Stand Out with a Clear, Concise, and
Compelling Resume!
So you know you have to Stand Out.
But HOW to do that?
Back in the day, you could slap your name, rank, and serial number on a page and call it a resume. But these days are done.
Even when the market becomes an employee market again we won't go back to old style resumes, job searches, or hiring practices. Why? Because hiring managers and recruiters have come to expect so much more from a resume.
More sophisticated, in depth resumes are the norm now because they make it so much easier for hiring managers and recruiters to find their 'star candidates'!
So what does this mean for you? It means you must step up to the plate to take the steps to Stand Out!
Your resume needs to attract attention
as it arrives at the company along with
thousands of other resumes!
Stand Out with a Clear, Concise, and Compelling Resume!
CLEAR: To grab people's attention you must create a resume that is crystal clear!
Those that read your resume must walk away with a clear understanding of what position you want and who you are.
To write an effective resume you must have a clear target position for your job search. The world is too small these days to change your career direction each time you apply for a position.
For example...
If you are applying for an office manager at one company and an accounting person at the next, and then another role down the road, you are going to run into trouble. Someone along the way is going to say, (though maybe not to your face), "but I thought he wanted an office manager position?" Trying to tell several stories at the same time is difficult for everyone--you, your networking contacts, and those in the hiring company-- to keep straight.
Your target position needs to be focused on what you are good at, what you have experience in, and, hopefully, what you love! After identifying your target position, stick with it!
CONCISE: The more succinctly and precisely you write your resume, the more likely the reader is to be drawn in by your resume.
Here are a few tips:
- Do not use a lot of fancy words to pad what you have done.
- You do not need to write a resume in complete sentences, but you do need to provide complete thoughts.
- Make your resume easy to scan visually, using keyword phrases and bulleted lists, and you'll increase the chance that it is read.
- Make it easy on the eye as well. Heavy text, 4 or more lines for each bullet, is generally too much.
- As you review your resume, take out as many words as you can while still having it make sense. This is a place your proofreader can help you by making make sure you have conveyed what you intended to with minimal words. Remember in your resume, less is more.
COMPELLING: To stand out your resume needs to be irresistible and inspiring!
What you say about your accomplishments and the results you’ve created must be convincing and interesting to those you'll be reaching out to.
If you have a resume that looks like a job description--talking about the job responsibilities you were hired to do, but not what you actually accomplished--you will not stand out.
Instead, focus on what you've done in previous jobs. These accomplishments are precisely what set you apart! Hiring managers and recruiters know that what you have done before, you can do again!
To identify the most relevant and compelling accomplishments to include in your resume, look at the description the company is looking for in a candidate. Then think about what sets you apart from everyone else who is vying for this job title.
As you write your accomplishments, remember to keep them--Clear, Concise, and Compelling!
Creating a résumé is an art form now days! Discovering how to bring this art to your resume is exactly what sets you apart from your competition!
Watch tomorrow’s email to learn two Questions
you can ask yourself to assess your own resume
