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Your Resume IS What Gets Your Foot in the Door

Before you can wow an employer and convince him or her you are the person to hire, you need to get your foot in the door. Too many times job seekers assume employers will somehow know how valuable they are, what skill set they have or what they bring to the table, even without a succinct and well-written resume. It’s simply not true.

Your resume IS what gets your foot in the door. It is what employers look at when determining whether to schedule an interview with you or move on to the next potential candidate. An extremely qualified candidate can be quickly and easily overlooked due to a poorly-written resume.

Treat Your Resume as a Marketing Piece

Think about it, your resume is a marketing piece featuring you. This means basic marketing strategies apply. Its purpose is to get you a job interview. This means you need to use your resume to effectively communicate and inform those who will be reading it about who you are and why you are the right person for the job.

It isn’t about sensationalism. It’s about marketing you. So, how you word and present your resume is essential. Be clear and concise. Be professional. Write in the active voice rather than passive voice.

Take the time to learn about the job before blindly submitting your resume. What skills does the job require? What experience do you need to have? How does your job objective align with the company? Once you know this information, you can tailor your resume so it really is an effective marketing piece.

Key Components of a Good Resume

What are the key components of a good resume? Well, some people may tell you to simply download a generic template to use as your guideline. In all honesty, all the resume templates in the world aren’t going to do you any good unless you have five key components:

  • Your objective
  • Your education
  • Your past job experience
  • Your achievements
  • Your skills

Without these five, your resume has a very strong possibility of being passed up. This is true regardless of your qualifications, skills and even though you may be an ideal candidate for the position for which you are applying.

What You Should Include and What You Can Skip

As an example, many candidates make the mistake of including every single job they’ve ever had in their life. If you are applying for a position as a Pediatric Physical Therapist, your potential employer isn’t going to really care about you working as a mail clerk in an office when you were 16 years old. What he or she wants to know is what makes you qualified for their specific position. What experience have you had as a Physical Therapist? What experience have you had treating children? What other jobs have you had which may make you uniquely qualified for this position?

Include the specifics, particularly ones which pertain to the job you want. Skip the fluff. Don’t try to overinflate your resume or sell yourself on a piece of paper. Give the facts. Provide the information you feel the employer will need to make an informed decision. Then, when you get the interview, you’ll have your opportunity to close the deal.

It’s All About Marketing YOU!

Your resume needs to be all about marketing you. What you include in your resume, what you choose to leave out, your choice of words, how you present yourself and your overall presentation are what will peak an employer’s interests.

The People Link takes pride in helping job seekers market themselves and find rewarding positions where their valuable skills and desire to help others can be well utilized. Our special niche lies in the Dental and Allied Healthcare field.

To learn more about our services, visit The People Link or call Mya at 818-890-9998. Ask for a free, no-obligation consultation.

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