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Try tweaking your resume

Posted on 11. Nov, 2005 by Bill in Employment News

Try tweaking your resume

Are you looking to change industries? If you are not garnering the interest you think you should, your resume could be the problem. Here are five tips for better results:

Functional vs. chronological A chronological resume typically begins with an objective, followed by career history and academic achievements.

For an industry changer a functional resume is best. This highlights your functional strengths; your skills that are transferable. These strengths can be conveyed at the beginning of your resume in key phrases, in your written objective, in a list of leadership skills or stated accomplishments. Your potential employer now has the opportunity to picture you in their market. Here is an example:

Before: Strengths include selling financial planning services to retired persons, small and medium-sized businesses.

After: Strengths include developing new business and selling intangibles to diverse markets.

Speak their language Avoid the error of using your own industry language. The trick to any interview is “it’s not about you, it’s about them.” You must use language that can be understood by those outside your industry. Here are some examples of attention-grabbing key phrases that are potentially more meaningful to a wider audience:
Strategic Planning, Organi-zational Leadership, Performance Improvement, Process Optimi-zation, Lifecycle Management, Methods Standardization.

Try this: Print out two or three of your targeted jobs. Mark all the key phrases, responsibility descriptions and requirements that closely match your abilities. Are these keywords in your resume and cover letters? If they are not, they need to be.

Key Words Are Key Most companies today use electronic tracking systems to store resumes of potential hires. A quick keyword search identifies available talent that a human resource department will retrieve to match a company’s needs.

Think of five of your best marketable strengths that you, as a professional posses. Highly organized? A motivator? Team player? Whatever they are, make sure these strengths are highlighted on your resume. What are your five top functional strengths? Project management? Business development? Cost containment? Make sure these are highlighted too, preferably at the top or beginning of your resume.

Minimize your past Below is the opening statement of a resume for a military professional transitioning into the civilian world. The statement shows his professional achievements in broad terms, using civilian language. Notice how he has painted a picture of himself — as a business professional:

“Professional career reflects over 20 years of leadership, management, operations and administrative experience in large-scale multi-faceted operations. Adept in orchestration of project and program management; planning, identifying resources and leading teams up to 400 employees. Leadership recognized in the healthcare industries and as a Naval officer and pilot. Seasoned manager capable of directing organizations with P&L in excess of $400M.”

Back to the basics If you have under 10 years experience, a one page resume should suffice. If you have more than ten years experience, you will probably need two pages. Spell check and edit your resume for any errors, watch your tenses, keep your font size around 11pt and resist the temptation to add anything personal, such as hobbies, health or marital status. It is unnecessary to state that your references are available upon request.

If in doubt, consult a professional. Many certified resume writers offer free evaluations. You can purchase a resume writing book or research career sites such as CareerJournal.com for free articles on resume writing. Take time to prepare a good resume.

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Tags: Employment News