What a Guaranteed Resume Can Do For You
Guaranteed Résumés are different because they’re written with the employer in mind. Because no employer wants to hire you. Employers only hire staff when they have problems to solve.
And no employer wants to spend a lot of time hiring you, either. It can take days or weeks to read résumés, call candidates, interview and hire them. This process takes employers away from their business, which is not where they want to be.
So, your résumé must quickly answer this question: “What can you do for me?”
That’s the question going through every employer’s mind as he or she reads your résumé. If you can clearly explain the good things you can do, then prove you’ve done them before, you’ll greatly improve your chances of being called for an interview.
It’s that simple. Write what the employer wants to see.
To that end, every Guaranteed Résumé has five characteristics. They are:
- Focus on the job you want
- Emphasis on achievements and results
- Easy-to-read design
- Easy-to-read language
- Quotes from people familiar with your work
Now, let’s look at each of the five areas in detail.
Focus on the job you want
You must tell employers what you can do for them. Don’t make them figure this out for themselves ¾ they may reach the wrong conclusion or get bored and throw your résumé in the trash.
If you don’t know the title of the job you’re applying for, you should at least know what skills you can use. So, start your résumé with one of two headings: Objective or Summary.
An objective with a job title is the best way to start your résumé. It shows that you know exactly what job the employer is trying to fill. Examples:
OBJECTIVE
Restaurant Management where more than 10 years of food service and management experience will contribute to efficient operations.
OBJECTIVE
Network Administrator where three years of successful experience and training will add value.
OBJECTIVE
Pharmaceutical Sales Rep where eight years of training and experience in health care and sales will add to profitability.
If you don’t know the job title, you can start with a summary. This will focus the reader on the skills you’ve used while giving you a bit more flexibility to apply for different jobs. Examples:
SUMMARY
Seeking a position where more than 12 years of sales, management and operations experience will contribute to increased efficiency. An energetic team-player, able to motivate staff for best results.
SUMMARY
Seeking position as business analyst or consultant, where more than 13 years of software development and support will add value. Proven skills in re-engineering and project management.
SUMMARY
Seeking a position where proven skills in graphic design will add value. Creative, highly motivated and deadline-savvy. Superior work habits and layout skills.
Whether or not to use an objective or summary can be a sticking point for some people. They hesitate to focus their résumé, because they want to be considered for all jobs.
This is a mistake.
A focused résumé is a powerful résumé. A résumé that tries to be all things to all people ends up being nothing at all. You can always write a second or third résumé to give you more options.
Focus on achievements and results
Your résumé will focus on the good things you’ve done for previous employers or while in school. By contrast, most résumés focus on job duties and responsibilities, which forces the employer to read between the lines and guess at your true value.
Most Guaranteed Résumés have a Profile section following the Objective or Summary. Here you can put your best achievements and results. Be specific, using dollars and numbers where possible. Examples:
- Created and led Client Solutions Division in 1991. Led sales, support and hardware teams to penetrate computer market for Xerox Canada. In one year, gained 80% of market share against IBM, while meeting sales goal of $5 million.
- More than 10 years of experience with major firms doing packaging, production, assembly, forklift operations and transportation.
- Reduced administration expenses by $5 million, cut $1 million from 1998 operating budget and saved $100,000 in expenses by evaluating contract employee (all in 1997).
Easy-to-read design
Your Guaranteed Résumé will be easy to read, using a design that’s proven successful in the job market since 1995. Your résumé will follow these two rules:
- Use centered headings. By putting your headings in the middle of the page, you’ll make the résumé easier to read. Example:
OBJECTIVE
CAREER PROFILE
EXPERIENCE
- Use a professional-looking font. I use and recommend Times New Roman 12-point fonts for the body copy (the text you are reading is 12-point Times New Roman) and Arial Black, Bookman, or Albertus Medium for the headings. This combination is easy to read, with a business-like appearance.
Easy-to-read language
Every Guaranteed Résumé follows the advice of Winston Churchill, who said: “Use short, old words.” Most résumés don’t do this. Their writers are convinced that big words make them sound smarter and more accomplished.
Wrong.
Filling your résumé with words like implementation (set up, start), utilization (use) and facilitation (help) will only make the reader’s job harder. It will NOT make you sound smarter.
Your résumé should sound like you speaking, only in print. For a detailed explanation of writing tips and techniques, see Chapter 3: “Writing Your Guaranteed Résumé.”
Quotes from people familiar with your work
This is my favorite technique. Using quotes gives credibility to your résumé and makes it stand out from the crowd. Quotes make readers curious and more likely to call you to find out more about what you can do.
Best of luck to you!
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash