Wisdom For Finding And Keeping The Best Job

In preparing resumes there are obvious clues that many miss and also simple ways to enhance your presentation to stand out from the others.

Here’s the clue..

1.     Research your company.   Write a targeted resume and not a general all-purpose document. Visit the recruiting page/web site of the company and glean useful details about what they may be looking for. Make it obvious that you care enough to spend an hour to understand their hot-buttons. Most companies through their advertising make what they want to be known for very obvious except to the very disinterested. You may be a genius, but you do not want to be perceived as not passionate about your prospective employer.

2.     Be concise but professional. Do not write your resume in haste. This is the image of your person that you are projecting, so do not be perceived as careless with it. A poor self-image is not humility. On the contrary, it suggests laziness and inability to make the extra effort for things that are important... and this is a put-off. Use an up-to-date word-processing capability, explore templates (avoid the common ones – you want to stand out), Use the spell/grammar check. Use the Thesaurus to find simpler, better choice of words. Your language should be conservative, formal and polite to be safe (except you are applying for a DJ at a radio station). Ensure basic information is easy to find i.e.Career Objectives, Basic Profile, Employment History, Education, References (or available on request) and Summary of other pertinent information ( the key word here is pertinent).

3.     Integrity is key. Be careful of subtle exaggeration and self exaltation. Do not stretch the facts, avoid superlatives and instead simply present your credentials. Do not say “I was consistently in the top quartile in my class or was an exceptional student”...instead present verifiable qualifications. Do not deliberately hide information to manipulate the process. This is also a matter of integrity. It is acceptable for example to state your age (if required) even though you are over the cap for the job. You may want to add other qualities that support your eligibility. Your rare honesty and candour will be noted. It is much worse to be perceived as hiding your age or other relevant information you imagine not in your favour. You do not want to give the impression that there are more skeletons that will fall out of the closet later.

4.     Link your successes to the context What company A considers a success may be very different from company B. Research the attributes that are being sought. No need to state that you climbed the Mt. Everest and leave the panel wondering what will be your next adventure and how this will fit the hectic work schedule for the position. However, do not be shy to be unique in conveying evidence that indeed you stand out in what you have to offer. Be careful how you present your extracurricular activities. Sometimes this works and often it may not. Activities that reinforce team behaviour and creativity are generally perceived well. Do not manipulate readers of your resume.

5.      Get another opinion on your resume. You are the worst person to review your resume. The ideal person to review your resume would be someone in the industry you are targeting who understands the position and perhaps even the typical recruiting process. Remember, the first person to screen your resume may likely be a more junior recruiting officer – (trained to find certain key facts) and not the VP sales looking for a Turnaround Plan. Encourage feedback from your reviewers and rewrite completely if necessary. You can also present alternatives to friends reviewing your resume and seek their inputs to help you make a winning choice.

6.      Do a value check. This means you put yourself in the position of the target company and ask honestly ... “what value am I bringing onboard?”...if you cannot identify any then reflect again on the resume – if anything has been left out. Do not lie or oversell yourself. The chances are that you do indeed have some unique qualities you just may have missed out.

7.     Triple check for spoilers. The top spoilers of a resume would be

1.     Poor grammar/sentence construction/spelling...poor choice of words (e.g. trying to impress with big words)...use standard word-processing checks/Thesaurus

2.     Too much detail – too wordy...this is not a novel

3.     Hiding pertinent information and stretching the facts

4.     Shoddy presentation that conveys haste and lack of care

In addition, do pray. Remember that your source of livelihood is definitely not your employer but God. Ask for favour, grace and the will of God even as He prospers the processing, handling and decision making relevant to your resume. Do not be afraid to ask God to shut doors against wrong opportunities. Indeed, sometimes the best decision from that company needs to be a firm “No” - when God has something better. Finding and keeping that job may not be God’s will.