Welcome to the Resume Writing Tip of the Week! A few days ago, I had a conversation with an out of work marketing specialist. She had been reviewing a resume writer’s advertisement online when she succumbed to a sales pitch. She thought “well, what the heck?” and initiated contact and e-mailed her resume off to the expert.
Within 24 hours, she got a response back. In typical sales fashion, the note first mentioned the positives to draw her in. Her formatting was mentioned, spacing of the information, etc. After a little fluff, then the hammer dropped by way of a second note. This note completely criticized all of the content, and had the following call to action. “Don’t you want Crème Brulee? I ask because right now your resume is just pudding in a cup.” Once the initial shock wore off, she almost doubled over laughing! Nice sales pitch!
This week’s resume writing tip of the week asks, is your resume satisfying? Does it satiate the appetite of your audience or does it leave them unfulfilled? Your resume is more than a list of duties you performed. It is more than a bulletin of tasks delegated to you. When you review your resume, does it make you look like a champion or someone going through the motions? Does it properly indicate how you were effective?
Let’s look at the world of accounting and tax preparation. MANY can claim to have helped 100 people file their taxes. But how many can prove that they helped 100 people file their taxes in four days, without a single error. What statements on your resume need more ingredients to make them stand out and become more fulfilling?
Almost every resume writing tip of the week focuses on your audience. That is because this is a sales piece and effective sales pieces focuses on those who are buying them. We tend to overlook the basic comprehension of the sentence because we are so close to the situation that we fail to notice that the experiences, duties, and accomplishments are not nearly as obvious as they need to be. So when writing your resume, take a moment and read what you have written. Does your audience have to make assumptions about the caliber of your work?
I hope you have benefited from this resume writing tip of the week.
