Roadmap to a Winning Resume

Roadmap to a Winning Resume
By Dean Tracy
As published on The Ladders / January 30, 2008

As a recruiter, I have seen thousands of resumes from very qualified and capable candidates across the globe. They have come from nearly every industry and market segment and have represented administrative professionals as well as corporate executives.

While I review each resume, my role is to carefully read between the lines and try to get a sense of who the candidate is and how they are wired. In doing this, I’m associating their skills against my client’s needs. My intent is to determine if the candidate capabilities will drive a degree of success in a particular capacity.

On the other hand, it’s been stated that a typical hiring manager or recruiter will only look at your resume for approximately 10 to 15 seconds! In this brief period of time, that hiring manager or recruiter will decide on how to proceed with your resume. Their decision to file your resume or push it forward in the process will hinge on three attributes – identity, uniqueness and value to the company. These three elements are essential to developing and delivering a winning resume.

Identity – Build Your Brand

This is the only opportunity that you have to make a first impression. The top–third portion of your resume must clearly represent you and your professional identity. The next hiring manager to read your resume must be able to immediately tie you to a department or open position within their company.

The format, conciseness, and clarity of your resume will also reflect many of your professional traits and will demonstrate how well you will fit into the company and its culture. Your resume must be easy to read, captivating, grammatically perfect, and free of spelling errors. It needs to have a sense of continuity, be detailed but not boring, be content rich but not busy, and most of all, it must be organized.

Your resume should not be overstuffed with keywords just for the sake of keywords. If you effectively manage your professional network, then your resume should never see scanning software on the first pass in penetrating your target company. Don’t worry about capitalizing on the hits when a company does a system driven search. Instead, focus on developing your resume as a piece of marketing collateral with you as the product. Remember that everything you send out is a direct reflection of your professional traits.

Uniqueness – Differentiate Yourself

Write an effective yet brief profile of your background and experience, not an objective stating the obvious. For example, every candidate wants to “utilize their skills to engage with a winning company in driving revenue and increasing profits.” This is not unique and does not set you apart from anyone.

In writing a profile, you will briefly encapsulate your background while highlighting your capabilities and accomplishments. This is a great place to capture their attention while demonstrating your overall strengths and value to the company.

Value – Quantify Results

For every position in the workforce, there is always an impact on revenue, profits and productivity. You must author your resume to represent your accomplishments for every task. As you reflect on your roles and responsibilities, think in terms of numbers, and don’t be afraid to toot your own horn! Your next employer is looking for people with confidence and leadership qualities that will drive their company to new heights. You can do it!

If you take the initiative to embrace these three simple elements in defining your background, you will recognize greater results in your search efforts and it will become easy for you to open new doors of opportunity towards landing the job of your dreams!

Dean Tracy is a Professional Recruiter, Public Speaker and Career Coach based in Northern California with an emphasis on Placing and Coaching IT Professionals at a National Level. He also serves on the Leadership Team for Job Connections, which is recognized as one of Northern California’s largest and most reputable Professional Networking Groups.

What's Missing in Your Job Search

What's Missing in Your Job Search

By Dean Tracy, professional recruiter and career coach
(As published on MSN/CareerBuilder.com – January 2, 2008)

Most candidates have one thing in common: lack of preparation.

In order to nail your next job interview, you must be prepared. You should have specific, measurable, time-bound goals and a strategic plan. It’s critical that you know what you are looking for. Preparation is the key to maximizing your impact.

Here are 10 hot tips to get prepared for your next interview:

1. Know yourself

The biggest mistake that candidates make is that they look at their résumé only at the time that they write it. You must review your résumé several times a week. Remind yourself of your accomplishments. You are the only person who has the capability to toot your own horn! Know the difference between confidence and arrogance. Being confident in your skills is desirable and being arrogant discussing your abilities is not. It’s OK to talk about yourself as long as you know when to stop.

2. Be accountable
Make sure to be responsible for the time that is not listed on your résumé. Use this to share ways that you have kept your skills sharp. This will show that you are a leader in your field and you take initiative.

3. Consider the pay
Be clear in knowing what your compensation requirements are before your interview. Understand what the salary band is for the position. Know the difference between your needs versus market trends and value. Be very specific in developing your interview around demonstrating ways that your skills will bring value to the company.

4. Show quantifiable results
Every hiring manager is thinking about budget during the interview. Be prepared to discuss ways that your background will drive revenue and increase profits or save money. Share ways that your previous contributions have supported the accomplishment of the corporate goals and objectives.

5. Know your limits
Understand all the details of the position for which you are interviewing. Be prepared to share your accomplishments as they pertain to the requirements in the job posting. Stay focused and don’t try to oversell your capabilities.

6. Research the company
Research the company and know why you want to work there. Understand the backgrounds of the people with whom you will be meeting. Be ready to discuss the company’s products or services. Monitor the About Us and News/Press sections of the company’s Web site. The Web site may also show market presence, trends and corporate values.

7. Arrive early
Show up to the interview location early. Watch people as they come and go to and from the office. Observe their body language and their pace. A company that fosters a healthy corporate culture will also have people who love their job. This will be obvious as you observe the employees.

8. Bring extra copies
A good rule of thumb is to bring two more résumés than you think you’ll need. In other words, if you are scheduled to meet with three people, bring five copies of your résumé.

9. Prepare emotionally
You are under evaluation from the time that you arrive to the time you leave. Be mindful of your surroundings and the people around you. Your cell phone should be turned off. Your appearance and demeanor should be friendly and focused on the interview and “closing the deal.” Smile a lot and be personable and engaging.

10. Have patience
Schedule your time accordingly. Expect to wait. Sleep well the night before your interview and never yawn during the discussion!

If you do your homework well, you will be extraordinarily successful in your interview. It will become easy for you to open new doors of opportunity towards landing the job of your dreams!

Dean Tracy is a professional recruiter, public speaker and career coach whose personality and enthusiasm have inspired hundreds in the midst of their career transitions. Dean is based in Northern California and his professional emphasis is on placing and coaching IT professionals at a national level. He also serves on the leadership team for one of Northern California’s largest and most reputable professional networking groups, Job Connections and manages annual Northern California Career & Leadership Summit. Contact him at Dean@DeanTracyJobs.com or www.DeanTracyJobs.com.

Copyright 2008 Dean Tracy. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authority.