What are resumes really? They are nothing but an exceedingly vital marketing tool. It is the key to unlocking your entry in the direction of career opportunities and knocking on doors of your dream role or employers. Although lateral resumes differ in some respects from a fresher resume, however, the fundamentals remain the same. Professional firms and organisations look for more detailed information from lateral candidates and are less forgiving when errors occur. Thus, it’s perilous that you are thorough with all aspects of your resume, do your homework and take the necessary time and effort to prepare a solid lateral resume. There are a whole lot of differences between a lateral and fresher resume, some very important and some not so very, nevertheless you need to be aware of all these while preparing your resume.
Remember as a lateral candidate, your universe is much smaller. And because there are many pieces to the puzzle, getting the right opportunity is a challenge. Having said that, you can do it if you do your homework and target the firms that will want and need to hire you. I have put together some aspects which as per my experience are highlights to help laterals start the process of preparing a resume:
1. For laterals work experience always comes before your education and for fresher resumes, it’s the other way around. For any firm that is hiring laterals, work experience stands taller than the academic credentials.
2. A pattern to your experience. The work experience should have a storyline or a pattern to it. Candidates jumping all over the map are looked upon shadily. Employers prefer to hire individuals who have a logical progression and stability to their work history. Even if you have made a role switch, you need to develop a connection or thread to the earlier role
3. Keep it short. Fresher resume should never exceed one page and lateral resumes should not exceed two or max four pages. Every aspect of the resume must be brief and not with a long paragraph or story, the storytelling may be done during the actual interview. It is not required to include every little thing that you have done, vital information can be lost in the process of filling your resume with everything. Believe me, I have come across excellent one-pager resumes of very senior people.
3. Targeted information. Laterals must take the time to read the role/job description or probe the recruiter to better understand the role and then customize your resume with the targeted information. You must overhaul your resume every time you apply to a new prospective employer, customizing the required portions. Maybe even have two or three resumes highlighting different aspects of your skills and experience.
4. Specialisation. This is a must especially if have a minimum of four years’ experience. In today’s market, employers want to see a certain level of specialization and your resume should showcase that distinctively.
Include an addendum, if you must, for other noteworthy achievements.
5. Cover letters and subject lines. This plays an important role in seeking the attention of the recruiter. This should be short, concise, and to the point. Write it with something that the employer wants. Breaking it down with bullet points help.
6. Complex sentences. This is a big no-no for resumes and cover letters as well. Be conscious of when you are trying to cover too much in a single sentence. Consider breaking it into shorter sentences, or even a list.
7. Avoid jargon and abbreviations. Keep your audience in mind. Avoid language you would use with your other internal industry mates. Write using everyday vocabulary.
8. Finally, don’t forget to follow up. If you initially contacted an employer by mailing your unsolicited resume, then you should follow up two or three weeks after mailing it. You’re wasting your time mailing an unsolicited resume if you don’t bother to follow up on it. If you are using a search consultant, ask for a progress report every two weeks.
