If you’re like many job seekers, writing a professional resume is one of your least favorite parts of the job search process. The combination of a compelling academic/professional background and the ability to portray yourself in a uniquely positive light is necessary to make your resume stand out in a pile. Unfortunately, like the resumes of many job seekers, your document may possess the drab tone of a chronological obit versus an eye-catching professional advertisement that showcases your brand. An effective resume has three core components as follows.
A Marketing Spin
As a general rule of thumb, people are not interested in reading the biographies of strangers, which is why a resume needs to be more than merely a list of your past accomplishments. Your goal should be to demonstrate what your past accomplishments mean for the organization receiving your resume: How exactly can you add value to the organization based on your skills and past experiences? The more effectively you can sell the value of your brand — to the point where passion and self-confidence oozes out of your resume — the greater your chances of getting that long-awaited call for a job interview.
Your resume needs to “sizzle”
An Emotional Take
What’s the common theme of an exceptional motion picture, television drama series, and fiction book? The storyline. And what’s one important feature of a great storyline? The ability to elicit robust emotion. A professional resume is no different. In today’s complex and competitive job market, your resume has to capture the attention of hiring managers right off the bat and make them want to learn more about you. Your resume needs to “sizzle” — in other words, it must be graphically attractive, feature colorful language, and essentially be exciting to read.
A Construction Approach
The third important component of a resume today is a strategic construction. A well-organized resume goes a long way in communicating your most important achievements early on in the document. After all, you have only a few seconds to get — and keep — the reader’s attention.
What You Can Do:
Get in touch with a professional resume writer. He or she will approach your resume from the vantage point of a marketing guru, making sure it appeals to your target audience. A well-written resume can certainly get your foot in the door for an interview, but it will also give you the confidence boost you need in your job search. You’ll ultimately be more inspired to your get your resume into the hands of more employers since you have a self-marketing tool of which you can be proud.
About the Author
YaShekia King, MHRM, is the Founder/CEO of King Professional Communications, LLC. She has a proven track record of success in providing top-notch job search services in the areas of resume/cover letter writing and LinkedIn profile writing. YaShekia, also a professional content marketer and editor, is additionally passionate about entrepreneurship and is currently working on her Doctorate of Christian Entrepreneurship at Christian Leadership University.
During her free time, she serves as a teaching volunteer with KidPak Ministries at Free Chapel.