Last month we talked about creative resumes and the importance of differentiating your resume from your LinkedIn profile. In this post, we wanted to highlight five must-haves for creating a standout resume for today’s competitive job market. Let’s face it, job seekers must take their job searching skills to another level when finding a job. One book we like that embodies this approach is Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0, co-authored by Jay Conrad Levinson (The godfather of Guerrilla Marketing) and David E. Perry (Recruitment Guru). This unique approach to job hunting speaks about the how a person today must effectively brand themselves in today’s job market. And one of the first places to start is with one’s resume.
Here are 5 resume must-haves that will help you have an impact:
– Be Bold: A professional looking resume with a bold branding statement about who you are is one aspect of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0.
– Targeted/Relevant job information: Resumes today must be tailored to the position applying for. Take the time to craft a resume with relevant job or work history. This may sound simple, but often candidates leave irrelevant details on their resume that can deter a potential employer.
– Use Buzz words: Every industry has their buzz words. If you know yours then use them. If you don’t, take the time to research what topics and keywords are trending and add them to your resume.
– Results: Accomplishments or stats that highlight your experience. Many organizations are results-oriented and want to know want to learn about a candidate’s successes.
– Highlight previous experience of the job you’re applying for: If you’ve have done the job previously, make that a main point of your communication. Don’t bury it in a resume like some candidates do.
Other things to consider…think outside the box.
- Be creative when you can.
- Make yourself memorable in a positive way.
- Feature your LinkedIn Profile.
- Have brief quotes from people you’ve worked for or with.
Have any questions? Shoot us an email and we’ll be glad to help.
Corporate Resources of Illinois
