I really liked Jim Pawlak’s feature in Palm Beach Post: Set up your resume to read like a movie preview

Pawlak urges job seekers to create resumes that preview the value they bring to the table, similar to the way movie trailers spark the interest of moviegoers. While we probably wouldn’t be able to retain movie trailer voice legend Don LaFontaine for our resume previews, Pawlak suggests that adding accomplishments, creating your personal “wow” factor, and focusing on successes in the resume will generate employer interest.

Does your resume convey an enticing value proposition, or are you bound to flunk at the job-search box office because of a poorly written preview?

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Seth Godin points us to research supporting the power of short, easy-to-read sentences in this post: The secret of writing to be read

I couldn’t help but think about the relevance to resume writing. I frequently see resumes that are trying so hard to sound intelligent, but the end result is a crammed, verbose resume that is fated to land in the “Resume Reject” pile.

Plus, hiring managers almost always skim through resumes on the first pass — they aren’t able to digest a resume that is more like a wordy novella.

Are there areas on your resume that can be simplified? Make your sentences more reader-friendly, and you just might nab a few more job interviews.

All the best,

Kim Isaacs

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Some resume writers don’t recommend creating a targeted resume version for each career goal, but I believe this is necessary for people in career transition. The job of a career change resume is to convince hiring managers that the applicant has what it takes to succeed in a new career. How can that be done with a “one-size-fits-all-jobs” resume?

It takes a lot of research, reflection, and marketing savvy to create a resume that will open doors to new careers. One came across my desk yesterday, and even though it was written by the brilliant resume writer Karen Hofferber, it still blew me away. The client owns a medical billing practice, but wanted to pursue a development job at her children’s school where she had been volunteering for many years. When I reviewed her new resume, I thought, “POOF! You’re a development specialist!”

Want to make sure your career change resume is going to cut it? Here are a few of Karen’s strategies that should work for you:

1. Add a targeted, job-specific career goal. The top of the client’s resume has a big banner that says, “Goal: Development Manager — ABC School.” So there’s no confusion about what she wants to do from the start of the resume.

2. Write a dynamic qualifications summary. Focus on the skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the new goal. It helps to research and study the job description (or a job description for a similar job) to see the employer’s requirements for the position, and then sculpt your own description proving the value that you offer.

3. Add a skills section. A bulleted list of skills/keywords helps hiring managers quickly see that you have the requisite skills for the job. Omit skills that you use in your current job that are unrelated to your new goal. This client had excellent medical billing skills, but they were left out of the skills section to make room for development-related skills.

4. Emphasize related work, even if it’s volunteer experience or hobbies. Karen created a “School Development Experience” section that highlights the client’s achievements through her volunteer work. It is formatted like a regular job, and shows the value that she has already brought to the school through her fundraising efforts, relationship-building with parents and teachers, and proven success organizing school events. Just because she wasn’t paid doesn’t make the experience any less valuable!

5. Draw out transferable skills from unrelated jobs. This client’s paid experience doesn’t appear until page two of the resume, but when it does appear, the reader gets a strong dose of transferable skills that are relevant to her new goal. The description of her business management role focuses on communication skills, project management accomplishments, customer service delivery, and excellent organizational skills. She doesn’t just say she has these skills, she provides examples of positive business outcomes and benefits that resulted from her using these skills.

6. Show your passion in your cover letter. This client’s letter was so compelling, I said I would eat my hat if the client didn’t get the job. Forget looking at cover letter samples and copying verbiage — speak from your heart and reveal your passion for your new career. Make a clear case for how you would benefit the employer if given a chance, and let your enthusiasm shine through.

To your success,

Kim Isaacs

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Job seekers are starting to realize the importance of personal branding, ensuring all aspects of their brands are consistent and strong. Occasionally, I do find people who are ruining their chances from the get-go by using inappropriate email addresses. For example, my aunt forwarded an email from a health aide who responded to a job ad requesting care for my 92-year-old grandmother. We are desperate to find a competent aide, but the applicant’s email address is something like, villain666@somewhere.com. My aunt asked, “Do I dare respond to someone who says she is a caring female, with the name she chose for email?” The first images that came to my mind were scenes from those undercover Dateline reports on the terrible treatment of the elderly.

Maybe this applicant is not as devilish as her email address implies. But we’ll never know.

What does your email address say about you? Make sure it’s professional, either using your name or incorporating your career goal (e.g., “topsalesperson2007@…”). You can set up an email address using a free service like Gmail or Yahoo and use it for all job search correspondence.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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