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For as long as job candidates have sent resumes to employers in the hope of attracting enough attention to score an interview, multitudes of so-called “experts” have given their best tips on how to get resumes noticed. These tips range from the blase to the bizarre. It’s enough to really make you wonder about their qualifications to pontificate on the subject when they recommend such ideas as putting a resume on a kite and sending it to a recruiter’s office. This article, instead, will give you some ideas that are tried and true, no matter what is happening in the market.
Make it Different But Professional
Probably one of the most important things to consider when you send a resume in on a job opportunity is to think of yourself. That’s right. No matter how you think of it, what you are doing is selling yourself. The challenge is to present yourself in as honest and clear a manner as possible, while also making sure to point out what’s different about you. Literally, dress your resume the same way you would dress yourself.
Remember the High Tech
There was a time in the not too distant past when resumes were open, read, and evaluated by people. Not anymore. Not only do many recruiters not have the time to invest in reviewing the huge numbers of resumes that arrive over the transom every day, but they now have technology available which scans resumes and at the touch of a button brings up the ones that most closely fit their requirements. This necessitates using the keywords for the job on the resume so that this process leads to you.
Emphasize Function
An important point to keep in mind, especially in today’s dismal job market is that businesses don’t care about you. What they care about is what they see you bringing to their company. So, you have a Bachelor of Business Administration? So does everybody else who has been sending resumes for months. Instead, emphasize what you bring to the business table to help them. What sets you apart from everyone else with the same credentials? That’s what you want to sell.
Include All Relevant Experience
Employers hire more than your business self. If you, for example, have a hobby or other credentials that you bring to the table, mention it. It doesn’t have to be job related to be of value to the prospective employer.
Keep Busy and Follow Up
You have mailed your resume out to prospective employers with all of the points listed above, now what do you do besides sit on a couch and pray for a response? First, you need to remember that when you don’t have a job, your job should be finding a job. Nothing more, nothing less. Get up in the morning, get dressed just as if you were going to work, then get started. Make phone calls, follow up on appointments and interviews. White thank you notes. Anything that will help you achieve your goal of getting a job is worth the effort.
Additional resume advice can be found at Forbes.com and Cnn.com. Follow these tips, and one day very soon you won’t have to “fake it until you make it.” Instead, you will get up and go to your new job.
