One search of an online book retailer's inventory returned more than 1,000 results on the keyword search “resume.” You, too, have probably encountered the confusion of shelf after shelf of titles in the career section of your local bookstore. No matter how, where, or why you purchased this edition of The Everything® Resume Book, you have taken a solid first step toward new employment. You are now ready for education as well as motivation. Knowing the latest trends in resume design and delivery tells your prospective employer that you are aware of contemporary practices. It enhances communication opportunities between the Gen X/Gen Y and baby boomer generations, regardless of which one is the candidate and which one the hiring manager.

The Old Approach: Resumes Any Way

For years, resume books have established and advocated a “resumes any way” attitude. No matter the title, these books all espoused the same belief: “There is no one perfect resume.” Ironically, even those authors who did promote the so-called “perfect” resume did little more than echo the others. Most, if not all, of those books focused on creating the resume that potential employers (the infamous “they”) would want to see.

Readers were encouraged to assume the thoughts and preferences of their prospective employers. Energies and attitudes were focused on what they — meaning human-resources professionals, managers, recruiters, and executives — wanted to see in job-search documents like resumes, cover letters, and other supporting material. The resumes any way approach covered too many bases and included long, often contradictory, laundry lists of what they wanted.

Such an approach has an obvious disadvantage. There's no way that you, the job hunter, can possibly know what they want to see in your resume. A far more sensible — and effective — approach is to focus on what you do know: yourself. A successful, useful resume presents you as a person who knows the job and has the skills and abilities to do that job better than anyone else. It's that simple!

The New Way: Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is generally understood to be the second generation of how computer users relate to and utilize the Internet. This matters to job seekers because the venues associated with Web 2.0 impact how you conduct your job search in this age of technology. New tools include Web logs (blogs), videos, podcasts, social-networking sites, and more. These tools allow personal opinion and general information to be shared by various Web users in ways that were not possible before.

Do you really need to know this techie stuff?

Absolutely. This know-how will give you greater opportunity to direct your resume to the employers of your choice and will demonstrate that you are Internet-savvy and familiar with sources and methods used by organizations to locate candidate talent.

For example, a blog, which is a kind of online diary or commentary (typically interactive between writer and reader), can help you identify names of people who work at your target company and what they think about the organization's corporate corporate culture. You will learn more about these new techniques in Chapter 5.

Focus on Yourself

With the proper attitude, guidance, and communication tools, anyone can successfully look for a job. You don't have to be a hotshot Ivy League graduate. Whoever you are, and whatever you have done to date, you can develop a powerful resume that will help you achieve your career goals. As your resume will reveal, you are the best candidate for the job.

Your Personal Brand

Some resume professionals currently advocate creating a personal brand for yourself and using your resume to convey this strategy. Your brand is what differentiates you from the next candidate, the same way one product is set apart from another. Why do some people spend $4 on a cup of coffee? It is because of the perceived value of that coffee and what it says about image, taste, and quality. You can make the same principle apply to yourself.

You can probably think of real people who have their own personal brand. A few good examples include Madonna, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates. You can identify who they are and what they do in 100 words or less. After looking at a cover letter and resume, prospective employers should be able to do the same for you. The key to successful branding is making yourself stand out from the other candidates in your field.

Your resume brand must showcase your unique skills and the value you can bring to the employer. What makes you different from the next candidate? You must be able to articulate your unique value by detailing your distinctive talents, skills, and abilities. This will come across in your resume and during your interview.

You want the prospective employer to invest in you, the same way the coffee company wants you to invest in their high-priced beverage. Additionally, the design, format, and content of your resume, cover letter, and any other correspondence must be consistent and appealing. They create an image for you the moment the employer sees them. In essence, they presell you before you even walk through their door.