What length of Resume will get you in the door
I am a big fan of Heather's "Marketing at Microsoft" Blog. She has an interesting view on recruiting issues, and also seems to care a whole lot about the people behind the resumes. It's refreshing to see someone who deals with so many applications still being able to see the person, and not just a document. Her post on Why the one page resume doesn't work anymore may be an eye-opener for people applying for a new job.
My point of view is somewhat different- but I am not a recruiter. My job was to make the final decision about candidates, for both technical and managerial positions.
I can't rememebr how many people I have interviewed over the past 5 years. It's all a blur... I had days with 5-10 interviews, and some quiet periods with only 2 or 3 a day. That's a lot of people to talk to, and plenty of resumes to see. I can tell you one thing- I have a great deal of appreciation for Heather's ability to still be intersted in the story "behind the scenes".
I like to have a conversation face-to-face with a candidate or applicant. The resume is a place to start, but I can't rely on the candidates' writing skills to get a good view of their abilities- especially when all technical resumes look exactly the same, with the same buzzwords and the same structure.
That's why I feel that a short resume is better- it only needs to get you through the door, for an interview with the right person.
I also think that the best way in, is to have someone you know deliver the resume to "the right person". Your chances of getting an interview that way are higher- and you will probably meet a more sympathetic interviewer.