Welcome to 2017! We are one week into the new year and I want to know, what are you going to be doing that’s new this year? Most people come up with resolutions or list of things they want to do or achieve. The sad truth is that they usually don’t stick with their plans or accomplish what they desire. If you’re interested in turning your resolutions into reality, you can read more about that here.
One of the most common goals professionals have at the beginning of the year, is to find a new job. There are a few things you need to land a position that progresses your career:
1. Clarity around what you want and what you’re looking for
2. A well-written resume
3. Solid interviewing skills
I work with career coaching clients on all three of these areas. Today, we’re going to focus on your resume, aka your personal and professional, marketing materials. It’s important to know these three must-haves to make sure your resume gets you an interview!
>Customized for the position you want
Resumes are not one size fits all t-shirts! It’s tempting to want to use the same exact resume to target various positions in different industries, but I highly recommend against it. Unless you’re applying for similar positions, like project coordinator and project manager, you can be doing yourself a disservice. The resumes selected most in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are those that closely align with what the hiring manager or recruiter is looking for.
Utilizes the appropriate keywords
10 years ago, you could write a resume with colorful language and a unique layout that resulted in lots of compliments. In today’s world, the majority of those creative and funky resumes are never seen by a human, because they aren’t selected for consideration by the ATS. These software programs scan all submitted resumes and categorize them to determine who gets an interview. Having your resume selected is all about using the right keywords, in a structured format that’s easily readable by an ATS.
Highlights your achievements
If you’re fortunate enough to have your resume selected for review by a hiring manager, it needs to stick out in order to get an interview. What’s in the content of your resume? The overwhelming majority of resumes are nothing but lists of job duties. Hiring managers and recruiters already know what’s expected in the positions they are trying to fill. It doesn’t tell them much about you to read that you “organized and filed records for later review.” But to learn that you, “created and managed a new filing system that increased department productivity” gives them an idea of what you can bring to the role.
After reading about what makes an effective resume in 2017, how does yours stack up? Are you confident that your resume would be selected and get you an interview for your dream job? If you’re not sure, we’d like to help! By popular request, I’ve designed a new service called the Resume Makeover. It includes an initial, 20-minute Resume Consultation, our resume writing service (with up to 2 edits), and a Follow-Up Action Planning Session to help you get more interviews!
The first 10 people who purchase the service in 2017 will be able to take 25% off! We want to help you start off the year with the job you want. Find out more about our Resume Makeover Packages!
Porschia Parker-Griffin
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