Does your resume clearly position you?
ningcontentReprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
IRVINE, CA — An overwhelming majority of job seekers make basic mistakes with their resumes — mistakes that ensure they’ll not get the interviews they deserve. If you feel as though you’re sending your resume into a black hole, start to diagnose problems and get your resume working for you. Does your resume clearly position you as someone who can meet the needs of the employer?
Think of a resume as an advertisement for a product, only this time the product is you. Just like any other advertisement, positioning is everything. The person who receives your resume will scan it quickly – perhaps for no more than 20 seconds – to determine whether you can help her company. Your job is to say quickly, clearly and loudly that you can!
Don’t just launch into a chronology of your career history. Instead, determine your own positioning by spelling out your message at the start of the resume and giving the reader your version of events upfront. For this reason, you should use the first 1/3 of your resume to create a compelling personal profile which highlights your key strengths in an attractive, easy-to-read format.
Article abridged from About.com, and reprinted from TheCareerNews.com. Get the latest breaking News, Tips and Tools for your job search, Free!
