Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Many times, I’ve encountered clients that insist an objective statement is necessary on their resumes.
“If I don’t use one, the hiring manager or recruiter won’t know what I want,” they often claim. Or, they state, “How else will I get the job I deserve?”
For anyone who wants a job, whether it’s the one they’ve dreamed about or a way to make a living, including an objective statement in your resume isn’t the way to get it.
Why?
Because an objective statement is telling the hiring manager what you want. Your dreams, your needs, your desires.
And guess what? They couldn’t care less. They don’t have the time to consider an applicant’s aspirations. They want to know – within seven seconds or less – what you can do for their company. Mainly: How are you going to make it money? How are you going to save it money?
That’s all that matters in the modern economy.
In your resume, you need to convey that you’re the perfect candidate for the position. You do that not by having an objective statement of what you want, but by including a strong opening summary that dovetails what you know and can do to the employers’ needs.
It’s as simple as that.
Remember, when you’re competing against dozens, perhaps hundreds of other, equally qualified candidates, it’s essential that you get your message across quickly. And that message isn’t: I want this or that.
It’s – what can I do for you?
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Think it’s your knowledge, skills, abilities? Believe it’s your solid, quantified accomplishments? Know it’s your steady rise through the ranks from an entry-level to a senior position?
While all of these are key to a great resume, the single most important thing you can list is what you can do for an employer.
That’s right. That’s what hiring managers and recruiters want to see. And they demand that it be up front in the opening summary.
In these tough economic times, with dozens or hundreds of equally qualified candidates vying for the same position, the hiring manager or recruiter will allow no more than 7 seconds to scan a candidate’s resume before moving on.
7 seconds. Not a lot of time. Therefore, the only way you can possibly grab their attention and hold it is to include one, preferably two, recent/relevant/quantified accomplishments in the opening summary that prove to them that you are the perfect candidate for the position and what you can do for their company.
If you fail to do that, you won’t be invited in for an interview.
Hiring authorities don’t have the time or patience to search for data. You may be the best HR, IT, accounting, marketing, customer service or what-have-you individual around. But if you don’t spoon feed that information to them at the opening of your resume, they won’t look for it.
Nor do they care what you want. So drop the objective. The resume isn’t really about you. It’s about them…and what you can do for their company.
Once you get in that mindset, once your resume reflects the value you can bring to their organization, the invitations to interview will start pouring in.
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
When you’re unemployed, this time of year may be one of the hardest and not only because you’re afraid to spend money on presents…money that may be needed for your daily expenditures. During the holiday season, you may find yourself making excuses for not submitting your resume, for not networking, and for giving into momentary despair.
“I’ll start up fresh in January,” you tell yourself. “No one’s hiring at this time of the year anyway,” you reason.
Wise candidates avoid this type of self-defeating behavior. Time doesn’t grind to a halt, and bills most certainly don’t, during this season.
If you want to get ahead, if you want to land that new position, you have to treat each day and every employment search as your new job. For eight or more hours daily, you should be submitting resumes, networking, reviewing your prospects, making your plans. It will put you way ahead of your competition.
While they are succumbing to the Holiday Blues, you’ll be moving forward. With fewer competitors, you’ll stand out. With a ‘can-do’ attitude, you’ll be noticed.
And what better way to begin 2011 than with the prospect of a new position, a chance to succeed again, the opportunity to be gainfully employed.
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Unlike other disciplines, such as medicine, car repair, plumbing, electrical work, etc., when it comes to writing a resume, many believe they are experts. After all, they’ve spent years learning correct grammar and punctuation in school. They reason since they write well, they can therefore create a dynamite resume.
Using that thinking, one can say that since they drive a car, they should know how to repair one. Or because they can turn water on in the faucet, repairing the pipes should be an easy matter.
We all know that’s not true.
So, why do you need a resume writing expert or professional resume writing service?
1. They know the industry and what hiring managers expect. In the not too distant past, all one needed to do was list their work and academic experience on a piece of paper, make certain there were no glaring errors, then submit the document for review. Because jobs were plentiful, this approach often resulted in a call back. That’s not true today. A modern resume must target the industry (and, at time, the employer), dovetail past academic/professional experience to the needs of the job and offer superb organization of data, providing the hiring manager with all that s/he needs to know about you within seven seconds - or less.
2. The job market is exceedingly tight. Today, each candidate is competing against dozens, perhaps hundreds of other, equally-qualified applicants, for the same position. What does that mean to the hiring manager? Having to shift through a stack of papers to find the perfect hire. A resume writer knows how to market the client in order for that individual’s background to stand out from the rest.
3. Hiring managers and recruiters know what they don’t want in a new hire. Do you? Are you aware of how your resume might promote age discrimination against you? Or how your interests could work to your detriment? Or how extraneous material could limit your chances of being called in to interview? A resume writing expert knows this and will do all that s/he can to avoid making these mistakes.
4. Like all of us, hiring managers and recruiters will take the course of least resistance…if it’s offered to them. Did you know that forcing the hiring authority to locate information on your resume will only make them toss it in the trash? They don’t want to be challenged. They want the information provided in a quick, easy-to-read format. With hundreds of other candidates to consider, they won’t ponder how you will fit into the scheme of things. They’ll select the candidate whose resume clearly tells them s/he is the ideal choice.
While it may seem extravagant to spend several hundred dollars on a resume writing expert when you believe you can do a good job, consider this: by doing it yourself, you’re taking precious time away from the job search. By doing it yourself, you’re providing an amateur, not an expert product. By doing it yourself, you may be adding months to your unemployment or transition to a new job.
Is that really what you want?
