With employers
receiving hundreds of resumes you must make sure that your resume hooks
an employer's attention within a 5-second glance. A great way to do this
is to use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs
you want. For example, compare the headings Roger used in his before resume
to the headings used in his after resume.
Before
Resume:
Accounting / Recordkeeping
Administrative
Computer Skills |
After
Resume:
Management of A/R and A/P Accounts
Computerized Accounting Applications
Departmental Administration / Recordkeeping |
Which set of headings are the strongest
for an Accounts Payable / Receivable Manager position?
Even though Roger's title was Accounting
Assistant, he actually managed over 1,000 A/R and A/P accounts. Using skill
headings that market the true nature of Roger's job duties will generate
him more interviews and higher salary offers. For more examples, like this
one and the ones discussed below, click on 60
Free Online Resume and Job Search Workshops at ProvenResumes.com. |
| Tip
2 - Use Design That Grabs Attention |
| Employers
make snap judgments when glancing at your resume. If they see unrelated
job titles or skills the likelihood is very high that they will make an
immediate assumption that you are not qualified for the job you want. Adding
to this problem is the fact that employers don't have the time to read
through each of your job descriptions to determine if you have the skills
they need.
You Must Do That For Them!The
design of your resume must highlight the most important information about
your work experience, skills and education. At first glance this information
forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities. |
| Tip
3 - Create Content That Sells |
Resume design
should get attention but it's really the content of your resume, the descriptions
you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews
you generate--as well as the level of salary offers you receive. Compare
the before and after statements from Roger's resume shown below:
Before
Resume:
Maintained records for accounts
receivable and accounts payable accounts. |
After
Resume:
Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable
and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer. |
Which of these examples presents Roger
as being more qualified, having higher skills and worth a higher salary?
As this example illustrates, our image of Roger is changed and elevated
when we read the after example. For more examples of how to create powerful
content click on 60 Free Online
Resume and Job Search Workshops. |
| Tip
4 - Quantify and Use Power Words |
| As Roger's
after statement demonstrates, using numbers to describe your achievements
and responsibilities can greatly expand and elevate your image. Using numbers
and quantifying creates vivid images in our mind when we read them, whereas
general statements like the before examples are easy to skip over or forget.
Typically the more specific you can be in describing your duties the better.
Another strategy that is extremely
important in controlling the image that employers develop about you--is
to use Power Words or verbs that match the level of position you want.
For example, Roger wants to use the experience he's gained to move into
a management position. To strengthen his image he should use as many "management
oriented" words as possible. Which example below do you think is the strongest?
Typical
Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff
of entry level accounting clerks. |
Power
Words:
Directed workflow, supervised and
trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts
receivable and payable accounts. |
|
| Tip
5 - Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words |
Learning
how to analyze the key words that employers provide in help wanted ads
and job descriptions is a key element in creating powerful resumes. For
example, read the ad Roger found for an Accounts Receivable Manager below
and see how many key words, phrases, or skill descriptions that it includes.
Accounts Receivable
Manager
Seeking experienced A/R Manager
to oversee accounts, manage billing and collections, train accounting and
clerical staff, develop status reports for management and prepare monthly
balance sheets. B.A. Degree or A.A. Degree with minimum of 2 years experience
required. |
Even though this ad is small it
contains 12-13 key words or phrases that should be addressed in Roger's
resume. Roger can also key words from an ad like this to create headings
for his resume such as:
Key Word Skill
Headings
Management of A/R Accounts
Billing and Collections
Supervision of Accounting and Administrative
Staff
Balance Sheet and Management Status
Reports |
|
| Tip
6 - Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs |
| In addition
to the skills or needs listed in the ad shown above, the employer will
have many more needs that Roger should identify and address in his resume
and cover letter. For example, this employer will need someone who can
deal effectively with other departments, research accounting issues and
records to solve problems. To beat today's heavy competition for jobs,
it's important that you identify and anticipate the full range of needs
each employer faces and show how you can solve those needs. |
| Tip
7 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills |
Most resumes
provide a list of duties that each applicant has been responsible for--without
explaining the benefit of those skills to employers. For example, a secretary's
resume might state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely accurate. This
statement lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit
an employer's bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce
more work and ultimately save the employer money. A better statement for
this person's resume would be:
Selling The Benefits
of Skills
· Achieved
top production volume by maintaining high degree of accuracy with typing
speed at 80 wpm.
· Cut
labor expense over $6,000 annually by eliminating the need for part-time
wordprocessing staff. |
|
| Tip
8 - Create An Image That Matches The Salary You Want |
| As you write
your resume, keep in mind the level of job and salary you want. Be sure
to create an image that presents you at the appropriate level. For example,
language used in a resume for an $8 an hour position is much different
than the language used for a $16 an hour position. I recently met Lynn,
who had held a Health Insurance Claims Management position making $42,000
per year. She had retrained for the accounting field and hadn't yet gained
any "direct accounting experience" although she had prepared monthly accounting
reports as a Department Manager.
I was appalled when she shared the
resume she had been counseled to create. It began with this statement:
|
Seeking an entry level position
in the accounting field.
|
Now what pay rate do you think this
statement would motivate employers to offer Lynn? A much better statement
would be:
|
Seek an Accounting position
utilizing my experience:
· Managing a department
and accounting for up to $250,000 in monthly claims.
|
My goal is to help people either stay
at their current salary level or move up--not go backwards. As you can
see, the last statement greatly elevates Lynn's image and will be much
more likely to generate salary offers comparable to her last pay rate. |
| Tip
9 - Prioritize the Content of Your Resume |
Another
big mistake that job seekers make is to list very important data in the
lower sections of their job descriptions. As you compile statements for
your resume, prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and relevance
to the job you want. Remember that a strong statement which uses power
words and quantifies will affect every statement under it. Read the two
examples below. Which one has the most impact?
Unprioritized
Maintained records control, filing,
office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance.
Managed front office functions
to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives.
Prioritized
Managed front office functions
to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives.
Maintained records control, filing, office supply purchasing and equipment
maintenance. |
|
| Tip
10 - Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters |
You will
generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter
so that they address the specific skills each employer requests. For example,
Sally originally wanted a customer service position, then found an ad for
a Retail Management opening. How well qualified do the headings in the
left hand column present her for the Retail Management position? Do you
think the headings in the right hand column will generate more and better
interviews for Retail Management positions?
Customer
Service
Cash Accountability
Computer Skills |
Retail Management
/ Customer Service
Cash Accountability / Supervision
of Retail Stations
Retail Accounting Applications |
Sally's actual title had been Lead
Cashier, even though she managed her own retail cashiering station in addition
to 6 other cashiers and stations. Once Sally had created her original resume,
it only took about 5 minutes to tweak and relabel her skill descriptions
to fit Retail Management positions. This "relabeling" is entirely truthful
and is extremely important in landing more interviews because it allows
job seekers to apply for, and look qualified for, a wider range of jobs.
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