Tom Whitley and the staff of Management Recruiters of Kannapolis, specialize in recruiting information systems, telecommunications, and networking professionals at both the technical and managerial levels. If you are interested in discussing career opportunities, if you need assistance with your recruiting efforts, or if you have comments about the Career Advisor contact Tom at tomwhitley@ctc.net.

Resumes
Network World, 2/22/99

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