Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, July 5, 2009

Get Pushy

A great résumé is muscular, fast and loud. Get with the program

By Dawn Klingensmith
CTW Features

 In today’s saturated job market, your résumé should not only stand out, but it must also practically sprout wings, take flight and make a perfect landing on the decision maker’s desk. Then, it should grow vocal chords and shout out why you’re the perfect person for the job.

Does your résumé command such attention? If not, harness your chutzpah and heed the following advice.

Apply immediately. “As soon as you come across a job opportunity, send your cover letter and résumé,” says Robin Ryan, author of “Winning Résumés” (Wiley, 2005). “It used to be that employers waited until they got a whole bunch of résumés. Not anymore.” There are so many applicants that, at a certain point, employers stop looking at incoming résumés and choose from among the early birds.

Include a cover letter. And don’t lose your reader with the first sentence. Too many résumés start out with some variation of, “I am applying for the job I saw on your Web site.” It’s a bore. Start with a powerful summary of the skills you’d bring to the job, Ryan says.

Circumvent the screener. When an employer requires job seekers to apply via the Internet, your attractive résumé crafted to represent and individualize you will be stripped of formatting and converted to plain text so a computer can scan it for key words. Your goal should be not only to get past the computer but also to get a hard copy of your résumé into your future boss’s hands, says Alice Jorgensen, AllWrite Résumés, Libertyville, Ill.

State your goal. Jorgensen says the Objective section that tops your résumé should be a value proposition – a sentence on how you’ll boost the bottom line. Ryan disagrees. It should state the job title and nothing more, she says. This ensures that either a computer or an overworked HR employee sees right off the bat the exact position you’re applying for.

Sell yourself. Both Jorgensen and Ryan say a Summary of Qualifications should follow your Objective, but Ryan says to write a four- to six-sentence paragraph (fragments are OK, perhaps even preferred) while Jorgenson recommends bullet points.

Emphasize results. For each job in your Employment History, don’t describe duties but rather trumpet outcomes. If you took an initiative that saved time, increased productivity, cut costs or added to the bottom line, say so. You need not have managed a budget. “If you’re an administrative assistant who redid the filing system and saved 10 hours a week, you improved productivity and saved money,” Ryan says.

Don’t rely on the Internet. Devote most of your research to the “hidden job market.” An estimated 80 percent of jobs are filled by companies who never advertised the position.

Target 25 companies or more. “Call them and ask for the name and title of the person you feel will be most interested in your qualifications – the accounting manager if you’re an accountant,” Jorgensen advises. Tailor your résumé for each one. A one-size-fits-all approach will sink you.

Prepare for a pre-interview. Employers pare down desirable candidates with a telephone call. It’s likely their opener will be “tell me about yourself.” Don’t be autobiographical. “Be ready with a 60-second sell emphasizing your skills that match the job description,” Ryan says.

Keep records. Include the date when you sent each résumé. That way, you can send a follow-up letter a week or so later, along with another copy of your résumé, Jorgensen says. Then, a week after that, call your future boss and identify yourself as “the person who is so interested in your firm that I’ve sent two copies of my résumé. I am calling today to arrange a short meeting to discuss how I can contribute to your organization.” Ask which of two specific dates and times works best, Jorgensen says.

Invite yourself back. If you land an interview, hand over your list of references at the end, Jorgenson says, and ask that they be checked promptly. Then say, “That way, when I come back next week for the second interview, we can move forward.”
© CTW Features
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA