Welcome back for your weekly Resume Writing Tip! This week’s resume writing tip has to do with additional sales and marketing materials you need to promote yourself effectively in a crowded job market. Let me give you an example. When you are conducting an informational interview, or a networking event, are you bringing your resume with you? I certainly hope not. A resume is used primarily when there is a serious job opportunity on the table. For informational purposes, not only can this be overkill, but with generally only one opportunity to provide your resume you don’t want t o jump the gun. What happens if the opportunity presented is NOT what your resume is tailored to?
This resume writing tip helps you avoid this confusion by creating other sales and marketing tools to assist you in specific situations and events. In addition to your resume, do you have a biography? A biography can be used to highlight your professional accomplishments. They are not time specific, which allows you to promote specific activities or experiences that may appear a bit dated, but still add value. In addition, a biography is not going to raise questions, such as how long you have been looking for work, what happened at your last place of employment, etc. It can be a wonderful sales and marketing tool to use for informational interviews, one-on-one networking, etc.
Do you have a portfolio of your work? The adage of ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ rings true with this marketing piece. Having visual proof of your accomplishments or abilities helps your audience gain a deeper understanding of the scope of your work and the integrity of your performance. Think about how you can demonstrate or show the skills and abilities of what you are able to provide.
This resume writing tip of the week would not be complete without mentioning the power of recommendations and testimonials. Having a credible third party sing your praise and offer insight to how you were effective and an integral part of the team, department, organization, etc. speaks volumes about your performance and professionalism.
The point is that your resume is just one tool in your toolbox of sales and marketing pieces. More often than not, your resume isn’t going to be the sole tool used in your job search. The more tools you have at your disposal, the easier it is to tailor your presentation and the more successful you are going to be in your job search.
I hope you have enjoyed this installment of the Resume Writing Tip of the Week! I look forward to sharing future insights with you!
