The Resume - A Sales Tool

The Resume as a Sales Tool

A resume frequently makes possible - or facilitates - a job interview, and without an interview, you cannot expect to receive a job offer. As such, it becomes an indispensable sales tool - a distillation of your work history in an attractive and engaging summary form. But summaries are often dull and matter of fact, so you'll need to add a little spice - a spark of life - to attract a reader's attention. Of all the elements that make up a good resume, it will inevitably be your 'results - oriented accomplishment statements' that will ignite the reader's interest in you as a candidate.

Objective Statement

Although there are differing opinions on the subject, we suggest that a statement of objective not be included on the resume. Your job/career objective is a subject for your cover letter.

It's quite possible that you'll be considering two or more job or career objectives at the same time. If that's the case, and you state an objective on your resume, you'll need to have several different resumes - and that could come back to haunt you more than once (let's say a company receives two or three versions from different sources - what do you say and do then?).

If You Already Have a Resume

Do you need a new resume? Here are some points to check against your current resume to help you determine whether or not it needs rewriting:

Does your resume begin with what we call your 'footprint', a brief summary of your experience, special talents, and skills?

Are your "Accomplishment Statements" crisply written, with quantifiable results? (e.g. How many dollars/ man hours saved, etc.?)

Is your resume over-written (too wordy)?

Is it limited to one or two pages in length (it should be!)?

Would a reader get a sense of your personality, or is it cold and impersonal?

Is the layout of the resume balanced, easy-to-read, and pleasing to the eye?

Can a reader clearly and easily discern the type of jobs/functions you are qualified to fill?

Do your selling points come across effectively?

Is your resume clean and neat, free of typographical errors and/or misspellings?

Is there anything about your resume that is not clear -- isn't easily understood? Let an objective outsider make this decision.

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