Resumes Are Used to Market a Product – and That Is You

Picture the recruiting process like a sale. The person who is recruiting (hiring) is the buyer, and you are the actual product. To start selling the product, you need to create a strong advertisement which describes the benefits of purchasing. Just like the packaging of a product attracts the attention of a shopper, your resume and cover letter must catch the interest of the reader.

When you are writing your resume, you are using it to market yourself to a prospective employer. For this reason, you need to show the return on investment. What will the hiring manager get by hiring you for a certain position?

When creating your resume, ask yourself questions similar to the following:

Did you help increase productivity, if so how?

Did you save the company money, if so how and how much?

Did you turn around declining revenues?

Did you troubleshoot a major problem?

Did you increase customer retention?

These questions will definitely depend on the position that you are seeking, but this should give you an idea of accomplishments to put in your resume. Think of it this way, what was the challenge, what were your actions, and what was the end result? After you answer those questions you will have a solid accomplishment – and that is what sells.

The following things are what your resume needs to include:

• Career Target
• Qualifications
• Core Competencies
• Key Achievements
• Relevant Experience
• Related Education or Professional Development
• Association Memberships

The Purpose of the Resume

The reason employers require all job applicants to submit a resume is so that they have a method of separating applicants who are qualified for the job position from the ones who lack the necessary qualifications. The challenge for job seekers is to compose a top quality resume which will get an interview with a prospective employer. After all, the sole purpose of a resume is to get the reader to pick up the phone.

How to Write a Spectacular Resume
A good resume does not contain every detail about your past work experiences. The aim is to get the reader to ‘buy’ your proposal, and this can be accomplished if you create an achievement-based, keyword-rich, visually-appealing targeted resume. During the interview, you can go into details about certain aspects of your resume and elaborate on specifics, if needed and appropriate.

It is important to remember that your resume is your marketing tool, and you should use it as such. Ensure that it is reader-friendly and that it illustrates your ability to do the job. Be clear and concise in the message you wish to communicate.

The best way to secure a chance of an interview is to ensure that the first page of your resume catches the employer’s eye. For example, you should not print your resume on purple paper, use a thirty point font, or include inappropriate, gaudy graphics. It must look and read like a business document. What you should do is make sure that the information presented is pleasing to the eye, easy to read, professionally worded, and printed on quality resume paper. From just looking at the first page, your prospective employer should get a clear picture of your career goals, relevant qualifications, and achievements before they even turn to the second page.
When writing your resume, the industry language and tone used is crucial. If you are not sure of the buzzwords to incorporate, browse over job postings or descriptions. This will help you learn the keywords for the position you are seeking or the industry to which you are applying.
Don’t underestimate the importance a resume has on marketing what you can bring to an organization. So many job seekers just throw their resumes together failing to understand it can make the difference between someone picking up the phone and someone discarding your document.