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out five résumés, got three interviews and two job offers. At my level (Vice President),
the results were beyond what I could have hoped for.
- Shannon K., Ohio
My
job search is going fantastic! I just accepted a position as
President with a large public marketing firm in Connecticut.
I got a GREAT package (seven figures!!) and a sizable signing
bonus. I can't thank you enough for the work you have done.
It was exceptional! Please use me for a reference anytime.
- Ken W., New York
My
actual job search lasted all of 4 weeks. I accepted the position
of Director of HR Administration for a 4,000 employee hospitality
organization. The manner in which my experience was displayed
literally blew them away - they were looking for someone with
proven results who wanted to learn the HR & Compensation
aspects of the job. I achieved my salary requirement, which
was 25% over my current level with stock options to boot!
- Dave D., Georgia
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Rev Up Your Résumé: Expert Secrets to Add Power, Punch, and Personality
There's no doubt about it, your résumé
is an important tool in your job search. It is a door-opener that
can lead to interviews and job offers. Often it's your first chance
to make a positive impression on people who can give you advice,
assistance, and referrals. And it must convey all of your skills
and qualifications in a powerful yet concise manner. That's a lot
of expectations for one or two sheets of paper!
How can you keep your résumé from being drab, dull, ho-hum, weak, or boring?
Follow these expert secrets and you will have a résumé that is accurate, credible,
and professional while communicating your true value and worth to an employer.
- Be specific. When describing
your job activities, include examples of specific things you have
done that have been valuable to your organization. Be brief with
general statements and generous with stories and examples. Your
résumé will be more credible and more powerful because
you can back up your statement of qualifications.
Here's an example. "Contributed strategies to increase customer
loyalty and drive revenue growth"—tell the specific
story: "Developed monthly customer focused newsletter providing
investment advice and trading strategies. Increased trading activity
and generated significant referral business that added 11% incremental
business in 2004 and directly contributed to record year."
- Add numbers. As you
can see in the previous example, it's important to document your
successes by measuring results. This is how you know your efforts
were successful. Take a look at the various aspects of your job
and see if you can show an improvement, then add numbers or percentages
that are proof of your capabilities.
Every organization has criteria for success. Find out what matters
to your organization, then document how you have helped them to
be successful. Consider these areas of measurement that are meaningful
to most companies:
- Revenue or sales growth
- Profit increase
- Cost control
- Efficiency improvement
- Productivity increase
- Waste reduction
- Activity increase
- Market-share growth
- Decrease in competition
- Let your personality shine through.
Your résumé should be as unique as you
are. One way to do that is by including your specific stories,
as discussed above. Another is to share information about how
you achieve results. Do you do it by persuading or convincing
others? By inspiring your team? By sheer hard work and dogged
persistence? Mention these kinds of traits in your stories and
in your Summary/Introduction, and you will have a résumé
that is like nobody else's.
Consider the difference:
(A) Gained more than $400,000 in new business.
(B) Relentlessly cold-called every new business start-up in the
county, making as many as 20 cold calls per day for six weeks.
As a result, gained more than $400,000 in new business—more
than twice as much as any other sales rep in the office.
Here's another example:
(A) Led successful membership drive that met all chapter goals
for new pledges.
(B) Provided inspirational leadership to a dedicated membership
team. Gained their support for new ways of approaching pledges;
kept spirits high during intense three-week pledge period that
often involved 12-hour days. Achieved 100% of membership goals
for the first time in 8 years.
Most job seekers make the mistake of including too much detail
about job duties in their résumés. Keep in mind,
job duties are the same for anyone who holds that job. What makes
you unique are the activities and achievements you contributed
while you held that job.
Employers want to know that you will be successful working for them. What
better way to prove it than by sharing stories that are specific, filled with
hard proof (numbers), and indicate how you achieved your results?
Martin
Weitzman, NCRW, CPBS, IJCTC, CPRW
President of Gilbert Résumés
Gilbert Résumés
A Career Network Company
resumepro@gmail.com
Toll Free: (800) 967-3846
Sample Résumés •
Cover
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• Résumé
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Job Search &
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