Resume Strategies

Strategy, Strategy, Strategy is the name for this exercise!

Whether you are creating your first resume or editing the document for the fifth time, strategy is the driving force. This is the moment to capture the reader’s attention. It is the presentation of your brand not a rehashing of everything you’ve ever done.

Here are some valuable guide rules to follow: First, make sure you are consistent with your language and by all means pick a format that will best represent who you are. A trend I’ve noticed recently is the selection of unusual formats and the use of color to uniquely represent a candidate. While this works nicely for a marketing professional it probably wouldn’t fit a finance executive. The lesson here is to use good judgment. Second, use the same verb tense for present employment and then past tense for former roles.

Third, highlight relevant skills - this is critical. You are THE professional and you know what skills and competencies you have been trained to accomplish. Make sure they appear in your document as employers and Human Resource professionals along with Executive Recruiters will use a keyword search to identify applicants for their specific and functional openings. That is just the first half of the equation. Being competent to do the job makes you eligible for consideration. Including your success by documenting metrics and numbers to support your achievements makes you a standout and gets you in the door.

The fourth and final tip is to think like the hiring manager, the employer. What is it they need, and who would make the most impact? Did you really digest the position post? Do they need a rookie with lots of ambition or do they need a proven entity with additional skills and abilities that would bring added value? Did you really research the company - where do they stand in their competitive set? Keep in mind getting a job is a JOB! And not every job will be the right job for you.

At the end of this exercise, you want the document to appropriately represent who you are and what you bring to an organization. Through carefully crafting, selecting and parsing the document you are setting your brand center stage for the whole world to admire. It is important to optimize your debut and we know just how to set you up for a cameo role.

If you need help with resume strategies please email Paula.