Hiring managers whip through most resumes
that land on their desks. Why do they process them so quickly? Because much of
what they see is so boring. Same old thing day after day. Job seekers jump on
the Internet, pick a sample that seems good enough and then they swap out their
information for what they've read.
That is one way to write a resume. But it's
totally ineffective. In today's highly competitive job market it takes more
than 'good enough.' It takes extraordinary. It takes that extra step that will
separate you from the pack.
One way to do that is to draw the
employer's attention to the results
you've accomplished and produced during your work life. Avoid generalizations
like this:
- · encouraged team players
- · took responsibilities seriously
- · led sales team to victory
- · met all assigned deadlines
Those attributes deserve a pat on the back
but that's about all. Hiring managers want to know what they mean. So you must
be specific in your use of language. Compare the list above to the one below
and decide which one you'd be interested in if you were the employer trying to
fill an opening at your company.
- · taught and modeled efficiency and effective work habits during a team training
- · took responsibility for cutting production costs by 10% beyond the stated monthly budget and achieved that goal
- · rallied sales team to increase department revenue by 20% in the first quarter
- · exceeded all assigned deadlines by two weeks, providing time for corrections and revisions
Now imagine yourself as the corporate rep
who has been told to interview and hire someone who can join the company and
assume immediate responsibility for putting the sales department on solid
footing within six months. You know that if you don't pull this off your head
will roll!
Meanwhile, you have hundreds of resumes
piling up on your desk and you have to read them all if you're going to find
the right person for the job. So you tackle the first 25, hoping to find a
jewel in the stack before the day is over. Suddenly there it is--the resume
that shouts "Read me and be surprised."
What attracts you? The clear, direct, and
specific statements that have to do with results
achieved, instead of a bland list of nice qualities about the job seeker.
So when you are ready to create a resume that
will 'sell,' think about results--the
actions you took that led to something concrete that benefitted the company in
a real way, that increased revenue, breakthroughs in the industry,
cost-cutting, and techniques and ideas that made a real difference. Then show
how you can transfer those skills to the new job you hope to win.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Jimmy Sweeney - originator of the brand new, Amazing Resume Creator