In a downward spiraling economy where the unemployment rate continues to soar, your resume can have tremendous power and be the difference between you and the other candidate getting called for an interview. If crafted effectively as a marketing tool, this critical document that is sometimes under-rated can make a tremendous impact on your job search. Here are 10 tips to get you started with developing a stellar impact-producing resume that will put you yards ahead of the competition.
1. Determine who you are professionally and where you are trying to go in your career. Craft your resume based on these definitions of yourself.
2. Envision how you want to be perceived by your prospective employer. Are you a change agent? What about a project leader? The top 2 steps will give your resume focus and direction, meeting your goals instead of a chronological record of past jobs.
3. Communicate your value. Make a list of your quantifiable achievements and the impact of the results. How have you saved the company money? Hiring managers would love for you to transfer your track record to their organization.
4. Highlight your successes and relevant qualifications. Are you a change agent? Show how you plan to be an asset at your next place of employment.
5. Save the minute details for the interview. You know you can’t tell everything. Just include enough relevant information for the hiring manager to say, “I must meet this individual.”
6. Instead of regurgitating your job description on paper (telling), try advertising your accomplishments (selling).
7. Use powerful action words to advertise your past accomplishments. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
8. Include key words that pertain to the job to which you are applying. This is also beneficial if your resume is electronically scanned who search for specific words that demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
9. Proof read your resume. Do not rely on your computer’s spell check feature since it will not identify correct words used in the wrong context.
10. Market your new document by networking, using referrals and online job searches. Remember, the majority of jobs are not advertised.
Bonus Tip - Remember, your resume will be scanned for only about 10 seconds. To win an interview, you must ensure that pertinent information is communicated in this short amount of time. This way, you will make it easy for the reviewers to see exactly what you want them to see and your marketing tool will achieve its intended purpose – an interview.
Master Resume-writer and Resume Strategist Claudia A. Samuels Newton is the President and CEO of Rewarding Resume Services (www.rewardingresumes.com). Claudia has a Masters of Management in Human Resource Management degree and a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration. She has been a featured guest speaker on resume writing on WLTX TV in Columbia, SC and serves as a resume-writing consultant for higher education institutions in her community. Claudia provides online instruction in Communications as an Adjunct Faculty member for the University of Phoenix Online. She also serves in a management role at BlueChoice HealthPlan, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of SC.
