Keep resume short, get it to the right people

After two decades of helping people find jobs or new careers, Tom Darrow knows what works and what doesn’t.

He’s packaging that expertise —- along with crafting standout resumes and offering career counseling —- in a new Roswell company he launched last month called Career Spa. The spa has 15 professionals with backgrounds in human resources, recruiting and career coaching. The company also has teamed with local universities to conduct workshops.

With thousands of people looking for work in Atlanta, there was room for more career consultants.

“I saw a need to really go back in time to caring for the people and giving them the tools and encouragement to make the transition to a new job,” said Darrow, president-elect of the Georgia chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.

Darrow offered the following job-search tips:

Resumes that catch recruiters’ eyes

> Be concise. The rule of thumb traditionally has been a one-page resume if you have less than five years of experience and two pages if you have more. Nowadays, it’s one page regardless of experience.

> Provide full disclosure. Don’t try to hide your age by leaving all the dates off your resume. That could make recruiters wonder what else you are trying to hide.

> Tout accomplishments over duties. Responsibilities are what the company gave you. Your accomplishments are what you did with those responsibilities.

Where recruiters look for job candidates

> Industry-specific job boards. Forget the one-size-fits-all Web sites.

> Target many potential employers.

> Network. Try to get to the right people. Don’t just build a huge Rolodex of business cards.

Avoid

> Don’t spend too much time on the Internet. Only 7 percent of people find a job online, Darrow said.

> Don’t get bogged down writing and rewriting your resume. Instead, spend your time getting it circulated to the right people.