Resume

A RESUME THAT GETS YOU THE JOB

There is one fundamental rule you need to remember whenever you apply for a job - you need to think of the person hiring you as your customer, and your resume as the product you are trying to sell. As a product, the resume needs to be “sale-able”. It needs to be appetizing to the eyes. It has to be catchy. It should be enticing to the customer ( your future employer ).

As an application of this principle to your quest for a job, imagine that an efficient salesperson sells a product to a prospective customer based on product benefits, and how that product will be to the advantage of the purchaser. As a job applicant, you should present yourself to the hirer as someone who can benefit the company he represents. In formulating your resume therefore, it has to answer the hiring personnel’s very important question: "Why should I hire you?


FIRST-THINGS-FIRST

As a general rule, before you ever begin to write your resume, imagine that you are in the shoes of the hiring manager. Try to see yourself through that person’s eyes – the customer’s eyes, so to speak. Think of the key skills, experiences, achievements, and other criteria that a hiring manager will seek in the ideal candidate. Naturally, the hirer looks for that person who will best benefit the company.

But here's that glitch that may pose a bit of a problem. Say for instance, there is an opening for a secretarial job . A hirer most likely has received many other applications aside from yours. That hiring personnel already knows of course what qualifications to look for. All secretaries basically do the same thing so that based from that criteria, many candidates would likely qualify. So, the crucial question at hand will be; “What's going to separate you from the other one hundred prospective secretaries that submitted their resumes?” You really need to think about this. Remember that a resume’s purpose is not just to attract and win the approval of a potential hiring manager. Primarily, it has to outshine everyone else’s.

Check the tips below. They could prove valuable to you as you try to outshine the others in the competition:

THE APPROACH

The most important thing you should remember in your application is your honesty. Your truthfulness in creating this personal document is highly important. Don’t forget that if you were luckily selected for interview, you will be evaluated as to the content of your resume against your actual interview performance and appearance. Avoid lies, half-truths, and exaggerations. The rule to follow is: Highlight the positive; eliminate the negative!

THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Never take for granted the appearance of your resume. Pay close attention to the physical aspects of your document. Present your resume in a format that is neat, professional, and attractive. Be very careful with your choice of font, size, indentations, etc. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts, and avoid overuse of italics, underscores, and bold lettering. Print on good quality paper, with matching cover letters and envelopes. Paper should be legal-sized (A4) and preferably white in color. Hiring managers look for carefully-written resumes because they mirror the candidate’s diligence and work ethic. Be very particular with spelling, grammar, English usage, and mechanics. The quality of work in your presentation will likely be a determining factor in a hiring manager's selection of interview finalists.

THE RESENTATION

People are always drawn to numbers. Quantify your specific accomplishments. Figures matter a lot in resumes. They speak louder than words. When presenting your achievements; be explicit. This one is a good example, “I Initiated and spearheaded a sales campaign which lasted for 3 months and generated an income of $ 120,000.

Present you best attributes in the most positive manner. Show how these qualities enabled you and the company to reach good results through powerful, descriptive words.  Take advantage of verbs and modifiers written in the active voice and use them in presenting comprehensive proofs and solid evidences.

Put on top of your resume cover letter your employment objective. Example, "Highly experienced, motivated professional seeks a position as Administrative Assistant in Pharmacological Sales." Your cover letter must indicate a specific job title in reference to your job application. People often make the mistake of keeping their resumes general thinking that this improves their chances to be hired. More often than not, the opposite happens. It is common for hiring managers to come across so many resumes that the last thing they want to do is try and figure out where to place someone, so they do the easier work instead - throwing such resumes into the rejection heap.

Need more Help?

There are plenty of available help if you think you need more ideas. For instance, you can seek help and get helpful tips from resume compilations found in book stores, libraries, and the internet. Just be cautious with generic templates. Keep in mind that your resume is a personal testimonial that should distinguish your unique qualifications from competing job candidates.

Do not undermine the power of networking. You need to expand your contacts and career advisers. For example, search the web and use staff recruitment sites to expand your contacts and join organizations and chat groups. Identify and research your targeted companies and find people who work there. Research as much as you can and discover the cultural climate, average employee experience, and company working conditions. This is one effective technique that could give you a better advantage over other job hopefuls.


Synopsis:

As you wok on your resume, always bear in mind that the purpose of the resume is to get an interview. The purpose of the interview is to make the panel like you and to consider you for the position you are applying for. And that’s the reason why a resume has to be exciting to read, visually-appealing, and filled with vital information relevant to the job being applied for. It is when these criteria are achieved that you will most likely stand out from among the other applicants, obtain an interview, and eventually, get the job.