So often, I speak with candidates that have had bad experiences with other organizations or just don't see the importance of a professionally written resume. It is, by far, easier to work with the former rather than the latter, but in either situation, I get tremendous satisfaction when I am able to help either one.
Your resume is the first look an organization has of you. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. I know these sound like cliches, but they are so true! You are marketing yourself to prospective employer, so make your resume look like a marketing piece.
Take the time to make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct. Visual appeal and consistent presentation are key; if you have a period at the end of one bullet, make sure there is a bullet at the end of all of them, or vice versa. Make sure what you are presenting showcases you as a more relevant candidate than your competition. The presentation of your information should be inviting, drawing the reader to want to know more. If you don't pass the first round of resume review, you're done. They won't come back to the rejection pile and pull out your resume at a later date.
Everything in your resume should pass the "so what" test. If you note that you have "excellent written and verbal communication skills", the reader is going to say "so what". You SHOULD have excellent communication skills for most corporate positions. Show HOW you communicate well by listing examples of instances when you communicated information to co-workers, superiors and clients.
My best advice is to spend some time on the phone going over your specific resume with a career specialist that is interested in helping you and not interested in how much money you have in your pocket. One of my favorite sayings is this; just like it takes a village to raise a baby, sometimes it takes a village to find your next career position. Search for the right village, and let them help you to acheive success.
CSP Groups is an organization that can do that. Check us out at www.cspgroups.com, email us at admin@cspgroups.com or call us at 866-235-4877.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis message is so true! A well crafted resume can make the difference in getting the interview or being left behind!
ReplyDeleteLRM
I have first-hand experience that supports what Kim is saying. I once worked with a client who had sent his self-created resume to five organizations he was targeting; all five rejected him. After I worked through a four-draft process of re-creating his resume, he re-submitted to the same five organizations. Result: he interviewed with three and secured a six-figure position with one. Not a bad investment, I'd dare say!
ReplyDeleteFrom a recruiter's perspective, we don't market or place most candidates due to market conditions. The alternative to referring candidates to services like CSP Groups, is to ignore them. I can refer candidates, confident that they will be taken care of, without sacrificing time spent serving our clients. As a result, we have 2 clients as a result of referring marginal candidates in the past.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand we have also used services like CSP to improve resume submittals and re-submittals, resulting in more interviews.
We're happy, candidates are happy, clients are happy!