What are You Reading, and How Can it Help Your Resume and Job Search?

If you're about to prepare a resume, or you're considering a revision to a resume, of course you're bound to be diving in to books about writing resumes.



But you're not just a resume writer, are you? You're a well-rounded business person. As a manager, executive, or solo business professional, your reading shouldn't (and probably doesn't) center simply around task-based books. And interestingly, reading some of the higher level business books can actually help you with the task of completing your resume - and other job-search-related tasks.



Before we get into that, though, here are three great resources for finding out which business books should be on the top of your reading list.



*Bestseller lists. From major media outlets like the New York Times, to major retailers like Amazon, you'll find a bounty of bestseller lists with a quick Google search.



*Top books of the year lists. The lists differ, since everyone's opinion is different, and lists like these are more about fostering discussion than anything else. Major media and retailers put out these lists, too, and so do more job-search-relevant places. Monster.com, for example, offers an Best Business Books of the Year list.



*Business summaries. You've seen them advertised in the airline magazines, flooding your mailbox with direct response offers, and blinking in banner ads on the sides of your favorite business websites. The truth is, these summaries are a great deal for the time-crunched professional. Absorb the main concepts in a short reading session, and take a stroll over to your local library if you want to dive deeper.



So, what do these business books have to do with resume writing and distribution? On the face of it, not much. But step back for a moment and ask yourself these questions:



* What are hiring managers in your target industries reading right now?



* What are recruiters and headhunters reading right now?



* What's on the executive office bookshelves in venture captial firms right now?



I'd be willing to bet the answers include a few of the books on those lists. And if these are the books they're reading, shouldn't these be the books you're reading, too?



Make sure your resume, your interviews, and your networking encounters demonstrate (in a nicely understated way) you're up to date with some of the hottest business books out there. Even (and especially) if you don't agree with what you read in them. Polite disagreement makes for some great conversation.