Marketing yourself via your resume


As a job seeker the most important thing you need to remember is that you are effectively marketing yourself with every document you produce. Therefore, your resume is incredibly important as a tool to gain the interest of a potential employer.

It stands to reason that the more effort put into the job application writing the better the finished product should be. However, many of us find it hard to sell ourselves effectively and efficiently. It may be worthwhile seeking the input of a professional resume writer in order to deliver a more polished document.

There are several schools of thought on whether the job application writer should include an objective statement in their resume. While it is optional it is recommended as an introduction to the job seeker. It is almost akin to the cover of a book that invites the potential reader to read further.

It is suggested if the resume writer is going to use an objective statement this needs to be concise, exciting and able to be read in 30 seconds to one minute. This is also the area that should be individualised for every application so that the objective matches the job description.

Included in the objective description is usually the type of position or occupational field the resume writer wishes to pursue and a short summary of their skills, experience and background that are pertinent to their desired position. The objective description should be clear and concise rather than vague or open ended. The vague meaningless approach gives the potential employer a feeling that the job seeker does not quite know what they want to do with their career.

If the objective statement goes over three lines it is recommended they use bulleted points rather than long convoluted sentences. Other options include summary or highlights sections where the resume writer can list in bullet points their special interest or particular skills that they wish to bring to the attention of the employer.

When it comes to the experience section of the resume the resume writer can also include skills and experience they have gained through unpaid or volunteer experience; sporting teams they have been affiliated with; extracurricular activities; not simply paid work and experience. It is often the case that skills we gain outside of paid employment are extremely valuable and transferable to the paid job situation.

When the resume writer is listing their experience they can be thinking in terms of responsibilities, accomplishments and skills gained from each prior situation – think in terms od What did I do? How did I do things? What successes did I have? What results did I get from my time?

When the resume writer is completing the experiences section they should write it in reverse chronological order.  Begin each full experience description with employer, city and state, job title, and dates employed.  This generally takes 2 lines and is highlighted in bold font to be easily perused.

For each employer describe the skills, accomplishments, and responsibilities. This is another area for individualisation when applying for multiple positions. Expand on parts of the experience most relevant to the employer and job description that this resume will be sent to.

Use bullet points wherever possible. It not only allows the resume writer to produce a clear and simple document it helps the document to look easy to read for the potential employer.

The lesson learned is that we can have a large pool of information available to market ourselves in our resume but we need to tailor the resume to suit each individual position applied for.

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