Posted under Branding, Resumes on April 15th, 2008
You have all the information you need, you’ve identified your differentiating personal/leadership brand attributes, and you know what skills, qualifications, and personal qualities are required for the position you’re seeking. You’re ready to put it all together.
Pay close attention to the most important section of your resume.
The make-or-break area of your resume is the top of the first page, since it will be read first. Use it to your best advantage. This lead-in bite should introduce and encapsulate your personal brand and value proposition. It should be able to stand on its own to pre-qualify you for the position. Pack in as much critical information here as possible to draw in readers and compel them to consider you. It’s okay to bring forward select contributions that would chronologically land on the second page and place them in this eye-catching location.
Include a personal brand statement.
A stand-alone brand statement is still fairly cutting-edge so, in itself, will differentiate you. Of course, the unique and compelling content you deliver here will turn heads too. You may feel this isn’t right for your particular field or circumstances, or you may not be comfortable with such a bold statement. Your resume will still have great differentiating impact if you weave your unique combination of personal brand attributes throughout your resume and other career marketing documents.
Write from your own voice.
Cut the resume-speak. You’ve probably reviewed many resumes when recruiting new talent. You know how boring and lifeless they can be when riddled with trite catch phrases that don’t give any indication of who that person really is and what value they will bring to your company. Complement rich key word phrases with strategically placed colloquial phrases that echo your speaking voice and evidence your brand.
Limit your resume to 2 pages.
Pare down to the essentials. You need to include just enough to capture and hold the readers’ attention – you can do this in 2 pages. To provide deeper slices of standout contributions and further support your brand, supplement your resume with a suite of 1 to 2 page brand-focused, value-driven collateral documents – achievement or leadership initiatives summary, career biography, reference dossier, etc.
For the sake of brevity, in the “Professional Experience” section, there is no need to include repetitive lists of obvious responsibilities for each position you’ve held. And replace the overused phrase “responsible for” with robust action verbs – launched, pioneered, spearheaded, capitalized on, maximized, etc.
Always keep in mind that the purpose of your resume is to differentiate you from everyone else competing for the same jobs and to best generate interest in you as a candidate. Branding your resume and loading it with concise, vibrant content will help you make this happen.
Print This Post
Dan Schawbel on 15 Apr 2008 at 2:06 pm #
Note on a personal brand statement:
You need to be the best at something for a specific audience.
“I’m the best at ______ for _____”
That is how you succeed these days!
Meg Guiseppi on 15 Apr 2008 at 2:53 pm #
Yes, indeed. Aligning what you have to offer with the requirements of your target audience is critical.