If you`ve been laboring over how to make your resume stand out from the crowd, it may be time for a rewrite. Instead of creativity, go for conformity. The reason: a new computer software program gaining favor among Fortune 500 companies. It scans applicants` resumes, comparing them with the qualifications prescribed for available jobs and producing the best matches. Human resource specialists enter the picture when it`s time for interviews.
”It doesn`t take the human element out at all,” insists Susan Espy, of Resumix, the Santa Clara, Calif., firm that invented and sells the employment automation system.
The system benefits job candidates, Espy says, because all resumes submitted are considered and are automatically stored and reviewed when any job opens.
Some job search experts aren`t convinced of the system`s merit.
”So much of job success depends on the relationships with people you work for and with,” says Betsy Sheldon, co-author of ”The Smart Woman`s Guide to Resumes and Job Hunting” (Career Press, $8.95). ”That element isn`t factored in to the evaluation, she says.
What to do? Learn as much as you can about the criteria to be used and customize your resume accordingly, Sheldon advises.
