30.

Use Your Résumé as a Marketing Document

Your résumé is not a history of everything you've done in your career. Employers and hiring managers are really only interested in what you've accomplished that will help make (or save) them money. Rather, your résumé is a marketing document that shows you in the best possible light. Think of it as being like makeup. It should accentuate your best features while hiding your flaws. If you have a big nose, there are ways to apply your makeup to either accentuate the size of your nose or to try to hide it. Either way, you still have a big nose—but with the right makeup, you can play it down.

Never lie on your résumé, however. But it's okay to omit certain experiences that would be of no importance to the employer. I played the drums for 15 years, but that fact never appears on my résumé—unless I'm applying to teach a college music course. (I've taught “The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Music and Society.”) Always look to the needs of the employer first.