|
|
Back to Basics
Your resume won't get a second chance to make a first impression!
What kind of impression is your resume making?
Many job seekers fear that they will not be considered for every position, so they include in their resume anything they have ever done. Outplacement and career advisory firms frequently advise including a long list of skills in hope of the resume being pulled up in a key word search. This has the unfortunate effect of making the person appear scattered, with little depth in any one area. Accomplishment Summaries separate from employment history have a similar effect. This approach ends up watering down the individual's true strengths and creating too much work for the reader to connect the dots.
To generate interviews, make it as easy as possible for your audience! State clearly your employers' products, size and market channels. Don't assume a reader will know what markets you have been working within. Tell them. Distribution channels are often an more important element in a hire than products themselves.
Once you have made it clear what type of companies you were or are with, present a clear, concise chronological resume stating specific accomplishments during each employment. The chronology is not just positions held, where and when. Your resume should make it clear why anyone was glad that you were there! Quantify and be as specific as possible. Ask yourself what things were like when you arrived and what are they like now? Did you change or improve things significantly? Did you make or save money? If so, how much? Did you streamline processes, introduce new ones that saved or made the company money? Did you solve a troubling problem, clear a bottleneck? Wha arwe you most proud of having accomplished while there?
.
With approach, in 30 seconds, a clear picture of your main skills and accomplishments should emerge. If it does, you will have plenty to time to elaborate!
|
|
