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Resumes
have come a long way since they were just typed
pages that chronologically listed employment
histories, job duties, and educational
qualifications. Hiring managers are inundated with
hundreds of resumes that still follow “old school”.
In a
competitive economy, however, a resume needs to work
much harder. Every inch of resume space must be used
to effectively communicate your value proposition
and differentiation strategy. This is not as
intimidating as it sounds. A little CPR (creativity,
planning, and research) can transform almost any
résumé into a compelling story that drives the
desired impact.
Five
tips
1.
Adopt a different mindset
What if
you were not a job seeker but a service provider?
How would you approach the writing process?
Your
resume would then be written like a marketing
brochure or an advertisement selling your services,
right?
Being
an ad copywriter is certainly not a pre-requisite
for writing a good resume, but adopting the mindset
of one could do wonders to the document.
2.
Research needs
Let’s
admit it. Employers are not benevolent institutions
hiring you out of the goodness of their hearts. They
have a reason, a need, and, most importantly, a job
that needs to be done. The person who will
ultimately win the offer will be the candidate who
succeeds in demonstrating a perfect fit through
examples of past performance.
Researching employer needs is therefore the first
and most important step in the resume writing
process. Job postings, networking, interviews—all of
these are excellent resources that could be used to
evaluate these needs.
Once
the requirements are understood, develop a strategy
to convince the employer that you, the perfect
candidate, are the best possible solution for the
company’s existing plans.
3.
Make compelling arguments
Reverting to our earlier assumption of you being a
service provider, how would you convince prospective
buyers to hire you and not the competition?
Make a
list of ten compelling arguments that pitch your
services over those of the competition. The
foundation of your pitch could be based on evidence
of past successes, educational qualifications,
unique combination of skills, quantifiable
accomplishments, and much more. The possibilities
are endless. If you feel stuck, call a friend,
colleague, or coach to brainstorm ideas.
4.
Provide examples of past successes
In the
corporate world, past performance often serves as a
potent indicator of future outcomes. List all
successes you may have enjoyed -- even if you think
they were just a part of your job -- with past
employers. Now, select stories that best present
your case. Covering this information on your resume
allows hiring managers to predict returns (ROI) on
the salary investment. [Human capital is basically
an asset that needs to deliver good returns for the
company to make a profit.]
5.
Tell a convincing story
The
above steps should generate powerful material that
could then be organized into a persuasive resume
story. Attractive, but professional, layouts can
also improve the overall appeal.
Nimish Thakkar, MS, MBA,
CCMC, CPRW, is the editor of
http://www.saicareers.com, a free website that
provides information on a wide range of career
topics. He is also a certified career coach,
outplacement consultant, and resume writer with
http://www.resumecorner.com For article feedback
contact Nimish Thakkar at
info@resumecorner.com .
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