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By Kelly Stone
The resume is the most commonly used job search tool, and perhaps the most
misunderstood. Jobseekers often use resumes as introductions, as exhaustive
skills lists, or as comprehensive work histories. Such approaches ignore
the fact that the best resume for any job is a resume prepared specifically
for that job. The best resume is a targeted marketing tool.
Consider Your Audience
You've probably had the experience of seeing two commercials for the same
product on two different television programs and noticing differences in the
sales approach. A commercial for breakfast cereal on a Saturday morning
cartoon may focus on the cereal's sweet taste, while a commercial during a
daytime talk show may focus more on nutritional value. The advertiser
understands that if the audience is different, you need to focus on
different aspects of the product in order to achieve the desired response.
You will begin to create the best possible resumes for yourself if you begin
to think of the resume as a commercial selling a product: you.
Like any sales pitch, your resume needs to keep your audience in mind.
Conduct as much research as possible to understand what employers in your
field are looking for in a candidate. How much weight is given to education
vs. work experience? What specific skills or key words will they always
want to see? Which of your career achievements are most applicable to the
position? Show your resume to others in your field as often as possible to
gather responses, and make adjustments. The better you understand the needs
of the people reading your resume, the more likely you will be to achieve
your goal of turning that resume into an interview.
Organize Appropriately
Even the organization of the resume can improve its effectiveness. If your
educational background is more applicable to your employment goal than your
work history, make that the first thing the employer sees. If your most
recent position is not the one with the most relevance to the position you
are seeking, don't feel obliged to organize chronologically. Organize your
resume content so that you catch the potential employer's interest as soon
as possible and maintain that interest for as long as possible.
Include Only What's Relevant
As important as what you choose to include on the resume is what you
exclude. The resume is not the place to catalog your every achievement;
it's a place to tell the potential employer exactly what he needs to know to
consider you for a position, nothing more and nothing less. Avoid such
common mistakes as including your marital status, hobbies or other personal
information of a non-professional nature; omit collegiate extracurricular
activities or grade point average unless there is a compelling reason to
include them. Don't make it difficult for the potential employer to find
the most important information by littering the page with unnecessary
details.
Support Your Claims With Examples
Finally, turn your resume into a showcase for your achievements, not just
your skills. Don't just tell them you're a "team player" when you can use
an example to demonstrate your ability to work in a team; don't describe
yourself as "creative" when you can describe a situation where your
creativity achieved a tangible result. Your employer wants to know what you
can contribute to his or her organization. Providing examples of your
previous contributions will turn you into someone who does, not just someone
who is.
Approaching your resume as a targeted marketing tool takes more work than a
traditional resume approach. Not only will you be conducting research, but
you should be editing your resume every time you use it for a different
opportunity. It will, however, be the most effective resume you've ever
had, a resume that works as an amazing sales brochure for the amazing
product that is you.
-- Kelly Stone is the Content Engineer for
myjobsearch.com, publishers of
the largest career resource directory on the Internet. Kelly has served job
seekers for years as a career counselor and has facilitated many job search
and hiring seminars for the careers industry.
Copyright 2000
myjobsearch.com. All Rights Reserved
