Have you started thinking like this:
If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything. (Bill Lyon)
Then you haven’t figured out the difference between you and the losers who don’t get interviewed.
Sorry, that’s harsh, but true. Here’s why.
1 job and 100 resumes.
80 resumes are gently tossed into the trash can by the receptionist after only a 10 second look. 10 more are trashed after a one minute look. The remaining 10 go to the hiring manager. He asks the receptionist to set up interviews with 3 people.
3 out of 100 get the interview.
Vanilla resumes won’t get you an interview. What is the difference between you and the losers?
The first key is the mind of the receptionist. The receptionist threw away 80 resumes because they looked like they were the least qualified. The receptionist needs to quickly see all the keywords from the job ad that her boss gave her, or it goes in the trash can. If the ad says 5 years experience, she’ll throw away a confusing resume that has a first page showing only two years experience and a job at something else. If there are typos and bad grammar, you may go into the trash can. To get past the receptionist you need a clear, readable and neat resume that says that you meet all the basic requirements.
The second key is the mind of the manager. He also immediately checks for the minimum requirements. Then he reads for attitude, ability and something special. The manager wants a “mini me”. That is the “something special”. He wants someone who will help him with his problems. Unfortunately most job ads don’t say what those manager level problems are. Usually a manager is worried about staying within budget, increasing revenue, or better customer service. Your resume needs to show him how you will meet HIS goals.
The resume planner you had a link to yesterday is a great place to start. It has a series of questions to help you stand out. It will help you show your attitude and ability. It also leads you down the tough path of figuring out how you have helped your previous managers meet THEIR goals of staying within budget or cutting costs, increasing revenue and giving better customer service.
The next few days I will focus on how you can demonstrate exactly one show stopping point. Something that may just make the manager call you in for an interview. One thing is all it takes. It will be the difference between you and the loser.
Something To Do Today
Grab one of the resume planners linked here. Does it have topics you haven’t addressed?
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Tomorrow: Show attitude
Later: Show ability
Show cost cutting and budget saving
Show increased revenue
Show better customer service
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle
Post-it notes