When NOT to stress your experience on your resume

A friend of mine who left the corporate world a few years back, then exhausted his unemployment benefits, asked me a while ago if I could help him "dumb down" his resume.

The short answer was, I could. But why? Why sell your experience and capabilities short? The fact is, there are times when you actually might want to do just that. For instance, if you are a seasoned worker who is considering a new career, a resume that is filled with high-level positions may keep you from getting your foot in the door. Or if you are looking to re-enter your chosen field after some time away, you might want to consider positions below the level of the last one you held as a way of gaining a foothold at a desirable employer.

But don't think of it as "dumbing down" your resume. "I don't like the term 'dumbing down' a resume - instead, a resume should be targeted to a specific job goal," said Donna Shannon, a recruiter, author of the book "Get a Job Without Going Crazy" (BookSurge, 2009), and president of Coyote Visions, an employment consultancy in Lakewood, Colo. "At times, that may mean leaving some information off to avoid being cut as overqualified."

One way to finesse your resume so that it won't get tossed into the overqualified pile before being read is to consider using a functional as opposed to a chronological resume. Review your responsibilities and achievements, determine what skills you used to accomplish them, and group the information by skill. You may want to consider omitting some accomplishments that indicate executive level work if the position you seek is well below that level.

Reduce your work history to just employers and dates, and leave off job titles in your work history. If your educational background includes advanced degrees like MBAs that may not be needed for the job you seek, remove these from the resume.

Of course, you should be tailoring your resume to fit the job each time you apply even if you are not looking to downshift your job level. And you should also be careful not to downplay your abilities too much when you are. After all, there are some employers out there who are looking for experience at a bargain price, and you might just be the bargain they're looking for. Just as you don't want to be thought of as overqualified in these situations, you don't want to be thought of as unqualified either.

BusinessWorkForce.com has plenty of job opportunities for both those starting over and those continuing along their current paths.

By Sandy Smith