Your resume is the most important document in your career and the essential tool to help you get your foot in the door for an interview. If you are not getting calls for interviews, then you should review your resume to see if you are missing essential items that are causing it to be less effective.
In short, the resume has to clearly answer the question, “Why should I hire you?” Your answer comes in 2 parts: your SUMMARY where you state “Here is what I can do for you” and your EXPERIENCE section where you prove it by highlighting your accomplishments.
1. Does Your Opening Tell An Employer What You Have To Offer?
Your opening summary is the ONLY part of the resume that everyone will read. They will scan it and place you in a YES, NO, or MAYBE pile. As a result, you need to capture their attention up front - quickly. It’s easy to state what you are looking for, but what an employer really wants to know is what you have to offer to them. A good tip is to simply identify the 3-4 things that they are looking for and state that you can deliver them.
For example:
Manufacturing Production Manager with a consistent track record of exceeding productivity, safety and quality goals.
Sales Professional - Ranked in the top 5% for sales performance for over 10 years.
2. Describe Your Background
You just stated that you can deliver what they want. Now, describe your level of experience doing that.
There is a big difference between the project manager who has three years of experience and managed five projects versus the one who has over 10 years of experience and has managed dozens of projects. So indicate your credentials and be sure to drop company names if they are well known, especially if they might not see the company name on the first page.
For example:
Over 15 years at global leaders Accenture and KPMG leveraging proven methodologies and leading multi-million dollar projects for blue chip clients.
OR
Over 10 years overseeing logistics and distribution including optimizing the efficiency of a 50,000 square foot warehouse with +10,000 SKUs.
3. Highlight Your Relevant Accomplishments
You have told them what you can do, so now prove it in the EXPERIENCE section. This is where you highlight your achievement against goals. Make sure these are in bullets so they are easy to see in the 10-second glance of your resume.
For example:
Increased on-time delivery rate from 77% to 98%.
Increased productivity 22% against 10% goal while reducing safety incidents over 95%.
That’s it! Tell them you can deliver what they want, state your level of experience doing it, and infuse the resume with proof statements. How can anyone resist such a resume?
Don Goodman, president of Resume Writing Service - About Jobs is a nationally recognized career expert. Get a free career assessment from Don here.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
