Resumes are Marketing Tools to Communicate Your Value

Resumes are job search marking documents. Picture the recruiting process as a sale. The person who is recruiting (hiring) is the buyer, and you’re the actual product. To start selling the product, you need to create a strong advertisement that describes the benefits of purchasing.

Just like the packaging of a product attracts the attention of a shopper, your resume and cover letter must catch the interest of the reader. Read on to learn how to use focused resumes, meaning tailored to marketing your value to potential job opportunities.

Show Your Return on Investment (ROI)

When you’re writing your resume, you’re using it to market yourself to an employer; for this reason, you need to show the return on investment. What will the hiring manager get by hiring you for a certain position? When creating your resume, ask yourself questions similar to the following:

Did you help increase productivity, and if so, how?
• Have you saved the company money, if so, how and how much?
• Can you turn around declining revenues?
• Did you troubleshoot a major problem?
• Did you increase customer retention?

These questions will change depending on the position that you’re seeking, but this should give you an idea of accomplishments to put in your resume. Think of it this way, what was the challenge, what were your actions, and what was the end result? After you answer those questions you will have a solid accomplishment—and that’s what sells.

Be Sure to Include These in Your Resume

• Career Target
• Qualifications
• Core Competencies
• Key Achievements
• Relevant Experience
• Related Education or Professional Development
• Association Memberships

Purpose of  Targeting Resumes

The reason employers require all applicants to submit a resume is to separate qualified applicants from unqualified ones. The challenge for job seekers is to compose a top-quality, targeted resume that lands interviews. After all, the sole purpose of a resume is to get the reader to pick up the phone. Targeting resumes for different job opportunities are necessary to communicate you are an expert in the field which they are looking to hire.

How to Write a Spectacular Resume

A good resume doesn’t contain every relevant detail about your past work experience. The aim is to get the reader to “buy” your proposal and can be accomplished if you create an achievement-based, keyword-rich, visually-appealing, targeted resume. During the job interview, you can go into detail about certain aspects of your resume and elaborate on specifics, if appropriate.

It ‘s important to remember that your resume is your marketing tool and you should use it as such. Ensure that it’s reader-friendly and that it illustrates your ability to do the job. Be clear and concise in the message you wish to communicate.

Create a Standout First Page

The best way to secure a chance of an interview is to ensure that the first page of your resume catches the employer’s eye. For example, you should not print your resumes on purple paper, use a thirty-point font or include inappropriate, gaudy graphics. It must look and read like a business document.

The information needs to be pleasing to the eye, easy to read, professionally worded and printed on quality paper. Just from looking at the first page, your prospective employer should get a clear picture of your career goals, relevant qualifications, and achievements before they even turn to the second page. Resumes that generate interviews to capture the readers’ attention within seconds. Don’t underestimate the importance of targeted resumes.

Incorporate Keywords

Writing resumes to get past resume screening programs, also know as applicant tracking system software includes incorporating the relevant job position and industry terminology. If you’re unsure of the keywords to incorporate, browse over job postings or descriptions. This will help you learn the keywords for the position or industry you want to get into.

Don’t underestimate the importance a resume has on marketing what you can bring to an organization. Many job seekers just throw resumes together, failing to understand that it can make the difference between someone picking up the phone or discarding your document.

Do you have any winning tips for writing a resume? Do you use different resumes for a second job target? Have you had success getting interviews for the jobs you want with the resumes you have written? Be sure to comment and share!

Need additional help? Reach out to Candace for assistance!