From Resume to Review: The Right Way to Sell Yourself The following article is written by JoyLynn Reed, and is taken from ivilliage.com
Whether you’re searching for a job or trying to get ahead at work, it’s important not to misrepresent your skills. You can wow recruiters, your current employer and potential clients without creating a false identity. The trick is to take full credit for accomplishments, but leave the role-playing to Hollywood’s A-list. Here are three ways to ensure you’re selling yourself effectively without taking liberty with the facts.
On Your Resume
Don’t rely only on your job titles to communicate your skills. A job title in one company might mean something very different in another company. For example, I once had a title of graduate research assistant. What I actually did for my job was configure computers, program batch files and write technical help tips for new users. Just listing my job title would not help me get a job with a computer company, but listing my work skills made me marketable.Take a look at the latest version of your resume. Make sure you’re explaining each job title with a quick, cogent description. Use action verbs and try to keep the word count for each list or summary below 50.
Job Interviews and Performance Reviews
Don’t undersell your experience. Using the words “I’m only” before your title belittles your skills. One of the most competent office managers I’ve ever met does executive support like writing and editing correspondence and setting up benefits for new employees. She also has experience setting up new offices. These skills make her very attractive to start-up companies in need of someone to manage the operations of an entire company, not just one office. If she says, “I’m only an office manager,” she’s underselling. Rehearse for your interview or review. Have a friend ask you to explain what you do at work. As you answer, both of you should watch for language that belittles your skills. Keep practicing until you can speak your resume with confidence.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thin you can do is nothing.”— Theodore Roosevelt
U. S. President (1858-1919)Job Postings or Requests for Proposals
When you want to respond to a job posting or a request for a proposal, use this process:
- - Write down all of the skills and functions required.
- - Rate how well you can do each one on a scale of 1 to 10 with one being not at all and 10 meaning it’s as easy as falling out of bed.
- - Count how many requirements are five and over.
This method will help you determine whether you should apply for the job or write the proposal at all. Even better, the results of this exercise will help you write your cover letter and better plan answers to interview questions. For example, when an interviewer asks what skills you have for the job, you can use the results to answer. Also, you can use the list of skills you rated below five to give you a plan for your continuing education.
In each of these situations, you may be worried about saying you have experience you don’t. Remember, women typically downplay what they can do at work. You should never be afraid to take credit for your talents.
Ways to Assess If You’re Underselling
Unsure whether you’re underselling yourself? I’ll pass on the best advice I ever received. When I was trying to get hired by a particular organization, an experienced consultant asked me if I could do the job professionally and adequately without help. I thought about it, realized I would need some help from management and experts, but I did have confidence in my ability to do the project. I told her, “Yes, I would need input, but I can definitely do the job well.”Needing some assistance to do a job is perfectly acceptable and often expected. Next time you want to land a new job or assume more responsibility within an organization, ask yourself if you could handle the change with minimal help. You might be surprised by the answer, and it will help you sell yourself too!
NRI is Your Resume Resource
Sitting down to write your resume can be a daunting process. You know you do work all day, but how do you put those actions into words? Especially words that will make someone want to interview you.The two articles that are featured this month give you some great ideas, but don’t forget your best resume resource...NRI.
Besides our highly praised pamphlet, “Resumes...The 10 Best Ways to Have Your Resume Eliminate You from Consideration!” We offer and even better resource: the Staffing Specialists that work for NRI and you.
Our Recruiters, Account Executives and Account Managers have seen literally thousands of resumes. They know what to look for in a resume because they see them all day long. They also know what employers look for in a resume.
Very often, the Staffing Specialist is the bridge that takes your resume from you to a potential employer. Is there a better source to find out what goes into making a eye-catching and professional looking resume that is going to get you seen by the companies that you want to work for?
Remember, as always, the Staffing Specialists at NRI are here to work with you and to help you with your career dreams. Assistance is only a telephone call away.
7 Tips for an Emailable Resume
- As some computer screens only read 60 columns across, set your page width to 60 characters.
- If your resume uses bullets, replace them with * or -.
- Remove all tabs and where space is required, use the spacebar. Use spaces to separate jobs and paragraphs.
- Only use keyboard symbols. Avoid any but keystroke dashes. Don’t use smart quotes or mathematical symbols. The rule is, if it isn’t on your keyboard, don’t use it.
- Save your file in ASCII format. Most modern day word processing programs provide this feature.
- Save the email version under a different name so you don’t overwrite your original resume.
- To post your resume, simply open the ASCII file, save or copy it, then paste into your email. After you have completed the conversion, send an email to yourself to see how it looks.
Resumes: Writing a Knock ‘Em Dead Resume
Written by Scott Bennett, founder of click4careercounseling.comYour resume is not intended to list every task you’ve ever performed; it’s not a job description. It’s a sales and marketing tool, intended to quickly give readers an honest sense of your skills, where you’ve been and where you’re going. If it gets your phone to ring, it has done its job.
So when making your pitch, remember — less is more. Here are a few ways you can help yourself decide what’s important to include for maximum impact.
- Carefully chose action words that convey clarity, focus and enthusiasm. If you’re lucky, your resume will get about 10 seconds of attention from your prospective boss. Direct these eyeballs carefully. Look beyond the usual for the strongest and most accurate action words. Some examples: Adapt, Analyze, Collaborate on, Cultivate, Defuse, Harness, Enhance, Familiarize, Foster, Navigate, Initiate, Interpret, Leverage, Nurture, Persuade, Quadruple, Streamline, Synthesize, Target , Triple
- Eliminate unnecessary or weak words, such as ‘’which,’’ ‘’that,’’ ‘’there,’’ ‘’is,’’ ‘’was,’’ ‘’were,’’ ‘’has been,’’ ‘’have been’’ and ‘’responsible for.’’ For example, ‘’Managed office’’ is more direct than ‘’Was responsible for office management.’’ Stronger verbs and tight descriptions make your resume crisp.
- Keep it simple. For example, write ‘’use’’ instead of ‘’utilize.’’ It’s natural and more easily read.
- Start every sentence with an action word.
- Use present tense for your present job, past tense for all previous jobs.
- Keep sentences brief. For example, if you’re changing careers, you may want the first sentence of a brief goal statement to read, ‘’Transition to and establish career in X.’’
- Instead of explaining big changes at your current employment in detail, write ‘’Thrived amid four mergers/acquisitions.’’ From this brief sentence, readers can easily infer your flexibility and relationship skills.
- Pretend you’re the reader. As an employer, what would you want to know?
- In what ways does your job affect the overall success of your employer? This core focus is what really matters to any employer.
- What’s your ‘’elevator speech’’? If you ran into a prospective employer in an elevator, how would you describe what you do in three or four concise sentences, before the elevator arrives at the employer’s floor? Think about it. Once you’ve figured this out, drop the word ‘’I’’ from each sentence and, voila, you have the blurb for your present position.
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