In this week’s various readings on resume development, the main point pressed forth in every instance seems to be that resume writers must understand, and then reflect in writing, that they are in fact “selling” themselves to their potential employers. The idea is constantly stressed that your resume should not, as one might assume, be about you, but rather about the company. From their perspective it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or accomplished, but rather only what you can bring to the table and contribute to the growth of the business. As stated in the second instructor’s blog, entitled Resumes, your “resume is one of the most important documents you will ever produce.”
Also of interest was Douglas Richardson’s article concerning resume building, and the advice that he has to offer to better impress a potential employer. He carried this “management perspective” concept further and identified numerous pitfalls and mistakes that he sees when reviewing resumes regularly. One that I found particularly interesting was his advice on writing a concrete objective or summary section, and how it should clearly identify your aims and career goals, as well as present you in a very positive light to a future employer. This section was very helpful to me because I had never thought about constructing my objective in such a manner and had always left it very vague and lacking direction. After reading this, it makes me wish I had obtained this advice before, and how it may have contributed negatively to situations in the past where I’ve had to present my resume.
Another point emphasized strongly focuses on the ease of scanning your resume. This is repeated over and over in each of these articles. One strategy that I will surely implement will be the use of bulletins to direct the potential employer’s attention.
ABC - always be closing
I think you’re exactly right about being able to sell yourself to the employer through your resume. As you said, it’s important to show the employer what kind of asset you will be to the company and not what you’ve done in the past. This however, is the hard part. How exactly do you show the employer that you will not only be a good fit at the company, but will help it excel? All of this has to be shown with past experiences or skills. I definitely understand what is necessary with this tactic, but it’s hard to make it sound right.
Commonalities
The two commonalities between all of these articles about how to craft a solid resume are to tailor your document for each employer and making sure you have a scannable resume. I found when creating my resume that using the keywords found in the job listing helped me focus my strengths around their needs. I really think this is the big key to success when searching for a job; proving you are the most qualified and best candidate to help them meet your needs, not the other way around. Too many people try to make their resume about themselves when it really should be about the employer.