Is Your Resume Screening You Out Here are 3 Simple Rules to Follow
Author: Joseph Turner
We all know the great benefits a well-written resume can provide for you. For instance, done correctly, a good resume can:
1. Be your calling card.
2. Help you win an interview.
3. Set your agenda during the interview.
4. Continue to sell for you after you’ve left the interview.
But did you know that far too often your resume could be killing your chance to even get you a phone call. Worst of all, you may not even know it’s happening. In the job search world of today, your resume will often work AGAINST you, knocking you out of the search process before you’ve even had a chance to begin.
Here’s what’s happening: resumes are being used as a screening-out tool. Used by lower level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration, your resume can work against you as much as for you.
You can minimize the chances of this happening with your resume by following these three simple rules:
1. Less is More: Don’t tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone screen you. So don’t fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer. This way the document can stand on its own. So skip the hobbies and personal info. Avoid mind-numbing detail that will cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal, two pages only if you are a 15 to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.
2. More Keywords: You want the computers to flag your resume for closer examination. Do this by including as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills. Also you might include major companies you worked with/for, as well as specific industry buzzwords that may be appropriate.
3. Be specific: Don’t just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and tell the benefit of your accomplishment. A good way to do this is to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed. But set the groundwork now in your resume. Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, try to “monetize” your accomplishments (state them in terms of money). At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.
Three Traits of the Super Successful Job Searcher
Author: Mary Elizabeth Bradford
After coaching literally hundreds of executive clients and hosting over 3000 executive teleseminars it’s easy for me to see the repeat traits of those clients who consistently rise to the top, find and win their dream jobs and meet their career goals. Here are three distinct traits that these super successful executives have in common:
Trait Number One: their mindset
These super successful executives seem to live in a world of their own. It’s a world that they seem to control the stimulus of in a purposeful way. Being highly positive people, they seem to protect this mindset through limiting their exposure to negativity and negative thinking. When they make goals for themselves they don’t “hang around” with people that tell them their goals can’t be reached. Simple as that.
Trait Number Two: their enthusiasm
Doesn’t if feel great to love what you do? These executives all shared a real enthusiasm for their jobs. They loved the challenge and the satisfaction of being an expert in their field and doing the best jobs they could. When these executives interviewed with potential new companies, their enthusiasm was contagious and engaging.
Trait Number Three: their sense of commitment
These executives didn’t wait to get things “just right” before they took action. Too much revising and analyzing means limited forward movement, and being held back this way is something foreign and uncomfortable for high performing executives. A healthy sense of urgency equals an abundant amount of activity in job searches.
Equally, these successful executives knew instinctively not to take a passive receiver role in their job search. They didn’t wait for the perfect job to come to them, nor did they wait for their interviewers to “figure out” he or she was the right person for the job. They took an active initiative in their job search from a position of leadership and control, each step of the way.