Guest Blogger, Carrie Robinson
On Easter Sunday, I listened to a sermon given by Reverend
Richard Rogers of Unity Church of Naples, Florida about Ta-Dah! moments in life. As
he was talking, I had a Ta-Dah! moment myself.
You know, Ta-Dah!, that moment of ultimate realization when it hits you
and the light bulb clicks on very brightly.
We have all heard the Ta-Dah! word often in our lives. Many of us might think of the magician
pulling a rabbit out of a hat and saying Ta-Dah! I always hear that word from children when
they make a huge discovery and are excited to let you know they have made that
discovery. I fondly remember my son at
age seven playing the piano during a recital at school and at the end of his song,
he hit the Ta-Dah! notes, as if to say, wow, I amazed myself, I did it! That moment still holds a tender place in my
heart.
As a result of that splendid sermon and my wandering Ta-Dah!
thoughts, I started pondering about the turbulent times so many people are
facing in today’s workplace. As a
recruiter and coach, I see thousands of resumes on a monthly basis and can
count on one hand the number of Ta-Dah! resumes that come by my desk. I also spend approximately eight seconds
reviewing each resume that comes in which means I make snap judgments about
resumes. Given those statistics, resumes
need to stop a reader in their tracks.
Let me share with you some of the key things that make a
resume Ta-Dah!
TA-DAH! THE HEADLINE
- A great headline can capture the reader’s attention.
There are three components to a compelling headline.
1. A
one-line description of your area of expertise (i.e., what you do)
2.
A personal
branding statement (i.e., who you are and what makes you different)
3.
A single-sentence quote directly from you to the resume
reader (i.e., a glimpse of your personality)
- Place your headline directly beneath your name
and contact information on the first page of your resume.
- Most of all make sure your Headline matches the
position for which you are applying.
Here is a strong example of a headline that reaches
out to the reader:
Pharmaceutical Sales
Specialist
- Pharmaceutical
Sales Leader - 6 Years
- Top
Sales Person - 2008, 2007, 2006
- Fully
Certified
- University of Chicago
MBA, Top 5%
- Willing
to travel 100%
"I thrive on building
long-term relationships with clients and consistently
exceeding their service delivery expectations. I thoroughly enjoy the
process
of helping to enrich the lives of my clients. I love what I do for a
living"
TA-DAH! THE FORMAT using
KISS (Keep It Sweet and Simple)
- The length of your resume should be from one to
three pages. If you have 15 years of
experience, one page is simply too short so gauge your experience and make sure
you are able to showcase your value throughout your career.`
- Include all dates and positions in chronological
order starting with most recent.
- Use bullet
points under each position to highlight your achievements.
- Fill in time gaps. Don’t leave the reader with any questions or
doubts about you.
- Use traditional fonts and stick with black font. Less is best!
- Use adequate spacing for easy scanning by the
reader.
- Unless you are right out of school, your
education should be at the bottom of your resume.
- Leave out personal information such as age,
number of children, etc…
- Include training, certifications, professional
memberships, awards, recognitions and foreign languages. Also include significant personal achievements such as accomplished marathon
runner, etc.
- Make sure you spell check and proofread each resume you send out. You can’t imagine how many typos I see. It tells the reader that you don’t pay
attention to detail.
TA-DAH! YOUR VALUE –
Strut Your “Stuff” and Create a Vivid Image
- You
must create a resume that sells you because right now that is your job!
- Showcase core skills and use key
phrases.
- Highlight
spectacular achievements.
- Focus
on measurable results. Use numbers and percentages. You want the reader to have a clear and
powerful image of your skills and achievements. For example: "Led manufacturing redesign of
distribution network and creation of global procurement system for top North
American consumer products manufacturer creating $500M per year in profit
improvement."
- Use
powerful descriptive words to create a strong image such as Directed, Managed, Developed, Devised,
etc…
TA-DAH! ATTRACT THE READER
Take the time to read the position for which you are applying. Analyze the job description and seek key
words and phrases to “parrot” throughout your resume. You will create immediate attraction to the potential employer and, as a result,
create a powerful and compelling resume.
TA-DAH! GET THE REFERRAL
Try as best you can to obtain A REFERENCE within the potential employer and use that person’s name
in your cover letter. You are 50 times
more likely to hear back from the reader if you are attached to someone within
the company!
TA-DAH! THE FOLLOW-UP CALL
After sending your resume, follow-up with an email and a
phone call. If you have a referral,
mention the name. Don’t be afraid to ask
for an informational interview. Here is
a great link on informational interviewing.
TA-DAH! If you have gotten this far, you certainly
are on your way to creating a compelling resume. Putting together a TA-DAH! resume is a lot of work but it is rewarding and will
produce results. You are in the business
of selling you and taking the time to focus on your results and accomplishments
and create your personal brand will help you stand out in the sea of
resumes. Please contact me directly for
personal assistance in creating a resume that says TA-DAH!
Carrie Robinson is an Executive Coach and Recruiter with CRG
Leadership Institute LLC. She can be reached
at 239-821-7254 or [email protected].
Website: www.crgleaders.com