Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Society of Broadcast Engineers, inc.
Newsletter Article Submittal
Hello
:
If your local or
national members of, Society of Broadcast Engineers, inc., would benefit from the following
career-related article, please feel free to publish in your association’s news
letter, e-zine or website.
Permission to print
intact including ending attribution box.
Category: career and
job-search tips
Title: Your New
Year’s Resume Checkup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESUME CHECKUP
Like millions of
people coast to coast, you have probably resolved to start 2004 with renewed
job-search enthusiasm. If it has been a
while since you brushed up your old resume, you’ll want to begin your job
search with a New Year’s resume check up.
These five questions
will help you focus your resume for even better results in the new year.
1. Has your career
objective changed since your last job search?
More specifically, are you attempting to
change your industry or profession? If
so, your resume requires a new marketing message based on your transferable
skills. This will help potential
employers see you outside of the context of your current industry or
profession.
Remember, a resume is
more than just an historical document; it is the print ad of your job-search
campaign. For peak effectiveness, your
resume should be based on the buying motives of your new target audience. Communicating your transferable skills is an
excellent way to tap into employer buying motives.
2. Does your current
resume reflect your professional growth—or
are still using the same resume format that got you your first job out of
college? As you grow professionally,
you’ll need a resume that reflects your level of professionalism. The more sophisticated “hybrid” format allows
you to showcase your best accomplishments based on the strategic “selling
points” of your career.
3. Does your resume
feature accomplishments from top to bottom?
The best way to
capture employer’s attention and create a strong first impression is with
measurable accomplishments.
Accomplishments are most significant when they demonstrate your
contribution to an employer’s bottom line.
If your resume focuses more on what you did than on how well you did it,
it’s time to rewrite those “features” into “benefits.”
4. Was your last job
search prior to 2001?
That may seem like an
odd question, but if this is your first entrance into the job market since
before 2001, you’re in for a shock. The
job market of the late ‘90s was fantastically in favor of job seekers; resumes
were less important in attracting employer attention. Today’s job market, however, is fiercely
competitive, and a polished, professional resume is critical to winning an
employer’s notice. If your last job
search was a “walk in the park,” look objectively at your resume. Does it have what it takes to compete against
an avalanche of candidate responses or will it likely get lost at the bottom of
the resume pile?
5. Most important—are
you getting responses from your resume?
Here’s the real
proof. Your resume has only one
job: to get you interviews. If that isn’t happening, don’t just blame the
job market—improve your message. Think of
your job search as a professional marketing campaign in a saturated
market. The tougher the competition, the
more vitally important it is to have a resume with a strong marketing message
that sets you above the crowd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deborah Walker, CCMC
Resume Writer ~
Career Coach
For more in-depth
information on resumes, job-search strategy and interview skills, check out the
article archive at my website: www.AlphaAdvantage.com
Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
Toll-free phone:
888-828-0814
Thank you
Deborah Walker, CCMC
888-828-0814
Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com