Mashable recently published an interesting article called “5 Biggest Resume Debates Among Recruiters,” by Adrian Granzella Larssen, who is Editor-in-Chief for The Daily Muse.

Since the holiday season is in full swing, and you are all probably pretty busy doing your part to stimulate the economy, I thought I would save you some time and give you a summary of the “debates” and what that means for dental job seekers.

Debate #1: The Multi-Page Resume

Larssen indicates that there is a case to be made for one or multiple pages depending on your situation and field. Some job fields do, indeed, almost demand more than one page, while for others you can get it done in one. But I like what she says about making sure it tells a story about why you are the right fit.

This goes into one of the things we’ll be talking about in the weeks ahead about branding yourself. You want your resume to not just be some generic document that you use over and over for every job you apply for without making little “tweaks” here and there to customize it. Would you ever go into a store and buy a new outfit without making sure it was the right size or trying it on?

 Debate #2: The Creative Resume

She quotes Steffi Wu of ZenPayroll in saying that a good, creative resume and supporting resume formats such as video, infographics, and others is “an awesome way to stand out from the stack.” But also ads that it needs to be done well.

We agree, a beautifully-designed resume can really make a huge difference in getting employers to press pause when they come to your offering. But, it’s also true that there are some who try a little too hard (too many fonts, too many colors, too many graphics) and that comes across as a negative. So definitely, do it, but don’t over-do it.

Debate #3: The Pretty Resume

This really ties into the second debate and I almost wish Larssen would have addressed more about some of the non-traditional resume types (such as websites, video and online profiles).

She does touch on keeping it simple for jobs like those in the dental profession where you aren’t usually involved in producing creative work (like a graphic designer). So, yes, keep it simple and, yes, make it “pretty” but don’t go too over-board with it.

Debate #4: The Interests Section

Next, Larssen touches on whether or not you should include personal interests on your resume. Some say no, some say yes. She quotes Recruiting Consultant Michael Wade in saying, there’s nothing wrong with sharing personal interests so long as they enhance your brand and not distract.

He gives an example of a friend that enjoyed making ice cream as a hobby and put that on their resume. As a result, the interviewer mentioned it on every interview he went on. It seems trite but those are the kinds of connections that ultimately land you jobs.

Here’s a tip to take that one step further. Do a little “research” on the dentist you are interviewing for (find them on Facebook or somewhere else, or take note of things in their office). Find something you have in common (say running or fitness, for example).  Then when you interview be ready to bring it up at some point (beginning or end) so that you can begin to make those connections that will help them see you more favorably. One of my previous dentists was kind of an adventure seeker and so it was kinda fun for both of us to talk about his latest hike or expedition to some foreign land.

Debate #5: The “Updated Job Title”

This tip has to do with modifying previous job titles to either make more sense to someone you are applying for a job with or to mesh more with the job you are applying for. Obviously, this has no relevance to dental professionals, unless you want to add some crafting sub-title like “Dental Hygienist – The Teeth Scraper”. You could get pretty creative with it and catch some attention, but it could backfire too so we can’t recommend it.

So, there you have it – the top five debates on resumes. We really would have liked to see her touch on whether to include a picture or not, because that’s certainly a touchy one too.

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season!