Resume Success Factors - What Exactly is a Resume Anyway? You know youre good...real good. The problem, though, is that you are struggling to demonstrate just how good you are on paper. Ah...the resume. If youve ever written one you know what a challenging task it can be. The Gregg Reference Manual tells us some fundamental facts about resumes: ✔ The purpose of your resume is to get you an employment meeting. An interview. Your resume will not get you a job. ✔ Your resume is not a medium for telling prospective employers about your long-term goals and aspirations. It is where you appeal to their hiring motivations by demonstrating what you can do for them, communicating the experience you have acquired and skills you have developed. With these basic concepts in mind, lets summarize several other elements that your contemporary resume must include: R = Review of your qualifications E = Essential information only S = Showcase your value U = You are Unique! M = Market yourself E = Effectively gets you noticed -------------------------------------------- R = Review of your qualifications: What skills, education, or experience (paid or unpaid) do you have that make you the ideal candidate for the opportunity, industry, or career you are pursuing? These data bits are the building blocks of any resume. They are absolute musts. E = Essential information only: Your resume should not be a voluminous listing of everything you have done, everywhere you have done it, and every club or association youve ever been affiliated with. Chisel your copy down to content that is relevant to your target job/career path. S = Showcase your value: One of the most effective ways to communicate value on your resume is to address the burning question, Why should we hire you? You must identify what specific contributions (that is, verifiable accomplishments) you have made at previous employers. This critical information is proof that you can do the same at your next job. How can your resume show that youve helped previous organizations solve a specific problem, be more competitive, expand business, attract new customers, or retain existing ones? U = You are Unique! Your resume must be unique in content and in format. The information will be unique because, as mentioned above, you will have pinpointed those accomplishments that will set you apart from other applicants. M = Market yourself: Catch the attention of prospective employers on the first page with a powerfully written Profile or Qualifications Summary. Resumes are initially scanned for roughly 15 to 30 seconds. If youve lost the readers interest at the top of the first page, he/she will not read further. Your resume will go in the no pile. E = Effectively gets you noticed: There is no such thing as a good or bad resume. There are only effective or ineffective ones. By weaving the concepts above into your resume, you can increase your odds of getting noticed by those with the authority to recommend you for the next step in the hiring process -- a telephone, teleconference, or in-person interview. You know youre good...real good. You are now challenged to prove it on your resume !
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 05:22:46 +0000