A Marketing Tool
Your resume is the most important
tool you have when it comes to selling yourself to an employer. Find
out about must-have elements to include in your resume.
An employer can receive over 300 resumes in response to
one job opening. If you are in the job market and have your heart
set on a particular job, be ready -- the competition can be stiff.
You've got to sell yourself.
Sell Myself?
You've got one shot to show that hiring manager what you
have to offer. The best tool to use for selling yourself is your
resume. Your well-developed resume will sing your praises when
you can't be there to do it yourself.
Liz Benuscak is the executive director of Bi-Coastal Resumes,
Inc., as well as the resume expert for iVillage.com. She helps her
clients develop high-powered resumes that sell.
"Marketing yourself in a resume means showcasing your
accomplishments in a manner that will grab the interest of the potential
employer," she says.
Eddie Donovan is the president of iDonovan.com/ca.
He helps people develop grand slam resumes.
Donovan says selling yourself is the only way to obtain
a new job or contract. With that in mind, developing a resume that
makes you look like a million bucks is the way to do just that.
There are common elements that go into all stellar resumes.
Incorporate these must-have elements and get yourself noticed.
Tailor Your Resume to the Job
OK, you've got in mind the job you want -- now it's time
to see how your basic resume fits into the criteria. You know you
meet the qualifications listed in the job ad. So you'll want to make
that experience stand out.
Donovan says you should adapt your whole resume to
mirror the qualities for which the company is looking.
"For example, upon applying for a print graphic artist
position, a duly qualified web or graphic design professional would want
to make sure that their resume references their offline graphic design
experience while minimizing or omitting references to their web design
experience entirely if possible," he says.
Not everyone agrees, however. Benuscak believes
your cover letter should be tailored to fit the job requirements and that
your resume should stay static. "Unless a person's skills are so
diverse that they are conflicting, the cover letter is what should be modified
-- not the resume."
Note Transferable Skills
A transferable skill is one that you can take from job
to job. Just a few examples of these skills are written communication,
computer, critical thinking, teamwork and leadership.
Use these skills as a selling tool so that they get attention
from the hiring manager. Benuscak says that they are crucial in developing
an effective resume.
"Sometimes a candidate who has been interviewed by an
employer will not be offered a position in response to a particular application,
but will be called back because they possess skills that can be applied
to a related or sometimes entirely different role," says Donovan.
Use Action Words
"Action words quickly communicate a concept that would
normally take a sentence or two to describe," says Donovan. He
adds that a power or action word is usually known only by those people
employed in a particular field.
Here are a couple of examples he shares:
Mission Critical: Usually used within the information
technology industry, this term denotes systems or applications that perform
vital business functions within a company.
Full Life Cycle: This describes the entire process
of researching, developing, marketing, selling and providing customer support
for a product or service.
Benuscak says action words are the very best way to
demonstrate your skills and abilities to a potential employer.
She shares a few examples of action words in action on a resume.
·
Administered attendance policies for a high school with 2,200 students
and 240 faculty members.
·
Developed a program designed to keep at-risk kids in school, resulting
in a 90 percent quicker turnaround of referrals from the previous year.
·
Participated in a school-sponsored community outreach and support program.
Worked with parents of both honors students and discipline cases, handled
classified students and implemented peer mediation programs.
Make It Work For You
By incorporating all the necessary elements into your
resume, you will be doing the ultimate sales job. Do a great marketing
job now and you might find yourself in that job you‘ve been pursuing.
"By qualifying and quantifying your accomplishments, you
can demonstrate to a potential employer how you will positively impact
the bottom line. Remember: If you don't toot your own horn, no
one else will!", says Benuscak.
Your resume sells you to your potential employer.
Is yours saying all the right things?
Ineffective Resume Technique
Jay Jones
111 Ridge Road
Roanoke, VA 55555
Phone: (555) 555-5555
Fax: (555) 555-5555
OBJECTIVE
Great sales person looking for a job in the high tech
field. I have a proven sales record and I am good with people.
I made my last company lots of money.
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
· I was a top-ranked salesperson for a number of years.
·
Give me the leads and I can reach any key decision-maker.
·
I'm a very hard worker and have excellent organizational abilities.
· I can write well.
· I can make a sale no matter what.
· I'm good on the computer.
EXPERIENCE
Sales Representative, 2001 to 2005
Health Components R US. New York, NY
Sales Representative, 1998 to 2000
Medical Supplies Inc. New York, NY
EDUCATION
The University. Roanoke, VA.
BSBA in Marketing, 1997
REFERENCES
Available upon request
Effective Resume Technique
Jay Jones
111 Ridge Road
Roanoke, VA 55555
Phone: (555) 555-5555
Fax: (555) 555-5555
OBJECTIVE
A sales and/or marketing position in the high-tech industry
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
·
Seven years as top-ranked salesperson
·
Proven ability to reach key decision-makers and keep lines of communication
open during and after a sale
·
Excellent organizational abilities
·
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
·
Track record of on-target marketing solutions that resulted in multimillion-dollar
contracts.
·
Computer Skills: MS Office, Internet, PowerPoint
EXPERIENCE
Sales Representative, 2001 to 2005
Health Components R US. New York, NY
Sales Representative, 1998 to 2000
Medical Supplies Inc. New York, NY
EDUCATION
The University. Roanoke, VA.
BSBA in Marketing, 1997
REFERENCES
Available upon request