Proactive Career Networking

Your Resume - Supporting Your Marketing Plan

A mistake that many job seekers make when they start their search is to write their resume without thinking about what they want to do and what type of job they are looking for.  It seems natural to write your resume and send it out to everyone you know and post it on every job board you can find.  The problem is your resume maybe sending the wrong message.

When you start a job search take the time to think through your transferable skills, experiences and accomplishments.  Determine if you are going to make a career or life style change.  If unsure take an assessment and engage assistance to help you guide your decisions.  You must know what you are selling before you start your marketing campaign.

Once you know what you are selling then it is time to write your resume.  You want to make sure that your resume supports the direction you want to go and does not conflict with what you tell people verbally.  I almost always recommend a chronological resume.  They are easier to follow and generally better accepted.  Only in a few special circumstances would I suggest a functional resume.  When I receive a functional resume the first thought in my mind his "what are they trying to hide?"

Here are a couple of suggestions to follow with your resume.

1. Think of your resume as a newspaper sitting on the news stand.  What are the headlines and key words that will convince someone to pick up the paper and buy it to read more.
2. Keep the document easy to read using white space and format to guide the reader.
3. Start your resume with a summary not an objective.  The summary should answer two questions for the reader.  What type of job you are looking for and why are you qualified for that job.
4. No section should be more than four lines long.  People do not read resumes, they skim them.  The longer the section is the more likely it will be skipped over.
5. Use spell check and have at least two other people proofread the document.
6. Make sure your name, phone number and email address is on each page of the resume as it should be on every document you create for your job search.
7. Your accomplishments should be written in the results-action format.  Tell the reader the results and then explain how you achieved the results.  Quantify, quantify quantify!!! Numbers speak louder than words.
8. To save space the older the work history to less information you should provide.  Employers are much more interested in what you have done and accomplished in the last ten years.
9. When you think you are done see if you can pass the thirty second thumb test.  Take the first page of your resume and fold it in half.  Ask yourself if anyone else could put their name on your resume.  If the answer is no, you have passed.  If the answer is yes, you have failed.  Rework your resume so it is unique to you and gives the reader a reason to what to read more and meet you.

Want help developing a resume that will pass the thirty second thumb test?  Contact Career Networking Pro to work with a professional coach to make your resume unique to only you.

Know What Your References Will Say

Three times this year I have been told stories how a company had selected a final candidate for a position only to change their mind after talking with their references.  Just image having the perfect job within your grasp only to have it ripped out of your hands by something your reference unknowingly says.  My emotional reaction is to blame the reference, but this is not fair or correct.  The true mistake is on the part of the candidate for not doing their homework and preparing the reference for the phone call.

When selecting your references you should follow a careful process of selection, preparation and follow-up.  Selection and preparation should be completed very early in your job search while the follow-up takes place when an employer asks for references.

Selecting References

Start by constructing a list of potential references.  The goal is to have a minimum of six references, five professional and one personal, but having eight or ten to choose from is even better.  As you brainstorm your list of references write down your relationship with them, how long you have known them and what transferable skills and personal characteristics they could verify about you to a potential employer.  Based on this information you would select which people to contact to ask to be a reference.

Preparing Your References

Call each reference to update them on your job situation and ask if they would be willing to speak on your behalf.  When they say yes thank them, confirm what phone number and email address they prefer, and ask them what they would say when a potential employer calls.  Listen and take notes, as you will use this information later in the process.  Ask them if they are comfortable speaking about the transferable skills and personal characteristics you identified.  At the conclusion of the conversation tell them that you will put together a draft of what you will provide an employer and send it to them for their agreement.

Draft your reference document with two specific differences.  First, do not include email addresses.  You do not want an employer sending questions to your references by email, you want them to talk directly to each other.  Second, under each reference write two or three sentences explaining your relationship with the person and what skills and characteristics they can verify.  What you write is a summary of your notes from the phone conversation you had with your reference.

Send this document to each of your references.  Explain this is what you will be providing to a potential employer and you want to receive their agreement that it is accurate and they are comfortable speaking to the specific points listed.  If they say yes you are set.  If they would like changes confirm the changes, redraft the document and resend it to them.  Once you have confirmation from all your references you are prepared.

Follow-up

You have completed three rounds of interviews and an employer asks for references.  Never bring references with you to an interview.  You want to be able to select the best references based on the company, position and hiring manager.  When asked for references ask how many they would like and that you will email the list to them as soon as you return home.

Review your list of references and select the ones that will best represent you for this specific situation.  Cut and paste your selections to a separate document, which you will send to the employer.  At the same time send the same document to each reference along with the name of the company, what they do, the job title and brief description of the job you are applying.  This prepares your reference for the call so they are not surprised, they have information about the company and job and most important it provides them your agreed upon script of what they will say about you.  The chances that the reference will be able to find the original document that you sent, possibly months ago, is remote so make it easy for them to be prepared.

Call each reference to let them know you have provided their name as a reference and that you have sent the information they will need when they are called.  Ask that they notify you if they are contacted so that you can be briefed on the conversation and that you will follow up with them in the next week regardless.

Remember this is your job search and your responsibility to be prepared.  Always know what you will say or others will say about you before the questions are asked.

Frank Danzo is President of Career Networking Pro and author of the book People Hire People – Not Resumes.  Career Networking Pro