Under advisement

Last week I signed on with a temp agency that specializes in finance/accounting jobs. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have an income while I'm pounding the pavement. I met with one of their account reps and we went over my resume. She only had one change to make; she told me to lump all three of my positions at my current company into one heading so it will be easier to see how long I've worked there (5 1/2 years). Everything else looked fine to her.

Last week I also sent my resume to the director of career services at a business college. This afternoon he sent some templates that have been proven to generate interviews for his graduates. He wants me to dramatically change my resume. The trouble is, I really don't like what he's suggesting and his advice is completely different from the temp agency's.

Whose advice do I take? I think the real issue here is insecurity. The business college approach includes bold statements and lists of accomplishments. I don't know if I have enough material to fill a page. I don't like to brag about myself. I'm afraid if I put out such an assertive resume that I won't measure up in person.

I really should consider my end goals. Do I want to be a temp? No. Then maybe I should try it his way. And now that I think about it, I have 4 years of performance reviews from 3 supervisors singing my praises. This just might be doable. If it will improve my chances of being interviewed then it's worth a shot. Another bonus is that this format will force me to think about my strengths, which will help a lot with those horrid interview questions.