Resume Tailoring, Layoffs Spark Debate

Recent debate comments from eFC readers dealt with candidates tailoring their presentations to a specific employer's needs, and the feared downturn in Wall Street's job market.

Is Tailoring Your Resume Like Cooking the Books?

Kate Evans, a hiring manager for traders, expressed irritation at having "to read between the lines" of a resume when an applicant is "likely skewing it to the job ad." She advises candidates to present any crossover skills in cover letters, rather than "fudge" their resumes.

Alan Geller, who works in HR and Recruitment, counters that since cover letters often don't get forwarded to every decision-maker, it's too risky to rely on them to convey any important selling point for a candidate. He advises candidates to "look at your career move as a structured product transaction": research each target employer's challenges and issues, calibrate your candidacy to those factors, and sell yourself from the employer's perspective by presenting your potential contribution.

Add your two cents here.

Are layoffs coming to Wall Street?

"The pink slips are coming to the product areas that have been decimated and will go across trading, research, quants, IT, Operations etc.," wrote an anonymous reader who works in information technology.

Emil, with a background in compliance/legal, wrote, "I have been more than two months in the job market...I used to have three calls from recruiters per week in September, 2006."

What do you think? Add your comments here. Or, join our more recent debate sparked by financial services analyst Brad Hintz's Guest Comment that any layoffs will be concentrated among managing directors ( which could actually create more advancement opportunities for junior bankers).

You can see all of our debates by clicking here.