If you are not familiar with A B testing it is the latest way that companies determine which version of something people like more.  Here is a brief description of A/B testing.  It is being used EVERYWHERE!

Why you need to A/B test your resume

Resumes are tough.  You need to tweak them every time you apply for a job but how do you decide on the starting point?  You need to A/B test it.  I fully admit that there may be some ethical issues here.  Ideally you would apply to the same positions at the same companies but with different resumes.  But to do that you would need to use different unique identifiers (probably email addresses) and maybe different names and phone numbers.  The ethical issue comes into play if/when they ask you “have you ever applied with us before.”  Did I mention that lying on application is a quick and easy way to never get hired at a company?

So if you decide, as I would, to do the next best thing you want to apply to similar positions with two different resumes and track your results.  PLEASE tell me that you track where and when you apply for jobs!  You can also take both versions with you to informational interviews to ask their opinion.

Sometimes good is great

Yesterday morning Jeremy Carter from Breakout Birmingham and the Bold Future podcast told me… “If you wait on great, it never gets here.  Sometimes good should be your great.”  He was talking about editing podcasts but the same is true for working on your resume.  You have to find a stopping point.  Eventually you have to start applying for jobs.  I guarantee that you will miss out on 100% of the jobs you do not apply for.

Job boards are not dead

Today I read a report stating that 35% of the people surveyed in the US said that internet job boards were an important part of their job search.  If your resume sucks then you are effectively shooting blanks.  You MUST have a good resume.

More on what makes a good resume to come…

Al

The true greatness of a person, in my view, is evident in the way he or she treats those with whom courtesy and kindness are not required.
Joseph B. Wirthlin