Monday, March 9, 2009

Do You Want Your Resume to Get You Noticed?

We all know what the economy is like right now and how fierce the competition is for finding new jobs. Having a well-written resume will get you noticed but isn’t always enough. Having a well-targeted resume will get you notice and get you an interview! Remember to keep in mind that a resume is as an advertisement, commercial, or flyer with one goal in mind - to gets results and get you an interview. So use it the way it is meant to be used by having one focus and making it powerful and attention-grabbing.

Most job seekers want to use a generic resume as a bit of a one-size-fits-all resume and try and squeeze in 20 or 30 years of experience into 2 pages. Job seekers also think they can use one resume for 2 or 3 jobs searches and that by putting in every important thing they’ve ever done in their career is the best way to get notice. Usually they couldn’t be further from the truth. A resume that works and does its’ job, is one that is well written and focused on one specific job or position. Hopefully this article will help you realize the importance of having a well-targeted resume and its benefits.

Resumes that have a specific target in mind make it easier for recruiters and/or hiring managers to identify its purpose. For instance, a recruiter while at a career fair collects 80-100 or more resumes for say 4 or 5 available positions. He will go back to his office and review them over the next several days; his memory will begin to fade making decisions harder. He will have to review each one just to find out which job each resume is for.

A headline or title for the resume that is specific to the job at hand will make sure your resume gets in the right pile and right hands. The headline can be the title from a job description that you are applying for or it can be the position you currently have. By using a label that is easy to see you will save the reader a lot of time by not having to scan your resume just to find out what you are trying to apply for.

Along with easy recognition, a resume is more focused if it concentrated on one specific position. This is very important when a job seeker has an extensive background that offers several possible career paths. Sticking with one objective per resume gives the job seeker more room to focus on just one position and use specific industry or position jargon, experience and achievements for the greatest impact.

A person that has 25 years in sales, management and training, for example would benefit from having 3 resumes. The information and achievements used can be the same for all 3 resume but used differently in each. Instead of focusing on the sales figures in the training resume you can focus on the training programs developed and implemented to improve sales. Or, the leadership and management skills in a management resume utilized to propel the sales team to unprecedented revenues.

It is all on how you position the information. You can to grab the reader’s attention by including what the reader is looking for, make the resume powerful and effective. Often I use the job description as a guide on what to include in the resume. If the job description requires strong communication, presentation and new business development skills I will use examples from my client’s experience that fit the job description requirements and emphasize their achievements in these areas for the biggest impact.

A resume that packs the most punch is a resume that is well-targeted to a specific position. Don’t try and put your whole career into one document if you want to look into different positions opportunities. The resume will be easier to identify, and it will allow room for more relevant information by keeping the focus simple. The results will be a more effective resume that will get you noticed, gain more interview offers, and hopefully lead to a new job.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

What Are Your Goals for the Coming Year

Again we were blessed with another memorable Christmas shared with family and friends, our health, and the ability to give to others. New Year’s has just past and I’ve already started to put a list together of goals I’d like to set for next year. The list has been drifting and developing for the past few months, now is the time to get serious about what I want to accomplish.

Goals are a great way to move forward in your career. They offer direction, accountability and keep you on track with your larger life-sized goals. Most executives and c-level managers set goals and agree that the goal setting and achieving processes are what put them where they are today. So, how can you get the most from your goals? First you have to know what they are. Everyone can say, “I’d like to make more money next year” or “I’d love to get my degree some day”, both are nice thoughts but neither are focused.

A real set of goals is a list of specific achievements that you would like to successfully implement. Each goal should be specific to you, what you want, when you want to accomplish it and how you intend to accomplish the task. By adding the details and a deadline you are making it concrete and real for you.

Goals can be what ever you want them to be. You can establish private goals or you can make an impact by making them known to colleagues, friends, or family. Goals can be of professional and personal natures – and should be about anything you want them to be. The important thing to do is take the time to think about what would make these dreams become realities and write down the individual plans to make them happen. Most of the time it only takes the articulating and believing in a goal to make it happen. Whether consciously or unconsciously we tend to put actions into motion to make us succeed in achieving our goals.

Once you have ten or twelve…or more goals in mind and written in detail and with specific accomplishment dates, you need to put the list in one or several places where it can be seen regularly. The key is consciously acknowledging your wishes and turn them into action driven goals. By reviewing the goal list frequently you will keep the goals in the forefront of your mind which will keep them a priority.

We’ve all said we’d join a gym, start some new health regimen, go back to school, take up golf or implement professional actions, one only to have the goals fade into extinction after a few weeks or months. By keeping your goals close to you and in a place where you can frequently review and even speak them out loud is a great way to reinforce them.

I am excited about 2009! I’ve got some big goals which make me nervous and excited about achieving but I know I will succeed once I begin to see them as destinations and start working towards completing them. Your goals can take you anyplace you want to go. Everything on Earth started with a thought. Make you thoughts become reality by putting action on your “dreams” and turning them into goals which are fluid and forward moving and achieving.

Happy New Year and Shine On!