First Step To Get The Job You Want
The job application process under current market conditions has not changed. Attention to detail differentiates you from others. Here is how your resume can get you past that first hurdle.
Position Your Resume For The Job You Want
Your resume is the primary tool to position your skills, experience, and interest for an available job. Your resume gets you the phone screen and eventually an interview. You must tune your resume for the position you are pursuing. In positioning your resume, follow these simple rules.
- Update your entire resume, not just your most recent employment. State the quantifiable results you produced.
- Ask someone else to proof read your resume. Poor spelling or grammar eliminates you from consideration.
- Grab attention of recruiters and hiring managers. Connect past roles to results you can produce in the new role.
- Position skills and experience in terms of results you deliver. Ensure they align with employers’ requirements.
- Write so the reader knows what you can do for them. Avoid lists of what you did in the past for someone else.
Resume Mistakes
Don’t make these common mistakes that eliminate you from consideration.
- Your resume is not a job description. If it looks like cut and paste text from the internet, it probably was.
- One-size does not fit all. Position your resume to meet the requirements of the job you are applying.
- Your resume defines your reputation. Don’t risk your reputation by applying for jobs you don’t qualify.
- Never use an online job board APPLY ALL button to send a generic resume – that will be your new reputation.
Objective or Summary
About 40 years ago, resume formats typically had a lofty objective statement right under the candidate’s name. It was the candidate’s career objective. Never do this today. Hiring managers are not interested in what you want to do in your career. They are not being insensitive – they don’t have time. Hiring managers must focus no hiring people that are already aligned with producing results.
Instead, always include a well-crafted summary statement at the top of your resume. A summary statement outlines what you can achieve for the prospective employer in terms (keywords) that fit the role and company culture. Take time to align your summary statement with the job and industry you are pursuing. For example, your summary statement should not be about banking if you are applying for a position at a manufacturing company.
Your Reputation Lives in an ATS
You may ask, “Why is a good resume required today?”
Your resume will be stored in recruiters’, and hiring companies’ ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) – forever. A poor resume will brand you forever. Manage your resume like the most valuable job search asset. Future hiring managers won’t ask why and you will be eliminated from consideration for future positions. Don’t spam companies with a poorly positioned resume that is not a good match for the job.
Apply these simple rules. Work with reputable recruiters like Barton Professional Placement Group. Then you will be well positioned to get the job want. Hone your phone and face-to-face interviewing skills, your follow-up skills, and your networking skills, and win.
