The hardest part of the job search process is getting invited to an interview. There are large numbers of applicants for most job openings. Once you are at the interview, you have survived the first cut and the odds are less weighted against you.
How do you get invited to an interview? Unless the prospective employer already knows you, your resume will determine whether you get an invitation. View your resume as a means to increase the probability of getting a job interview. Given its vital role, you should consider your time and effort spent on writing your resume to be an investment rather than an expense.
The return on your investment will come in two ways:
- You will be invited to more interviews, because good resumes earn interviews.
- You will do better at each interview.
When you are looking for a job, a resume is usually a necessary part of your equipment. What is a resume? It is a brief advertisement that conveys your message: 'Interview me, because I am worth the investment of your time. Based on what I have shown about myself in the past, I am a good prospect for employment with your firm in the future.'
Your resume should be thought of as a way to present to an employer those Positive Characteristics that would make you a valuable employee. There are four key points to remember:
- Your resume is a presentation of you, not a series of job descriptions.
- Your resume must be reader-friendly--presented in a manner that is relevant, interesting, and clear to the reader.
- Keep your resume brief; it is not a life history.
- A good resume increases the probability of getting an interview, but there are no guarantees.
You must make a list of Positive Characteristics that any employer wants to know about him. Positive Characteristics are anything you have demonstrated, achieved, or learned that would help you to be an asset to your employer.
Then begin developing his resume. Write examples for each of the characteristics you have listed. Why examples are Important? Examples are important for you and for the reader of your resume:
For you: They help you in making sure that you have a solid basis for any Positive Characteristic you want to convey.
For the reader: They help validate the claims of your resume.
In your resume, the section that will most impress the reader with Positive Characteristics should go first.
The resume will benefit you if it has a summary or the objective at the beginning for the following reasons:
- A Summary would be a succinct and explicit method of conveying your message to the reader;
- An Objective would serve as a roadmap for your resume;
- An Objective would be a roadmap for the reader of the resume, by letting the employer know what profession interested you and what Positive Characteristics you would bring to the job;
- An Objective would lend credibility to your application to prospective employers, by showing that you have a focus in your job search.
Your resume should serve to show how your past is a good predictor of what you can contribute to an employer in the future. On that basis, this is the message you should convey and present it in the resume language and format:
Summary: Proven skills in leadership, communication, and problem solving. Demonstrated ability to assess risk and respond appropriately. Professional experience with that the job needs should be highlighted. You have to include those Positive Characteristics you feel will most favorably impress the type of employer for whom the resume is intended. Later, you could add or delete some phrases, if you felt it would be useful. If you plan separate resume for every job you pursue, you should focus on your career goal and Positive Characteristics to support your goal. The flip side would be that, if you planned a resume with less specific focus, the summary would be less specific as well.
Now, using your summary you have a road map for writing your resume.
Get some examples from your inventory and modify them to suit your job search goal and give your message that you have the Positive Characters that your employer wants. Your draft resume should
- list your Positive Characteristics (general and particular);
- give examples to support your Positive Characteristics;
- have a summary statement that conveys your message;
