For more information about our Executive Resume Services, visit http://www.executiveresumepro.com

What are you selling and why should I buy? That’s the primary question that most employers, recruiters or hiring managers think about when reviewing a resume. If your resume does not answer those questions immediately, it likely won’t be read. Even with all the changes occurring in the job market over the years such as the use of personal websites, fancy web-resume  pages, e-portfolios and/or professional blogs,  it still comes down to that one traditional piece of paper – the resume.

Think back to your most recent days, weeks or months – how you’ve submitted numerous resumes a day yet have heard nothing. You know that your past performance has been great, and through no fault of your own, you were still downsized. You wonder when that next paycheck will arrive, so you put together your resume, or hire someone to do so. However, if your resume doesn’t differentiate you from, at the very least, hundreds of other candidates vying for the same position, you likely won’t even be considered.  Even with a very powerful and informative resume, the competition out there is so intense that it’s hard to get noticed much less the opportunity to portray your own unique brand and employment value.

The use of the internet for job searching has been both a blessing and a curse. You may be under the misconception that people apply to positions for which they are qualified. However, when desperation sinks in, job boards, career sites and company career links are inundated with candidates applying for every single job available, even if one isn’t qualified at all. They are desperate for work and that shows in their job search, and because of that, employers are finding it even more difficult to find that diamond in the rough.

Your need to rethink the purpose of today’s resume, the goal of which should be to sell a product – and that product is YOU. Recall all the advertisements you’ve see on television or in other media outlets and try to discern what makes you purchase one brand over another. There are several different brands of tissue, dish soap, hotdogs or any number of products. Why do you choose one over the other? Is it price, convenience, taste/feel, packaging, shape, size or product claims?

For an employer, it’s a bit more complicated. They have their own needs and many of those include looking for the “product” that can save money, increase revenue, expand market share, open new territories, enhance operations, automate functions, boost productivity and most importantly, improve their overall bottom line. If you cannot “show them the money” through your proven ability to contribute, you won’t be considered and will be waiting a very long time for that desired interview.

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, are spent on creating a product and associated brand image before effectively selling that product to make a profit. Without proper planning, the product won’t be marketed correctly; even if it makes it to production, it will likely fail against other products that benefited from more effective preparation, innovation and marketing. When a product becomes truly successful, it is primarily based on its demonstrated ability to produce the promised results (whether it does or not, sometimes doesn’t matter – it’s at least in the hands of the consumer).

The main “issue” I see in resumes today (other than typos, grammatical errors and an undesirable impression of hasty preparation) is the lack of focus on one’s achievements and/or the inability to promote a unique professional brand. If you’re a stellar salesperson, for example, someone who routinely produces strong results, the reader is still going to wonder what makes you different from hundreds of others with equally impressive achievements. Did you devise innovative marketing programs? Were you able to cultivate and maintain strong customer relationships with key decision makers? Are you able to breeze through the gatekeeper? Did you find creative methods of opening new territories previously thought to be impenetrable? Were you able to gain entry into a customer with a history of not taking on new products? And if so, how did you do it? Your resume needs to address these strengths, not just the numbers.

The same strategy should be employed for any industry. There needs to be several reasons that drives the reader to call YOU. They need to clearly see that you are the one to come in and solve their problems, turn results around and/or drive new opportunities. No matter what industry you are in, if you can’t prove that you have the ability to make measurable contributions, the reader will not be interested. If you don’t care enough to present the strongest image of yourself, why would an employer think you are deserving of their significant time and monetary investment required for an interview?

Yes, everyone is anxious to get back to work and/or find a more lucrative career. But without the proper planning, any job search can stall fast. You DO need the best resume possible, you do need to devote a big chunk of time to searching even though it’s frustrating, you do need to perform the (sometimes dreaded) networking, you do have to keep detailed records for follow up and you have to make sure that what you are offering is better than what everyone else is selling. And that is truly the bottom line.

For more information about our Executive Resume Services, visit http://www.executiveresumepro.com

Many job seekers hold the misperception that once their resume crosses a recruiter’s desk, their search is over…their phone will ring and they will then land their dream job. That’s not quite the case, and recently, I asked several recruiters about their recruiting activities to help dispel the notion that using a recruiter is going to solve your job search problems.

Before you contact a recruiter or recruiting firm, be sure you understand the basic differences between two types of recruiters – contingency and retained.  Retained Search firms are “retained,” (hence the name) by companies to fill a specific position. Contingency Search firms (or a single recruiter are usually one of numerous possible other recruiters used by an organization, with the paid to first recruiter who places the candidate.

When working with a recruiter who has been retained to fill a position, you need to realize that unless your qualifications are an exact match to their client’s needs, you won’t be considered for any opening. That doesn’t mean that the recruiter isn’t interested in you but it does mean that his/her focus is filling the position for which they have been retained, i.e., promoting the candidate who will, hopefully, be the best fit.

With today’s high unemployment rate, it’s understandable that people are desperate to find work, which can lead to a proliferation of resume distribution to several companies and numerous recruiters. Frequently, this also translates to literally hundreds of resumes received for ONE open position, from individuals who do not meet the requirements/qualifications for that opening. If you aren’t hearing back from either the company or recruiter, it’s likely that either your resume isn’t the most competitive one out there or that there are no openings which match your qualifications.

Because of this, many job seekers feel frustrated and not well attended to since they don’t receive an answer back.  This can lead to recruiters getting a “bad rap,” when they really have done nothing wrong. When using a retained recruiter, it is not their job to find you a position no matter how much they like your qualifications, which is why using recruiters should be only ONE part of your overall job search strategy. Utilize personal and social networking (such as linkedin.com), identify opportunities on your own, perform company research, peruse various job board openings and consider mass resume distribution via a quality site. Routine follow-up and targeted resumes and cover letters  should also  be part of your search provided you have the qualifications listed in the posting.

Before you DO embark on your search and implement these search strategies, you should also make sure you are using a resume that impressively yet clearly states your qualifications, skills and achievements. If you don’t include accomplishments, it doesn’t matter how “pretty” your resume looks or what you’ve contributed in the past — if those results aren’t included in your resume, how is the reader supposed to know? A successful job search will be a combination of using the right tools (including recruiters), targeting the right audience, diligently engaging in the sometimes “dreaded” networking, ensuring you have a quality, value-added resume and learning to be a bit patient as you compete with thousands of others who are in the same boat.

For more information about our Executive Resume Services, visit http://www.executiveresumepro.com

Has your job search stalled? Are you wondering why you’re not being considered for positions for which you are completely qualified? Have you been sending out resumes without any response? Chances are, it’s likely not you, but your resume.

Having written over 2500 resumes in the past 15 years, and after reviewing even more, the number one “mistake” I see in job searching (at any level) is using a resume that does not reflect one’s capabilities, accomplishments and employment value. While job search and resume writing strategies have changed over the years, one thing remains true. Your resume absolutely MUST give the reader reasons to interview you, otherwise it’s worthless.

Don’t make the mistake of sending the wrong message through your resume – and if you aren’t getting interviews, it’s likely that your resume is not doing the job it is supposed to!  When reviewing resumes, the reader (either a company decision maker, hiring manager, HR person or a recruiter), is looking for someone who can contribute to their bottom line objectives. Whether their needs include saving money, increasing revenue, expanding market share, opening new territories, building business relationships, introducing new technology, cultivating new opportunities, negotiating major deals, enhancing operations, boosting productivity or increasing efficiencies, your resume needs to demonstrate how you can help them achieve these goals. If you cannot “show them the money” through your expertise and proven ability to contribute, you won’t be considered and will be waiting a very long time for those desired interviews.

If this all seems daunting to you, I can help. I’m passionate about developing strong career marketing documents which reflect who you are, what you can offer and how you’ll be able to contribute. I’m also very fortunate to work in a profession I love and would enjoy collaborating with you in the development of your new professional resume designed to shorten your search while propelling you into your next career challenge.

For more information about our Executive Resume Services, visit http://www.executiveresumepro.com

Resolve to recharge your career this year!

Along with the traditional resolutions many people make including losing weight or quitting smoking, there is another one that is equally popular – finding a new job! If you’ve been unemployed for several months or even a few years, this is even more important as you already know…Even if you aren’t looking, it’s smart to always be what I like to call, “Resume Ready.”

The old adage remains true that looking for a job is a job in itself. However, the longer you go on being unemployed, the harder it is for a potential employer to see you as any type of value-added hire. They will likely wonder what the heck you’ve been doing for the past 24+ months. Have you headed off back to school, found that lost time to make up with your family or have involved yourself in some community organizations in between sending out resumes and pounding the pavement?   Have you started to gain weight, lose your ‘fuel’ for succeeding again or have you sat quietly back collecting that unemployment check for the entire time as you wonder why things aren’t going your way?

Unfortunately, the latter doesn’t seem to inspire confidence when your resume shows an long work history gap. When reviewing your resume, the readers (i.e., recruiters, hiring managers, HR personnel)  like to see ACTION, not passivity or no reaction. The longer you remain unemployed and not working on your career development, the longer you will continue to do so. It’s a fact. With competition so tough these days, an employer is more likely to hire someone who has recently been laid off vs. someone who has been unemployed for a lengthy period of time.

If you find yourself in the more undesirable category, you need to shake things up. You need to take some courses, become active in some sort of regular volunteering role while also revisiting your resume to ensure that it truly reflects all you can offer in terms of achievements, not just what you’ve done duty-wise.  After all, anyone can perform a function but without proving how WELL you did your job, nobody will be interested.

For every position you apply for, there are hundreds more vying for the same role. If you don’t differentiate yourself with a productive unemployed past, no one will be interested in what you did three years ago even if your performance was stellar back then. Yes, things have been super tough lately for millions of people, but being unemployed doesn’t mean you need to be stagnant or give up. If what you’ve been doing thus far hasn’t been working, then things need to change. Don’t send a poorly-written resume out to hundreds of companies blindly. Do your homework, try to network and attempt to identify the company you wish to work for. Gauge what finances you can honestly live with (including giving up some things), even if it means moving, finding a part-time position or taking a pay cut. Think about your self-esteem and how low you may feel after an extended period of unemployment yet how much better you’ll feel for bringing in a paycheck again.

Whatever you decide to do, the upcoming year is always that little nudge we all need to change things for the better. Whenever you are feeling down, try to remember all the accomplishments you’ve achieved in both your personal and professional life and realize that you are valuable no matter what your situation right now. Let’s make it a great 2012!!

For more information about our Executive Resume Services, visit http://www.executiveresumepro.com