Not 1 in 100 Know These Simple Things...

Your Resume Is Killing Your Chance Of A High Paying and Rewarding Job You LOVE

If you’ve ever applied for a job online, you’ve probably seen the dreaded pop-up box that asks for your resume. This is where many job seekers stumble by sending in an uninspired, template-style resume. But the truth is, you don’t have to fit into this mold if you don’t want to. By demonstrating creativity and tapping into your internal passion, you can create a resume that will not only grab the attention of hiring managers but also show them what you truly have to offer.

Include the right details

Employers may have many job applicants for each position, so your resume has to stand out. To make this easier, write your resume in bullet form, using short, punchy sentences. Avoid convoluted sentences and long-winded descriptions.

Bullet points also make your resume easier to read. Most hiring managers spend no more than 30 seconds or so on each resume. They want to be able to read your resume quickly, and bullet points help.

When selling yourself, avoid hype. If an employer needs hype, he or she is probably in a bad business. Instead, be realistic. When describing your achievements, show how you succeeded.

For example, if you were the president of a student organization, don't say you "led" the club. Instead, say you "took over the organization" and made it work.

Employers value people who show initiative and independence. Did you take on a high-profile project no one else wanted to do? Did you take on a project that was unpopular? Did you create something new?

If no one knows about your achievements, your resume is worthless. Include projects, awards, and honors. List the organizations you belong to and any leadership positions you hold. Employers want people who stand out. They hire people because of their skills, not because of their resumes.

Capture attention

A resume is supposed to help you get a job. So what you put on your resume has to get people interested in you.

There are two basic ways to capture people's attention. One is to make a dramatic claim, like "I invented a vaccine for polio." The other is to make a subtle point, like "I saved the company $50,000 by automating our payroll process."

The dramatic claim has obvious appeal. It makes you stand out. Unfortunately, it is also easy for others to dismiss. If your resume looks like every other resume, your claim doesn't stand out.

The more subtle point has obvious appeal, too. It is almost inarguable. To put it another way, it is the kind of claim no one would dispute if they knew you were right. But subtle claims are easy to dismiss. They are difficult to answer. They invite discussion, not answers. And the discussion can drift into argument.

You want to avoid both extremes. You want to capture attention, but not in a way that invites dismissal or argument. You want to make a subtle point, but not in a way that invites agreement.

It is very difficult to write a resume that accomplishes both of these things. The best way to do it is to combine the two.

For example, we don't usually think of doctors as businessmen, but in 1928 they had to emphasize both qualities. They had to demonstrate to potential employers that they knew how to do both business and medical things. They wanted to show that they had specialized knowledge, but they also wanted to communicate that they knew how to manage other people.

Make it easy for employers to find you

When recruiters and employers search job boards, they are looking for people who can solve their problems. If your resume doesn't make it easy for them to find those solutions, they won't bother.

The headline is the first thing employers see; if it's missing, they won't bother to look further. The headline is a bullet list of your competencies, skills, and abilities. It isn't intended to be a summary; it's meant to tell employers what you can do for them. It tells them what problem you can solve for them and what kind of solution you can offer.

Recruiters and employers use keywords to find people. If your resume only lists your accomplishments, the keywords won't match. It can take 20 seconds for a recruiter to find your resume on a job board, and if your resume isn't obvious, it won't make it.

Your resume should reflect the kind of problem you can solve. Recruiters and employers have to think hard about what kind of problem they need solved. They won't think of your problem the way you think. You need to think like an employer, not like a job seeker.

When employers post a job, they are looking for someone who can solve a particular problem. That problem is what they look for in your resume. If your goal is simply to get a job, the job board is the best place to look for jobs.

When employers search job boards, they are looking for people who have the competencies, skills, and abilities to solve the problems they need solved. They need people who can implement their solutions.

Your resume should make it very clear what you can do for an employer. It should make it very clear that you are the person who can solve the problem they need solved.

Your resume should suggest what you can do for an employer, not what you have done

Establish your brand

Think of your brand as your personal mission. It describes who you are, what you care about, and what you stand for. Your brand is what makes you unique. It differentiates you from the many other people competing for jobs.

Your brand isn't something you create once and then forget. It's an ongoing process. Companies and people in the job market constantly compare and evaluate brands. You have to stay on top of it.

Your brand lies at the intersection of your values, skills, and interests. It's what makes you different from everyone else. And it's what makes you valuable to employers.

Your brand is the set of impressions you get from reading a resume, talking to an interviewer, or observing you on the job. It's a combination of your skills and experience, your accomplishments, and your personality. It's what people remember about you.

Brand is something you create, not something you inherit. It isn't what you're like, or what your parents, teachers, or friends say about you. It's your version of what you think is important.

Your brand is a reflection of who you are. But it's also a reflection of what you think is important.

To stand out in the job market, you have to turn personal values into job skills. You have to turn what you want to be and do into what you can do. That requires a lot of self-reflection. You can't just tell employers what you want, you have to convince them.

Your brand is about how you communicate your most important qualities. You communicate your brand by the way you talk about yourself and your work. Your words define who you are. Your actions define what you can do.

Your brand is your job resume. It's how you present yourself on paper. Your resume is how you present yourself to employers.

A good brand is a positive brand.

Show that you care--about the employer, the industry, the company

Imagine you're the hiring manager at an insurance company. You're following a candidate, and you think he's great. But, wait a second, you wonder, is he interviewing anyone else?

You've seen plenty of resumes, and you've seen plenty of interviews. You know what works and what doesn't work. So you look more closely, and you realize that the candidate who seems to have it all is, in fact, interviewing with more than one company.

When companies hire, they hire people, not companies. And they hire people because they need the people. The candidates they select are the ones who seem to them to have the skills that match up with those needs.

So, why does this matter?

Because, as every company knows, competitors all do exactly the same exact thing. They hire people, and they do it for the same reasons. So, how do you get somebody to remember you? How do you stand out in a crowd?

The answer--and this is obvious--is that, first, you show that you understand the employer's needs. And second, you show that you understand the industry and the company.

Do a little research. Find out who the company's competitors are, and see how they describe themselves. If they want to hire people with marketing experience, for example, you'll have a better chance of standing out if you show that you know something about marketing.

And, third, you show that you understand the company itself. Does the employer like to promote from within? Does the company need somebody with a certain expertise? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," say so.

Finally, you show that you understand the job description.

The job description is the employer's description of what it needs and wants. So, if

The perfect resume comes from understanding your audience

When a resume is done right, it conveys that the candidate has what the employer is looking for. But if a resume is wrong, the employer will wonder why.

A good resume shows the employer how well you know the company and how you can help it. But when you get right down to it, a resume is really just a one-sided conversation. A resume is not an ideal way to get to know someone, but it can give you a start.

Employers have a lot of resumes to sift through. They don't have time to read everything carefully. So your resume has to tell them who you are and why they want to talk to you.

When writing your resume, don't worry too much about making it perfect. A resume is not meant to be perfect or pretty. The goal is to get the employer to contact you for an interview.

Your resume should let the employer know who you are. It should also show the employer that you have the background and experience to do the job.

It is hard to know which facts to emphasize. It is tempting to include every accomplishment, but employers are in a hurry. They don't want you wasting their time. The resume should have a short but clear summary of your skills and accomplishments.