Master Class in Personal Branding—Lesson 4: The Proper Way to Use a Resume

Interview, Job Search, Networking, Resume and LinkedIn

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Master Class #4In the previous posts in this series (see here, here and here), we gathered all the internal and external data necessary to get a full picture of who you are and what you can offer. Now, we need to capture that all in career marketing documents that help us stand out, get noticed and ultimately get the role we want.

First, let’s go back to the tried and trusted document, the resume, because after all, it has its place.

When You SHOULD Use a Resume

“Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.” -Madeleine Albright

If you have at least 5-10 years of work experience, you can probably develop a resume that would run over 2-3 pages (probably closer to 5 or 6), but hiring managers don’t want to see a 6-page resume.

The standard 2-page resume means you have to leave details off. And if you rely on the “one resume fits all” approach, as the vast majority of job seekers do, you’re going to miss out on opportunities—rejected because your skills didn’t match the position on paper, even though you might have had experience directly relevant to the position in your background.

Most outplacement firms, career coaches and unemployment groups will tell you that the advertised job market only accounts for a small percentage of all filled positions—possibly as low as 15-20%. (Although there doesn’t seem to be concrete research to support this often-quoted number.)

Whatever the percentage is, it certainly is low. And that means if you’re just mailing in a resume “on spec” or—worse still—via mass automated mailing, you could be sending a resume to a company that isn’t looking specifically for the skills you’ve chosen to outline on your resume—even if you do in fact have the required skills but, because of space, had to leave some things off.

That is why you should only submit a resume for a specific position. That way, you can tailor the resume to as closely match the position as possible (assuming you have the necessary skills and experience).

Technology is rapidly changing the world we live in, and the approach to careers and job searching, from both the candidate and employer perspectives, is no exception. It’s important to keep abreast of technological advances in order for you to present yourself effectively and ensure that you’re putting your best impressions forward.

 

What Your Resume Should Include

You should aim to include as much of your specific skills and experience relevant to the actual position you’re being considered for, not just a cookie-cutter resume.

This can only come from having a clear understanding of the role in question. That can be tough because many hiring managers don’t even have a clear idea of what the job entails.

Prior to sending a resume, you want to be gathering as much information as possible. The job posting (if it was advertised somewhere) is be a place to begin, but with as much as 80% of the job market coming through networking and referrals, sometimes a company hasn’t even gotten around to posting the position.

If you can’t find a ready job description, try to get a conversation with either the HR manager or, ideally, the hiring manager. Then select some of the key questions to gather that information. If you get to talk to an incumbent, then you’re golden.

Once you have as much information as you can get, it’s time to put together a targeted resume.

 

Turning the Equation on its Head

“It is a fact that some innovative people refuse to produce standard resumes. Innovative individuals frequently offer no resume, or they may offer anything from poems, DVDs or online portfolios.” –Dr. John Sullivan

The resume is just the start. Or rather, it should be the follow-up.

The follow-up to what, you may ask?

In the final post of this series, we will look at the alternative career marketing documents you can use to really get ahead of your competition.

Known by his clients as The Career Hacker, Paul Copcutt was described by Forbes magazine as a global leading personal brand expert. Paul helps people uncover their uniqueness and communicate it in an authentic way that gets them noticed and remembered, for the right reasons. Over the years, he has inspired and worked with thousands of people from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 executives, and he regularly speaks to business audiences across North America. Visit his site, Square Peg Solution, and find him on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

 

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