ON THE JOB

Should you ever dumb down a résumé?

Q I'm finishing up my PhD in chemical engineering but have decided that the type of work I'd really like to do is more engineering than research. The problem is that I think I'm scaring off companies by the doctorate on my résumé. I'd be happy working for a company looking for someone with a bachelor's or master's degree. I explain this in my interviews, but inevitably after the interviewers send my résumé to their HR department, I never hear from them again. Any advice on what I should do or how I should change my résumé? I'm afraid if I leave the PhD off it, companies will be concerned with the two-year lapse in time from when I received my master's.

APalmer Suk, president of Snelling Personnel Services, a Tysons Corner recruiter, said he would never omit the doctorate.

"Why in the world would you apologize for one of your achievements?" he asked.

"What I see come across my desk from engineers [in résumés] is that lots of times it's overkill. The résumé ought to be a page, two at the most.

"The titles in your résumé should define what you do, followed by some short bulleted synopsis of what your work was and how it benefited the employer, how you achieved some result," Suk said. "It has to be concise."

In this case, where the applicant's achievements may mostly have been in graduate school, Suk suggested that he focus on his thesis work.

"Hopefully he can say how he stood out in some way with his research projects," Suk said. "You want to grab someone's attention. The whole purpose [of the résumé] is to get your foot in the door."

With that answer, I offer best wishes to all my readers for a prosperous 2005. This is my last On the Job column. Thanks for reading it the past several years and for all the intriguing questions you posed. And, of course, thanks to the many experts who provided the answers to your workplace dilemmas.

-- Kenneth Bredemeier

Discuss workplace issues with Kenneth Bredemeier at 11 a.m. Wednesdays at www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.