If you’ve
been looking for work, you know that the job market is tough at the moment, but
it’s a great time to take stock and spiff up that ho-hum resume!
Having the
right design, layout, and content for your resume is what stands between you
and a new job. Many times you only have twenty to thirty seconds to capture the
attention of your reader so approaching this endeavor with a clear strategy and
plan of action is important. We’ll tackle
your resume one step at a time over the next few posts and give you tips on how
you can update your resume to stand out from the crowd.
Content is King
Consider
your resume like an online dating profile.
Not only does the content have to adequately cover your experience and
capabilities, but it must be interesting and even enticing. Keeping the
reader’s interest means not having a War
and Peace sized
autobiography; cover the most important topics by giving just enough
information to leave whoever is reading your resume the desire to know more. The idea is even if a hiring manager had the
extra time to read your finely detailed pedigree they would no longer need to
interview you, they already know more than enough. What you divulge with your content needs to
be setting yourself up for that first date, the interview.
Here are some of our suggestions:
Highlight your accomplishments - Did
you cut costs? Increase revenues? Deliver projects correctly ahead of time? Below
budget? Break a company record? If so,
your resume is an excellent place to call attention to how awesome you really
are! You want your potential employer to
visualize how you are going to help them and one way to help this process is to
use numbers and percentages. Don’t spell it out when you can show it
with numbers.
Call out the value you would bring to the
target company – If you’re a sports fan or even if you just hang around
one, you’re familiar with this idea.
When a new player joins a team everyone voices their opinion on the
value that new player brings with them.
Your resume is the perfect place for you to assert the value you would
add to your prospective employer’s team.
Make sure you are speaking the same language that your potential employer
speaks, especially as it relates to the position you are applying for.
Identify five assets that make you
remarkable – No doubt you’ve seen
an infomercial. They’re loud. They’re
bright. And surprisingly, they’re effective (Be honest, you have at least one
product seen on TV in your house right now)!
The reason they are effective is they highlight the assets of the
product and show how those assets benefit the user. In the same way, show your depth by
identifying your professional assets and highlighting the benefits to the
hiring manager and the company.
Professional assets are things like your background, experience,
abilities, knowledge, and specialties.
By addressing this content in your resume, you’ll set yourself apart from the competition, pass the employer’s screening process and get the interview!
The right job for you is out there. We can help get you to it. Visit our website to view our current employment opportunities and receive the support that will help you go forward confidently!
By addressing this content in your resume, you’ll set yourself apart from the competition, pass the employer’s screening process and get the interview!
The right job for you is out there. We can help get you to it. Visit our website to view our current employment opportunities and receive the support that will help you go forward confidently!
