2019 Resume Tips & Resume Strategies
So 2019 marks the beginning of a new year.
Given that the market has advertised for new jobs, new positions and you yourself are looking for a change – its time to put in that Resume to work.
So what can you do differently in 2019 which you may not have thought about in 2018?
Here are the 2019 Resume Tips & Resume Strategies
What this?
Where do I look?
What are you trying to tell me?
Why should I read your Resume?
What makes you different from other candidates?
Why should I pick up the phone and call you for an interview?
What is your close of Sale?
2019 Resume Tips – Number 1
WHAT IS THIS?
Consider for a minute how many documents, papers & emails a decision maker has to go through in a day. The never ending requests, attention requesting documents and to-do lists that an employer is supposed to attend to.
So in comes your Resume on his desk.
He pick it up and the 1st question that goes through his mind is
“What Is This?”
The default answer is always “This is a Resume”
But is this what you want the employer to think when he looks at your Resume – Yet another Resume? Or do you want a better reaction?
That is where I educate my clients about the 3-I’s of a Resume.
Ensure your Resume is
– Intriguing
– Interesting
– Informative
If your Resume is Intriguing then the employers curiosity would be piqued and his attention would be completely yours for the calling.
If your Resume is informative, it would help him make the decision to read more and want to get to know you more.
And If your Resume is Interesting, then the employer would want to pick up the phone and invite you for an interview!
2019 Resume Tips – Number 2
WHERE DO I LOOK?
Alright – so your Resume grabs my attention.
Maybe the color is shocking, the layout is different or the manner in which the information is presented makes the document worth picking up and reading.
So now – please guide me – where am I supposed to look?
Do I start reading from right at the top and start going down line-by-line?
Given that I am busy and don’t have time – so what do I skip and what do I focus on?
Should I check the parts which are bold?
Or highlighted?
Or skip and go right to the Experience?
Core competencies?
Personal Details?
In a day and age where time is money and decision makers are absolutely busy – it is always helpful to make the lives and the decision making process of recruiters easy by letting them know where on your Resume they are supposed to look.
In order to do that – make it easier for them to know where to look.
And that is where you need to edit your Resume & its layout in such a manner – that they know where to look and what to read 1st.
2019 Resume Tips – Number 3
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME?
So this is your Resume filled with your achievements, informing me all the adjectives you normally use to describe yourself and sharing with me all the interesting bits about you. What seriously “What are you trying to tell me?”
You are the best in the industry?
I need to call you asap for an interview?
You will be an asset to my company?
You were a money making machine in your previous company?
You bring something new to the table?
Here’s the challenge
Each and every paragraph or sub-heading in your Resume covey’s a message. So what exactly are you trying to tell me in each paragraph?
Is the message the same?
Is it clear?
It is easy for me to understand?
2019 Resume Tips – Number 4
WHY SHOULD I READ YOUR RESUME?
Once you are in the industry for a few years, and you reach a decision making position, things start to get familiar. And the biggest one among them are the Resumes.
If you see one – its like you have seen them all.
Almost all of them will start with the cliche opening
“Candidate with X number of years experience seeking…..”
Or something in the lines of….
“Dynamic, result-oriented & multifaceted thought leader with proven track record of…..”
And that is where the recruiter asks himself “why exactly should I read this Resume? What is so great in this Resume that I haven’t heard or seen before? And yeah – why should I read this resume? Seriously why?”
And this is an important answer you need to give to the reader of your Resume.
Remember – anything that you offer that is of value, that is worth a person’s time and gives the person the fear of losing out – well that is a Resume worth reading.
2019 Resume Tips – Number 5
WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CANDIDATES?
Yup – the all inclusive question – So what makes you stand out?
Hard-working?
Result Oriented?
You Think ‘Out-Of-The-Box’?
Team Player?
Does it say explicitly on your Resume?
Where?
And how many times?
And yeah – this is the one trait I will never get from any other candidate right?
2019 Resume Tips – Number 6
WHY SHOULD I PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL YOU RIGHT AWAY?
In the internet world, there is an abbreviation used by the millennium – FOMO. It reads Fear Of Missing Out.
This term is used especially when there is a special sale or special offer on sale and the advertisers like to position it as a “limited once-in-a-lifetime” deal
Internet marketers especially are good at communicating this message. And this is what ensures immediate action from the reader because yeah – they don’t want to go through the fear of missing out.
So here is my question to you.
What is the FOMO part on your Resume?
2019 Resume Tips – Number 6
WHAT IS YOUR CLOSE OF SALE?
So you have written out your Resume with a powerful Profile Summary giving the recruiter a snapshot of who you are, what you are all about, all your achievements, your contributions and why you are the best in the industry.
Following that you have given your experience, your core competencies and in a detailed explanation what you did in each company and each position.
Good.
So now comes the ending – the last part of your Resume.
So what did you end it with?
Personal Details?
Your contact details?
A declaration that all the information provided is accurate?
Or worse….your Hobbies & Interests?
Here is my question to you.
What exactly do you want the Recruiter to do as he reads the last part of your Resume – the moment where he is going to put down your Resume and…..What action do you wish for him to take immediately after he completes reading your Resume?
Answer:
Pick up the phone and call you for an interview right?
So here is my million dollar question to you – What is it that you can state in your Resume in the end that will make him do this?
This answer to this question is “Your Close of Sale”
And this is one area all champion sales people are good at and truly master of.
Once you make your Close of Sale irresistible – you can be sure you will always be considered for an interview among the other candidates who are invited to be considered for the position.
Loy Machedo
http://whoisloymachedo.com
http://whoisloymachedo.com
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