Posted under Resumes on June 14th, 2008
A few years ago I wrote an article for a careers industry newsletter re: why some resumes receive a continual stream of visitors but no tangible job offers. Inspired to write this during a particularly stressful time — I was attempting to sell my home, but people weren’t buyin’ what I was sellin’ — I felt a sudden empathy toward my resume clients frustrated at a protracted job search. My frustration with my house being on the market longer than the average was palpable.
I realized I needed to make some adjustments to hook the buyer and meet their emotional and pragmatic needs. Though initially I had felt the prep I did to communicate my beautiful home’s value was sufficient, I had a rude awakening that potential buyers weren’t seeing past the communication flaws that were glaring (and fixable), so I acted fast to better market my home, showcase the fine lines and benefits as a solution to their needs. It took a little roll up your sleeves research and effort, including a coat of paint in the main living quarters, but it netted quick results. Within a week, I garnered an offer and sold my home.
Are you like the ’stubborn’ home seller I once was, and thinking that you know what you’ve got to sell and how you are selling it will appeal to the buyer (employer)? Or, are you willing to research, listen, regroup and re-frame your unique value proposition to appeal to the readers’ needs and their areas of imminent pain?
To further underscore my thoughts here, I’d like to share a link to a Blog entry by Nick Corcodilos, Ask The Headhunter, which delightfully resonates with my sensibilities. Here, you’ll find his references to how to make yourself stand apart in a ’sea of mediocrity’ and ‘voluminous’ competition. The posting, titled, “Coveted, lucrative, and rare’ (great attention grabber!) also leads into a commentary on why ‘art’ is a key component (of 3 that Nick lists) in standing out in this sea of mediocrity. In other words, he advises, don’t just say that you do what other ‘accountants’ do well (i.e., follow the rules and run accurate numbers); but show your ‘art in accounting’ and how it involves your abilities to identify and capitalize on trends in your company’s finances.’ And to be able to make these claims, you must also be ‘advancing the art in your work’ on a regular basis. Nick’s Blog entry refers to a total 3 guideposts to ’standing out’ among your career competitors, but I wanted to zero in on this one for purposes of my post. To read Nick’s full entry, you may link to:
http://corcodilos.com/blog/48/coveted-lucrative-and-rare
To recap, I fear that many job seekers feel that if they are simply honest and straightforward in communicating in their resume ‘their’ favorite and most proud moments, results and qualities/qualifications, that the reader (decision-maker) will pursue them as the hot commodity they are. The problem, though, is that the owner of the resume often will miss the point in communicating what differentiates them from the pack of other talented job seekers, as well as what will resonate with the reader’s current needs and rolls up to their company’s bottom line … thus derailing the job seeker’s goal of surpassing the competition and cinching that next great interview conversation.
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