Welcome back to the Amy Mac Blog Series Back to Work: Everything You Need to Know to Get Back in Business — a playbook of strategies to dust off your skills, your resume and your moxie as you change careers, launch a business, or head from the mom force to the work force. Catch up on previous posts here.
In the last post we talked about becoming a social media powerhouse -- how to use social media to stay in the conversation in your industry, find job leads and establish yourself as a competitive, knowledgeable professional in any field.
Today, we're talking about how to craft a winning resume ...
Pulling together an
impressive, cohesive resume can be one of the trickiest parts of landing the
right job when you’ve been away from the career world for a time. Not only must
you make sure your resume is relevant with current achievements, it’s essential
to set yours apart from the scads of impressive resumes floating around in
today’s competitive job market.
Here’s a tip: treat your
resume like a 30-second television advertising spot. Copywriters are paid big,
Madison Avenue bucks to distill a message using the most captivating words and
phrases to convince the consumer do one thing: buy their product. And they only
have 30 seconds to make it happen - which is about the same amount of time you
have to capture the attention of your potential boss.
So when you sit down to
spiff up that all-important document, pretend you’re a modern-day Peggy Olson
on Mad Men. You’re on deadline, the competition is nipping at your heels, and
your job depends on knocking this ad out of the ballpark (because it does.)
The Secrets to an Attention-Grabbing Resume:
Develop
a clear objective. Have you ever seen
a commercial and wondered “are they selling apple juice, facial cream, or
trying to convince me miniature pigs are delightful household companions?” Make
it easy for your audience: state your objective in clear, simple terms. Want a
leadership role as a health care recruiter? Say so. Looking for an entry-level
position as a public relations specialist? Put it in writing. Main goal in life
to be a trainer of miniature pigs? Ah …. I might leave that out.
Be
results oriented. There’s a reason
advertisers spout statistics like “preferred by 4 out of 5 dentists”: it proves
positive results. You’re more likely to capture attention if you say “led team
to a 40 percent increase in sales in the last 12 months” than if you simply say
“increased sales.” In this situation, you want solid numbers where you
increased profits for the company, or saved them a lot of cash.
Discover
and use “Flash Words.” Target
audiences tend to have “flash words” – words that make them take notice, make
their heart race … and make them want to jump in their car and rush to buy what
the advertiser is selling. Good flash words for any resume are: leader,
results-oriented, award-winning, and summa cum laude. (I’m just saying, that
couldn’t hurt.)
Be a
Benefit. Effective
commercials start by telling you how their product will improve your life, and
your resume should focus on how your skills will improve your new place of
business. Ask around and see if you can discover anything about the job you
seek – did the last assistant show up late every morning, resulting in her
ultimate demise? Emphasize your attention to detail, organization, and punctuality.
Are they seeking someone to lead a team in a new endeavor? Clearly state your
recent experiences in leadership in new product development.
Brag,
and be quick about it. Once you’ve shown
them how much they need you, it’s time for your hard sell. Your resume is one
place where it is essential to boast about your accomplishments. This is not
the time to hide the fact you were quoted as an expert in the Wall Street
Journal on page 3, deep in the “personal interests” section. Nope, that goes
right up at the top of the resume – set the tone quickly so the reader is
intrigued enough to keep reading.
Resumes are your calling
card into the business world. Ask yourself: if this were a 30-second
commercial, would I jump in my car, rush to the store, and buy this product?
Using the above tips will vault your resume into the “must interview” list – no
matter what your dream job.
Next up in the Back to Work Blog Series: Network Like You Mean It.
Thanks for reading! (and please ... if you have any questions related to going back to work, send them my way!)
Thanks for reading! (and please ... if you have any questions related to going back to work, send them my way!)
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