Volume I - Edition III

A Quick Resume Makeover

Unlike any time in recent history the direct and continuous career path is rare. Careers for most working professionals have taken unexpected twists and turns that were not planned or anticipated. These workers have transferred skills and disciplines to these positions rather than the job functions or titles.

Regrettably, resume formats and software packages have not caught up to this fact.

While any good resume craftsmen would know better than to simply list jobs in a chronological order, professionals craft less than 15 percent of all resumes. Job seekers using software programs, outdated books, or on-line advice boards prepare most resumes. Frequently, these guidelines are based on decade old material that stresses job title, functions and duties over skills and achievements. The resultant resume winds up highlighting the wrong information, and often extends the search time well beyond what might be necessary.

Your resume is marketing copy on you, and just like all marketing material the goal is to sell the product. Most direct marketing writing stresses the benefits and features of a given product or service. Furthermore, they research and know the buyer well. Your resume will sing if you also follow that same path.

Identify your target position and industry segment (the buyer). An equipment engineer for the semiconductor industry will detail different skills when applying for a marketing position in the same field. However, when applying for an engineering management position in the health field he focuses on a different skill set altogether. Yes, these types of career movements happen every day.

For the first situation, this candidate would emphasize industry knowledge, which would cover process engineering, customer management, and maybe vendor or OEM management. He would also stress his years of general experience in the overall industry. However, in the second situation he needs to focus on core engineering and electronic skills, and any certifications or special knowledge that would transfer.

Always emphasize the skills and achievements over job descriptions. If this engineer knows CAD/CAM, or other specific engineering disciplines these need to be at the top of the resume for his engineering health care resume. While his marketing resume needs to point out his customer contact, writing and project management skills. Put the most relevant information at the top.

Besides product knowledge, this engineer understands competitive benchmarking, knows how to train and supervise a staff of engineers and technicians, and can generate system code as well as resolve customer service complaints.

The skills that most closely relate to the work being sought belong in the top third of the resume where the hiring manager can find them quickly. Job descriptions can be pushed to the bottom of the page. Employers care more about what you can bring to their table, not how you fed a previous or current employer.

It is content over form that important with a resume, don’t become a slave to a particular resume layout. However, do not stray to far form the excepted standards. Decide on the critical information for you target position and get that information into the top third of the page. Use a quick tile such as, Summary, Related Experience, List of Accomplishments, or Skill Sets, or something more creative. But get the critical information to the top of the resume. I would never use Highlights or Career Highlights as a title; it conveys a silent message that there might well be low-lights somewhere in the background.

This list of qualifications is usually a bulleted list of short phrases, with each qualification on its own line. Or, to conserve space, you can arrange them in paragraph format.
Here's an example of an effective summary of qualifications.

Summary of Qualifications

• Skilled Engineering Manager with seven years of design and staffing experience.
• Managed engineering department of 75, engineers, technicians and support staff.
• Named 2001 "Engineer of the Year" with <company name>.
• Reduced department overhead 25%, during three years of record growth.

If you haven't been getting a good callback rate for your resume, it might well be time for a makeover. Try these tips and see if your callbacks improve.

This month's tip:

Networking is a great way to get insider information that could give your job hunt an edge. This, can be done online. ZoomInfo allows you to reconnect with friends and former colleagues. ZoomInfo searches public websites to compile its information so your search won't be limited to people who have registered on the site. Once you find who you're looking for, you can send them a message directly from the site.

Use your network to learn more about a company's culture, the kind of people who have held the position you're applying for and any changes the company is facing. Then you can tailor your resume and cover letter to what the employer wants.

Quote of the Month:

"One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."

Benjamin Disraeli, a British statesman and literary figure.

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