Personal Branding
What Employers Are Looking For in a Resume How often have I heard this from clients: A company I am interested in wants a resume and I do not now where to begin. I have an old resume, but I know it is not good. Resumes today are different than those of 15 or 20 years ago. Your resume is your marketing tool and it has to have a compelling message that makes you ‘stand out from the crowd’. So, how do you move forward?Ask yourself these questions: Do I know what to include in a resume? How will I brand myself to meet potential employer expectations? What sets me apart from all the others who are applying for this position? What have been my major accomplishments? Answers to these question will help you in resume development and will send a clear message to a potential employer. This kind of information must be included in your resume to aid you in getting noticed by a potential employer.
Gaining The Advantage Among Job Seekers
Do you know how to stay ahead of the competition? Over and over I hear job seekers tell me how difficult it is in this economy to get an interview with a prospective employer. The competition is fierce. The resume he or she is using is not working. Usually these comments are followed by: “and that is why I am coming to you. I know I have a good work history and expertise so it must be my resume.” Guess what, these people are right! The resume gets you the interview and is the starting point for getting employed. To be competitive you must have a resume that grabs the eye of the hiring manager or HR department. Many think they can create their own résumé. Much like the patient who is going to self-medicate for a critical illness these people typically wind up with inadequate results. Can you afford a do-it-yourself resume? The rule of thumb used to be that for every $10,000 in salary you should figure 1 month of job searching. So, if you are seeking a salary of $80,000 for example, the job search would take on average 8 months. Times are not that good today and that rule of thumb no longer applies. It takes much longer to find a job because of the economy. What can you do to increase your odds and expedite your job search? Here’s the key: utilize every possible advantage to speed up your job hunt. A professionally developed targeted resume with the right key words, format, presentation, personal branding statement and strategy could expedite your job search. If you find employment more quickly and let’s say shorten your job searching by one month, at $80,000 per year you will have an additional $6600 in your pocket! What is your strategy for staying ahead of the competition? Your resume is the first impression a potential boss has of you. If you are an employer looking at a pile of resumes, some done professionally, some not … who do you think would have the edge for getting the job interview? Remember it is not necessarily about who is the best candidate, it is about who presents himself or herself the best. My recommendation is that you put aside your ego, invest in your future and hire the best resume writer you can.
Should You Have a Professional Develop Your Resume?
Does a professional resume really make a difference? In today’s competitive market place is it worth the money to have someone with resume writing experience develop your resume? As a job seeker you may ponder this approach as you begin your job search, especially when your current resume is ineffective in getting you that coveted interview. Here are some things to consider … If you are among the ranks of today’s job hunters: 1) how do you make the right impression and catch the eye of a hiring manager who looks at your resume for 10 to 25 seconds and 2) what do you put in your resume that makes a compelling case for you to be chosen for the ‘interview’? Your challenges Realize that hiring managers get to know you in a quick glance and your resume better be impressive. Even if you are seeking a low-end position, know that the chances of getting noticed in a pile of mundane resumes filled with never-ending bullet points and outdated formatting is unlikely. Become competitive and gain an edge For those of you who are not writers and/or have a hard time looking at your work history in the same way a hiring manager would, consider hiring a professional resume writer, one who knows how to entice the reader, makes you shine and positions you for the job/career you are seeking. With such an overwhelming response to job postings and openings, a professionally written resume can give you an edge over all the others who apply.
Changing Careers May Require a Change in Your Resume Format
One resume does not necessarily fit all situations. Take for example someone who wishes to change careers, but does not have any specific work history to go with that change. How do you re-orient your resume so that it can show you in the best light, yet maintain credibility and still be an honest snapshot of your work? The key is to emphasize those core skills which demonstrate your expertise in the ‘new career’ you want. Instead of putting together a typical chronological resume listing all of your jobs and responsibilities, change your strategy and put together what is known as a functional resume that highlights your strengths as they relate to your career change.
Do You Really Need a Personal Objective on Your Resume?
After reviewing hundreds of resumes, I usually come across a personal objective at the very top of the resume. A personal objective is a statement telling an employer what the job seeker is looking for in the way of an employment position. Here is a typical example:Professional looking for a challenging position which effectively utilizes my skills and allows me to progress. Employers and recruiters are not interested in a job seeker’s personal objective, because it focuses on the requirements of the job seeker rather than the needs of the employer. Your personal objective may be an honest statement and may help you gain clarity about your career goals, but it is irrelevant to the employer. Rather than a personal objective statement, start your resume with a summary profile (your positioning statement). A summary profile clearly and concisely describes your value to a company. Here is an example: Hard working and results-oriented senior manager with successful experience handling multiple projects in fast-paced environments. This example of a summary profile gives an employer a clear picture of you and what value you add. Remember when being considered for employment by a hiring manager, it is all about what value you can bring to the organization, how you can help that hiring manager meet goals, reduce costs or expand the business. The next time you revise your resume, you might consider including your summary profile!
Don’t Forget Critical Resume Information
Recently, I saw a gentleman who did not disclose any dates on his resume. It turns out that he had a medical condition that prevented him from working for several years. He did not want this lapse in employment to hinder any job opportunities. Any recruiter reviewing his resume would surely question the lack of employment dates, and perhaps disregard him as a possible candidate. My advice to him: put the dates back on the resume and explain the lapse in employment within the body of your cover letter.
