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Aggressively Written Resumes
When writing resumes, it is important to remember whom it is
you're trying to please - (is it you, or the hiring authority?)
In this article I will present my ideas of what makes up really
aggressive documents, based on my many years in the industry,
and my career in owning and managing a successful resume writing
and career marketing firm.
Who Is Reading Your Resume?
Make no mistake about it, aggressive documents are necessary to
be successful in today's competitive job search. But first, some
history. Let's examine some of the "hiring authorities." Before
my career in the resume writing industry, I spent several years
as an executive recruiter, placing mid- and senior-level
executives in top corporations. Eventually, I managed that firm,
which employed 24 recruiters working 10 "desks." A "desk" is a
specialty: finance, banking, engineering, information systems,
legal, are all known as "desks" and each recruiter (or team of
recruiters) specialized in placing upper managers and executives
in a chosen field.
I no longer place candidates, and devote all my energies to
resumes and the career marketing industry as a whole, and my own
firm in particular. However, I still have many connections with
recruiters, and have respect for the really great ones, and
distaste for the all-too-often bad ones!
I think it's important to remember that these days, people in
career transition are driven to explore many methods in their
job search. In the past, it was much easier to look for a job -
individuals simply read the classified ads, called the telephone
number listed and chatted with the person over the phone,
setting up an in-person interview for the next day. What a snap!
These days, however, the job search is much more complex.
Competition for employment has never been greater. The entire
process is often drawn-out, depersonalized and hard, hard, hard!
Resumes are no longer just asked for, they are DEMANDED. In
reality, they are a prerequisite for a job search.
My point is, you have to remember what the resume's purpose
actually is and write accordingly. The dynamics in this field
are very exciting but also very volatile. The buzz words are
forever changing. Companies, for example, were at one time
laying-off, then downsizing... rightsizing... reorganizing, and
now reengineering. Whew!
Recruiters, company hiring managers and human resources
professionals are all components in your job search, and it is
the resume's job to land interviews.
I routinely speak with professional recruiters, H.R.
professionals and hiring managers to get their reactions and
opinions to resume styles, formats, contents and verbiage.
Remembering that resumes are actually marketing pieces designed
to sell you to potential employers, aggressive resumes are NOT
simply a listing of your work experience or your biography (life
on paper).
What Makes A "Winning" Resume?
Here are some of my methods and suggestions for writing
aggressive resumes, based on my own experience as a recruiter,
my interaction with hiring professionals and employment
specialists and my clients' success rate in obtaining interviews
within 30 days.
Successful resumes need to SELL you over and above your peers
and they create a sense of urgency for the reader to pick up the
phone and call (or email) you to arrange an interview.
Otherwise, the alternative is the reader scans the resume,
thinks, "Yeah, this person has a good background," and then
moves on to scan the next resume, pitching your resume in the
old "circular file."
So let's examine some ways to write aggressive, up-to-the-minute
resumes that really SELL you.
OBJECTIVES
There are lots of opinions about whether or not to use an
objective, or just how to do so, if one IS used. The only
"given" about the use of an objective, is definitely NOT to use
one on senior level resumes. A CEO, CFO, COO or other
executive's resume actually looks/reads silly when an objective
is used. But for the mid-level or entry-level candidate, an
objective can be useful. Here are a few ways to incorporate the
concept into a resume...for a very targeted client who knows
exactly what she/he wants:
BUYER...PURCHASING MANAGER...PROCUREMENT AGENT
or, for someone seeking to remain in their career pattern:
EXPERIENCED COST ACCOUNTANT seeks a position with a progressive
organization that will utilize a successful career to
meet/exceed company goals.
or, for a client who has several fields she/he want to pursue:
Results-oriented manager seeks a position with advancement
opportunities; areas of interest include retail, electronics and
communications technology.
or, if someone wants to change careers: AGGRESSIVE individual
seeks a career in sales utilizing strong interpersonal skills to
penetrate untapped markets and build a loyal client base.
What you'll notice in the above cases, is what's stressed in the
objective: the BENEFIT the COMPANY will receive if they hire the
candidate. What is not stated is what YOU want. Companies don't
care what you want - they want to know what you can do for THEM.
A flaw in writing objectives, is that they sometimes just say
the same thing that 78+ other resumes sitting on the hiring
authority's desk state: Seeking a challenging position that will
utilize my skills in editing, proofreading and copy writing.
Oh, that's exciting...makes you just want to jump to the phone
and give that person a call, doesn't it? Stating that the person
is seeking a challenging position is ridiculous. Would you ever
state that you were seeking a boring position? Of course not -
so don't state the obvious - it's a cliché.
REFERENCES PROVIDED UPON REQUEST
Using this phrase at the end of the resume is archaic. It's a
given (talk about a cliché!), and contemporary resumes omit
this. The better approach is to generate a prepared Professional
Reference sheet which you can bring with you on interviews and
leave with the interviewer when references are requested.
RESPONSIBLE
This word is often so over-used in a resume, that
at
GetInterviews.com, we never use it. Recruiters employed at
retainer-only search firms have told me that the word
"responsible" signifies mid-management and below, not
executive-level candidates. Personally, I believe the word
"responsible" is actually useless in a resume. Instead of
writing, "Responsible for all departmental functions including
accounts payable/receivable, payroll and invoicing..." I would
suggest to use an action word that best depicts what that person
actually does - for example, "Perform all departmental
functions, including..." or "Oversee all departmental functions,
including..." or "Review all departmental functions,
including..." See what I mean? "Responsible" doesn't really SAY
anything, it doesn't give a clear indication of what you
actually do. Do you perform the functions or direct them?
"Responsible" is too vague to say which.
MY, MINE, THIS, I
Using words like this in the resume indicates you are writing in
a narrative voice, as if you are having an actual conversation,
a dialogue with the reader. This is not the case: you are
presenting your achievements, skills and credentials to a
potential employer. My suggestion would be to keep the resume
more business-like, more professional. In descriptions, the word
"a" could be substituted for the word "this," as in: "Promoted
to a $30 million division of an international widget
manufacturer to expand sales into untapped markets" as opposed
to "Promoted to this $30 million division...."
ALSO
I have seen this word used when describing daily functions:
"Control and administer annual budgets totaling $12 million.
Also, interface with vendors to negotiate more favorable terms
and gain higher profits." Again, the "also" is a dialogue word,
and quite unnecessary. In writing resumes, it is best to do what
my Creative Writing professor called "tight writing." That is,
to eliminate as many "an's, the's, also's, a's," etc., as
possible. They typically aren't necessary and can be cut from
the resume without loss of meaning.
NUMBERS
Contrary to the rules of grammar, EXCEPT for academic resumes,
it is best to use numerals in a resume rather than spell out the
number, even when that number is 10 or under. I know that
grammatically, we are taught to spell out numbers like three,
five, seven, etc., and write 12, 14, 16, etc. The numerical
version, however, jumps off a page, whereas the spelled out
version often gets lost. Because resumes are often only scanned
by the reader 15-20 seconds, the actual use of numbers helps to
capture the readers' attention - they are drawn to the numbers,
which means they are spending more time looking at and reading
your resume - and that's a GOOD thing! I made the reference
above to academic resumes, because teachers, principals and
superintendents are very sensitive to grammatical rules, even in
resumes. It's best to spell out any number under 10 for these
types of resumes. I would never recommend, however, that the
words "percentage" or "dollar" be used ("30 percent" or "12
million dollars") - instead, use the symbol, as in 30% or $12
million.
EDUCATION VS. EXPERIENCE
Knowing when to highlight someone's education vs. experience is
important. With certain fields (teaching, for example), the
general preference is to lead off the resume with the client's
credentials and educational background, even if they have
considerable experience. Recent college grads should also have
their education first, as it is typically their greatest
achievement. However, someone who returned to college (part time
nights, for example), while concurrently employed full time for
the past 9 years as a travel agent, should have their resume
lead off with their experience, and NOT emphasize they just
obtained their Bachelors degree. They are not entry-level
candidates - their experience is more vital to a company than
their education. Remember that all resumes do NOT have to lead
off with the client's education.
PAST / PRESENT TENSE
Writing in the present tense is always more aggressive than
writing in the past tense. Verbs in past tense are in a passive
voice, so whenever feasible, write in the present tense.
Obviously, if you are still employed, your current job listing
is written in the present tense (manage, direct, supervise,
control, etc).
PICTURES
Unless you are an actor or model, do not include a picture of
yourself under any circumstances. Companies these days are so
concerned about EEO lawsuits, discriminatory cases and the like,
that at best, they will immediately throw out the picture, or at
worst, possibly throw away the entire resume, especially if the
picture is printed into the resume. I can guarantee you
recruiting firms are highly sensitive to this, as well.
GRAPHICS
Be careful not to make your resumes "too cute." Remember,
companies see you as an INVESTMENT - they are spending x amount
of dollars to obtain you (salary), and want to see a return on
their investment. It is a business negotiation. If the resume
appears too "decorative" or distracting because of cute clip art
images or overly decorative paper, you may be dismissed and the
resume tossed.
PERSONAL INFO
Marital status, date of birth, health, hobbies, etc., are not
relevant on a resume these days.
Remember, you aren't writing your biography, you are marketing
yourself on paper: why does the employer want to hire YOU above
all others, especially when there are 91+ resumes from equally
qualified candidates sitting on that decision-maker's desk?
Answer that question in the resume, and you will have written a
tight, solid, results-oriented resume...in short, a winning,
aggressive resume, and the sort of resume that is vital for
today's job search - and that of the next millennium.
About the author:
Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist
Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North
America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street
Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+
organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit
and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://getinterviews.com
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