Archive for the ‘Resume Examples’ Category
December 29th, 2009 | 
Author: Yesterday I ran a post on how to get hired 65% faster and lots of you emailed me and asked me if this were true. Let me be perfectly clear — YES, 100% true. Today I would like to follow up and give you another idea or two. But this isn’t all there is – if you will take the next step and follow the link to Guerrilla Resume you will learn and receive lots more. These methods really work. The example we gave yesterday came from someone living in Michigan where the unemployment rate is at least 15% (conservatively) and if this will work there, why won’t it work where you live?
- Guerrilla job tip: Your job search is a sales and marketing campaign.
Many people never think of it that way. You should and must!
Think about it.
To get hired, you must identify, qualify and contact prospects (decision makers who can hire you) and sell to them (convince them to offer you a job). Anyone who has ever had a sales job knows the above to be true. You must sell the decision maker!
Here are 2 Guerrilla Job Search tactics based on *unconventional* sales and marketing methods.
Try one or both today, to get hired faster tomorrow …
- Treat Voicemails as Radio Spots
Here’s an idea: Think of your voicemail messages as 30-second radio commercials.
That means you should script and rehearse the voicemails you leave for employers.
Don’t adopt a fake baritone, but do try to sound upbeat and professional.
While other job seekers leave dull, rambling messages, you can give employers one more reason to hire you, by leaving tantalizing voicemails that practically force them to call you back.
Example:
“Hi, this is Steve Jones. I wanted to make
sure you got the resume I mailed you on Monday
for the position of accountant. I had something
to add to the part where I saved $27,000 last
year for a firm just like yours. If you’d like
to know the missing piece, please call me at
702-555-1212. Thank you!”
- Send Sales Letters, Not Cover Letters
It’s been said (by us) that you can’t bore employers into hiring you. So why send out the same dull cover letters as other job seekers?
To sell an employer on the idea of hiring you, it helps to send them a … sales letter.
Here’s a crash course to get you started:
- Personalize your opening. Example: “Dear Mr. Jackson.” Never, ever write: “Dear Sir or Madam.” Can’t find the name of the hiring manager? Pick up the phone and call.
Timid job seekers have skinny kids.
- Focus on the reader. All good sales letters are written about “you,” the reader, and not, “I,” the author. If you change all instances of “I” to “you” in your cover letter, you’ll make it more effective.
- Make specific claims, then prove them with facts. Look at your last letter. How many numbers, percentages, and dollar signs do you see? Add more.
- Ask for the sale. Example: “Please call me today to learn how I can save you money as a customer service manager.” Or, better: “I will call your office at 10 a.m. Wed. to answer any questions and tell you how I saved $15,000 in my last role as a customer service manager.”
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1. A document that reflects your personality: Unless you’re in the performing arts or involved in a creative industry, a resume should err on the conservative side — no designer fonts or unusual designs.
2. An exhaustive listing of everything you’ve done: Recruiters and Hiring Managers want recent experience, not all experience. The rule of thumb is to go back 10 years for IT professionals and no more than 15 years for those in other industries. Keep your resume to one page.
3. A document that tells the recruiter or hiring manager what you want: Recruiters and Hiring Managers are interested in what you can bring to their organizations in terms of performance — increasing profits or reducing costs. What you want (your objective) is secondary.
4. A document that will guarantee an interview or job offer: A resume is the beginning of your job search. It cannot guarantee the end result. No matter how well your accomplishments are detailed and your data presented, if your background doesn’t closely match the requirements of the job, you will not be called in for an interview
5. A one-size-fits-all document: Certainly, there are basic standards for all resumes, such as page length and data prioritization/organization. However, your background is unique and needs to be presented to showcase your skills, not fit a general template designed for everyone. This is where you can benefit from a professional resume writer. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. We have an budget resume site that will provide you with a professional resume for under $50
6. A document that will please your spouse, parents, colleagues, etc.: The only audience that matters is Recruiters and Hiring Managers. Relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances may be well-meaning, but they are not experts in resume writing.
7. A document that is perfect in every way: Organization of data and showcasing accomplishments are what matter most in a resume as does language and tone (be professional at all times). Recruiters and Hiring Managers are looking for hard skills that you can bring to their organization. If you are frightened of the whole process then the best idea would be to hire a professional resume writer. They will do a one-on-one interview and provide you with the best there is. This won’t be cheap but will give you an edge over your competition.
Getting proper resume help is the one step in your job search over which you have total control. It is your personal career marketing document. You will either be selected for an interview from among potentially hundreds of other candidates – or passed over; depending entirely on the strength of your resume.
The Resumes Function
The purpose of a Resume is not to get a job! Its purpose is to get an interview. The competition is fierce so the better this document is, the quicker you get hired.
Job recruiters spend approximately 15 seconds looking at each Resume. In that short time, they make a decision to place you in the “yes” pile or in the “no” pile. This decision can be based on the overall appearance of your Resume template, the format, and the three or four key selling points you have listed in your Qualifications Summary at the top of the resume.
If you make it to the “yes” pile, your resume will receive a detailed reading. From that initial pile of Resumes that come in the mail, the recruiter’s goal might be to narrow the list to only five, ten or twenty candidates who will be called for an interview. So even if you survived the first screening and made it to the stack of 20, you still have a 50/50 chance of being cut from the final selection.
Remember, this entire process happens solely on the strength of your resume. That’s why your resume format is so important. And if you survive this process, your resume then becomes the basis for your interview. The recruiter will use your resume as an outline to discuss your career history, accomplishments, and qualifications for the position she/he needs to fill at the company.
After the interview, your resume continues to represent you, as your qualifications are weighed against those of other candidates who have also made it through this interview stage. Assume that only the five or ten best and most qualified candidates were interviewed. The department heads involved will meet and discuss which candidates they want to consider. Even here, your resume plays an important role in reminding the company of your qualifications, the impression you made during the interview, etc.
Should You Write Your Own Resume?
Probably not – unless you are a skilled professional writer who can also honestly look at your own strengths and weaknesses objectively. While there are dozens of “do-it-yourself” resume books on the market, the truth is that if you do your own resume, it is being prepared by an amateur.
Does it make sense to spend four years and $40,000 to earn a college degree and then market that investment to employers with a do-it-yourself Resume? Or to have solid credentials and a salary level of $30,000, $60,000 or $100,000… and use a less than professional resume to represent you?
Think of a company like Coca-Cola. The executives who work for Coca-Cola know that product better than anyone else. Yet Coca-Cola uses a professional advertising agency to create the messages that are designed to sell us on buying Coca-Cola.
The Professional Resume Writer
Hiring a professional Resume writer serves the same purpose in selling you to a potential employer as Coca-Cola’s advertising agency. You’re getting the benefit of an expert who writes resumes every day and who knows how to present a client’s background and credentials to best advantage.
There are three options open at this point;
- do it yourself,
- hire a professional resume writer or
- use resume software.
I would never recommend to even my worst enemy that they write their own resume so that leaves #2 and #3. Number 2 is the best option but costs some money, sometimes $200 – $400, however it is an investment in YOUR future.
Resume software is a less expensive and was written by professional resume writers. Resume templates and Interview help is also available. Is it equal to option #2? Very close but not quite as good but still far ahead of writing your own resume.
I would recommend that if your budget will allow, go to the professional writer route. However if you have been out of work awhile then the #3 option makes sense. That’s why our site Resume On A Budget was created, to help people on a budget. By the way the resume software has a money back guarantee so you can’t go wrong.
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