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American Morning

Throw Away the Resume?

Aired July 06, 2001 - 9:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: The government has just announced that the unemployment rate edged a little bit higher in June. It was up to 4.5 percent. That's up from 4.4 percent in May, which means that with all these corporate cutbacks and dot-com downsizing it could be a good time to revamp your resume. Or maybe not. Some job search experts are recommending a new approach that means throwing away the resume.

CNN's Gina London explains that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GINA LONDON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dawdling economy has many of us hitting the pavement in search of work or revamping our resumes just in case we get zapped in the next round of layoffs.

(on camera): Of course, you can now post hundreds of resumes on the Internet but research shows only one percent of people looking for work actually land jobs simply from their resume.

(voice-over): That's why the founder of the nation's largest career coaching organization, Delta Road, is telling his clients to throw away their resume.

GORDON MILLER, DELTA ROAD: Resumes end up in a stack. Whether it's on the corner of a desk or on your computer, it ends up in a stack. Resumes have a tendency to rule you out, not rule you in.

LONDON: Miller says to set yourself apart from the stack, submit a job proposal.

MILLER: What a job proposal says is this, here's the work I want to do for you. Here's what my role will look like. Here's what my title will be. Here's what my compensation plan will be.

LONDON: Researching your target company and writing a two page mini business plan may take more time than a standard resume and cover letter, but Cathie Beck says it's worth it.

CATHIE BECK, WRITER: It was a standout document. It's powerful. It's proactive. And I've submitted about half a dozen, I guess, and I've never got a "no." LONDON: Needless to say, a job proposal in itself may not clinch a job, but if it makes a potential employer take notice and call you for an interview, that may be the difference it takes to succeed in this increasingly competitive job market.

Gina London, CNN, Denver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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