Piggy Backing off of my latest blog post (in my corporate recruiting section), some of my readers responded to what I wrote and asked what I look for in a resume and how to get noticed at a company like LexisNexis. So I thought I would take some time to share with you what it is that I am looking for in a resume to determine if someone makes it to the next step of an initial phone interview.
Unfortunately in the world of recruiting today, there just isn’t enough time in a day to give every applicant that personal touch that everyone would like. As much as that would be preferred, it just isn’t realistic. So that is why getting your resume just right is so important in landing an interview and not missing your chance at your next career opportunity.
Most of the positions I am responsible for within LexisNexis are sales related. One of the first indicators of a strong sales person is a strong resume. Every good sales person knows that first impressions are key. Just like selling a product or service, it is just as important to be able to sell yourself-on paper, over the phone and in person. Resumes should be well organized as well as short and to the point. We don’t need to know everything you did from 7am to 9pm every day, we don't want to see a whole life story. We just want to see the highlights. Like a job description is meant to entice candidates to want to learn more about a particular job, a resume should entice an employer to want to pick up the phone and call a candidate to learn more about their experience.
The best way to describe how to get someone’s attention and get to the next step of the process is to first know what NOT to do.
Key Don’t in Resume Writing:
-Don’t leave off dates of employment. It makes you look like you have something to hide.
-Don’t write in paragraph form. A resume should be in an outline form. If you can keep it to one page, great. Keep it short and to the point and well organized. It should be easy on the eyes and easy for the reader to see the key words they are looking for to show they meet the minimal requirements for the role.
-Make sure it is grammatically correct. This goes back to the whole first impression thing. If you misspell on a document selling yourself, how well will you write on documents to your current and prospective clients?
-Don’t lie. Don’t lie about education, dates of employment, accomplishments, etc. We do verify all of that prior to employing someone. So save yourself and the company time and just don’t do it.
-Don’t include a cover letter that states another company’s name.-You would think that is common sense but you would be amazed at how many profiles I review where the attached cover letter says a different job/company.
So what are the key things to definitely not forget to include?
-Include a small description of the companies you have worked for. Some company names may not be as well known. Make sure in a brief 1-2 sentence desciption you tell what the company does/sells.
-Including details on achievements is crucial, especially in sales. If you hit or exceeded your quotas, state the dates and amounts of your achievements.
-Include your contact information on your resume. It is more of an annoyance than anything. If you are applying for a job, your resume should state your name, address, phone number and email address at the top. Hiring managers want to find your contact information quickly when needed. We don’t want to have to fish around for your phone number, so please be sure to include it if you want to be contacted.
-Make sure that you identify within the text of the resume, the key qualifications that are described within the job description. If it doesn’t look like you have the right qualifications, even if you know you do, you won’t get that phone call to move forward. For example if the job description states “requires 5+ years of outside sales experience, 3 years internet marketing, exp calling on large fortune companies, etc” state the qualifications you meet in a summary at the top of resume, below contact info.
Example of preferred Resume Outline/Organization:
Jane Do
123 Sesame Street
NY, NY 10017
555-666-7777
Jane.Do@email.com
Summary of Qualifications:
7 years outside Business to Business Sales Experience
5 years selling internet marketing to Fortune 1000 companies
Experience:
Company Name, City Dates of Employment
Brief company description, no more than 2 sentences.
- Highlight main responsibilities in brief 1 sentence bullets.
- Just Highlight pimary responsibilities, be sure to include those that are similar to job application requirements, if they are in fact similar.
Achievements:
-Achieved President’s Club 2001-2009
-Achieved 134% to quota 2001
-Achieved 125% to quota 2002
If you are unsure of how to make your resume truly stand out, there are many companies out there that will work with you to give your resume that extra push. Most of them are paid services, but would be well worth it in the long run if they help you land that job you have been trying to get. You can also check at a free source that will be coming soon... http://www.resuwe.com/. It unfortunately isn't up and running yet but if you aren't in a hurry it may be worth the wait. Otherwise some other companies that offer resume assistance include: ResumeBear, Resume Donkey, ResumeFit, and many others.
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