What does a good ad do? It attracts attention and it makes it easy for the reader to get the message. It's oriented to the reader, it highlights favorable points, it's easy to read, and the details stand out under careful reading. What does a good ad avoid? It doesn't try to get the whole message across and it doesn't include (or at least plays down) negative points. A good resume should adhere to the same standards.
The employer's point of view
Employers are deluged with resumes. Your goal is to get your resume into the hands of executives who can hire you and to make sure it is given careful consideration. To accomplish this goal, it must answer the questions that almost always run through an employer's mind when reading a resume. What kind of a job is this person looking for? This triggers two other questions: (1) Do I have any real need for a person in this field of expertise? (2) Is this person worth the time of an interview? Your resume has to make clear the kind of a job you're looking for and make a convincing case that you have strong credentials for such a position. Most people read a newspaper story in the following manner: first, the headline; then if they're interested, the lead paragraph; and finally, if their interest continues, the whole story. A great many people read a resume in the same way: first to get a general impression, next to look for details necessary to support a decision on whether to grant an interview. Your resume must make a strong initial impression but it also has to stand up under careful reading.
Professional recruiters have the most demanding standards for evaluating resumes. They are skilled in evaluating applicants for positions that have been carefully defined by others. Within perhaps 30 seconds these professionals decide on which pile a resume goes: "probably interested," "possibly interested," or "not interested." The "probably interested" will definitely be given more careful screening. The "possibly interested" may. The "not interested" (usually 90 percent or more) definitely won't. Recruiters first look for people whose qualifications match the job specs closely.
After several interviews and a careful check of references, these professionals then select for referral to the employer those candidates whose qualifications and personal chemistry seem to fit best.
Most executives read resumes only occasionally, and they are more flexible in their appraisal of them. They put a high priority on personal compatibility. They want key people on their team to whom they relate to well, so a close match to the job specs is of lesser importance. These executives also have considerable latitude to create jobs for people they want on their team. A resume that scores well with professional recruiters should score equally well with operating executives. The converse is not true. A good unconventional resume may be of little interest to a professional recruiter, but it may catch and hold a key executive's attention.
Employers look for specialists. They seek them out, offer them the highest salaries, and give them the most challenging jobs. Big company recruiters try to recruit specialists or potential specialists on college campuses. Executive recruiters find their specialists in major jobs in business and industry. If you're seeking a job with a large or medium-sized company you should present yourself in such a specialist role. Except in small companies, the job market is poor for the jack-of-all-trades. The most successful professional job counselors urge you to set a specific objective and excel in all your presentations to it.
Maybe you think that you should present yourself as a generalist because it makes you a candidate for a wide variety of jobs. While in theory this broadens your market, by using such a straddling approach you won't appear as a strong candidate for any job. But if you show good credentials for a job that's not available, you may be offered another job in the company.