I’m going to write about resumes here but before I do, I must mention that when you submit a resume to a job announcement if a potential employer is interested in you, as you probably already know, he/she is going to search social media to see what other information he/she can find to learn more about you.
If they’re searching social media,
my bet is that they look at LinkedIn first. LinkedIn is a business networking site that is really about the business side of your network engagement. I’ll say right here that your LinkedIn site should be everything you think this potential employer would want to read about you – the banner, your photograph, and all of the content within the profile that aligns with the brand you are projecting within the resume and any other documents you submit in the application process.
If you are within the scope of entry to mid management this approach will stand out far beyond other applicants. If you are higher up on the ladder, an executive applicant, this information absolutely applies to you too.
Now, about the Resume.
When clients ask me for a resume review, I see it in a couple of different ways. One way is to review and share with the client how the resume looks – the formatting, the value of the content, and most importantly – how the content is responding to the job description.
The resume is a direct response to a job announcement. If your resume is written as a direct response to the job announcement, you will stand out.
Most people I meet don’t realize how important it is to dissect a job description and think about how the reader will apply the information to the needs of the company, the department, the manager and the team.
When I read a resume written by the applicant…
…the content is generic in nature and speaks of information inapplicable to the job announcement. This will not cause you to stand out and it could be that the resume may end up in the “no” pile, meaning no further review. This is where a professional resume writer can be more helpful than you know.
A hiring manager will spend about 20-seconds on a first review of a resume to determine if it will go into a “yes” or a “no” pile. The yes pile means that it gets a closer look later. The no pile means it won’t.
It’s important to write a resume in response to the job announcement as well as to understand the reader’s mind frame as they read it. How much there is to read, and how objective the content is in relation to the job announcement.
The resume is much stronger when it is written without personal adjectives. It’s one thing to state soft skills, it’s another to describe content with subjective fluff.
If you want to stand out, it begins with a no-nonsense resume, transferable skills written in response to the job announcement in the announcement’s language and not as a resume with information that doesn’t apply to the job.
The resume is strong and stands out when all of the information is in response to the job description showing your skills and experience as transferable entities. If there is information on the resume that doesn’t apply to the job description – ELIMINATE IT!
If you’ve got a niche type of skill set,
and the job is a fit, don’t hesitate to polish up that information – if it applies to the job description of course.
Your resume has to be absolutely dedicated to the verbiage and the content in the job description. I find sometimes it’s almost like writing code, but it must be done if you want to stand out from the other applicants.
And using this approach will do just that.
Stand out!
Love and light,
