Leanna Cruz
The nature of getting hired and promoted is not only dependant who you know and what you know, but also what you have done and what you will do for the company once they hire or promote you. Those who do the hiring will probably meet you on paper first. And that means getting the reviewer in human resources interested enough to send your resume on to the person who is doing the actual hiring.
Your immediate goal is to get an interview and your resume will do that for you if you submit one that stands out from the rest. A resume must say a great deal about how you have added value in your current (or last) position and how you intend to add value in your new position. It should do more than tell about your experience, knowledge of the business and successes, but it should also reveal other skills such as your ability to organize, communicate on paper and decide what is relevant.
In a competitive work environment showing that you were a star in your last position or current position, is crucial. You must be able to demonstrate consistent success and accomplishment. At least one every quarter. Consistent contributions to corporate or department goals will not only indicate your experience, skills, and knowledge, but they will also indicate your work ethic, commitment to contribute to corporate success, ability to collaborate and what your strengths are.
It is the descriptive words that will grab attention. So use those which indicate that you took action such as arranged, established, formulated, guided, handled, programmed , developed, implemented and resolved. But, words alone will not get your resume to the short stack. To accomplish that you will need to illustrate how you are different than the other 99 applicants. Highlight your accomplishments that indicate your unique strengths which will be beneficial to your success in your new position. Make your contributions clear so that the reviewer knows exactly how you can help to make the department or team you may potential work with, better.
You resume should also indicate a consistent commitment to professional development with courses completed and offices held in professional organizations.
Make it easy for the reviewer to pass along your resume. Use the keywords used in the position requirements and job description. This will not only help the reviewer see immediately why you are at least qualified, but it will also help you to see how qualified you are and which skills you need to develop in order to be successful.
Although the basics of good presentation is a must, such as sending a clean, crisp, 24 pound white or buff linen textured, laser-printed resume. And heading the advice that you want to stand out but not because of typographical errors so have your resume proof read. It is more important that you show how you are unique, what you have done that no one else has and that you can do the same in your new position.
Don’t let someone advise you that you should not use two pages if you are a super star. There are not many mid-level or upper-level managers who can get all of their relevant successes on one page. It is impossible and unheard of for an executive to submit a one page resume.
The most important take away is that you must demonstrate that you are an active and consistent contributor. The most critical is that you illustrate how you are uniquely suitable for the position and that you can add value. There are no two people who are exactly alike and you must help your potential employer see that you are a superstar and that you are most uniquely suitable for the position.