Sending Resumes? Then press pause on your Dignity.

One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered. – Michael J. Fox

Everyone should have the basic right to respect and ethical treatment, but if you are in the middle of a job search, dignity can be a difficult thing to maintain.

The job search is all about trading ego for hope. Your resume will be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked…don’t take this personally. Until your resume matches up, it is worth no more than the flickering screen it appears upon.

Your resume is a professional calling card and point of pride. No doubt you have spent countless hours perfecting, retuning, and agonizing over word placement. If you are going to assign your self-worth and dignity on an agonizingly short document, take the steps to do it right.

Recruiters and HR pros receiving your resume quickly screen for specific key words and familiarity. Having been in a recruiting environment at a major US company near Seattle recently, I can tell you that most resumes are sloppy, out of date, and fail to address the qualifications of the position applied for.

You have one minute to impress, let’s make sure you are worth the time.

Testing your resume – a four step process:

1. Put the dignity you have injected into your resume away. It will not help you here. More important now is that you find your objectivity.
2. Read the position that you are applying for in full. Jot down the 5 main qualifications that you believe they are seeking.
3. Bring page 1 of your resume to your computer screen or print the first page (most recruiters do not go to page 2 unless page one is worth it). Give yourself one minute to review it while focusing upon the 5 main qualifications you jotted down.
4. Would you consider yourself for the job?

I asked you to put your dignity away, but do not get rid of it – you will need it in force when you interview. For the paper process however, it is a numbers game. You need to get your resume out there in big numbers, and you need to make sure the message you are sending is quick, effective, and matches the needs of the recruiter.