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   So what’s the Big Secret to an effective resume?                   
  No, you don't have to buy a book to find out.  I'm going to tell you right now...

 
The BEST RESUME is the one that MOST CLOSELY MATCHES a given JOB DESCRIPTION.
 

This may seem obvious, but it is contradictory to the way most people apply for jobs. It is even contradictory to the way that almost all resume writing services do business!

Myth:  A resume is your professional biography.

Fact:  A resume is a MARKETING TOOL.                                                                                                                                       

In your job search, you're trying to sell a product - you.  So, if you were going to advertise yourself to an employer, what would you do? First you'd have to know what the employer's needs are. Then, you'd have to make sure your advertisement (your resume) is going to convince the employer that you can meet those needs.

What does this all mean?  It means that using your all-purpose resume to apply for jobs is not going to cut it.  The most effective resume is the one that is TARGETED to not only a specific career field, but to a specific job opening with a specific company. These are called "Job-Targeted" resumes.

What’s a Job-Targeted resume?
  Ø       It addresses everything in the job description that you can say something about
  Ø       It does not include information that is unrelated to the job description
  Ø       It uses the same language the employer uses    

This means that in order to maximize your chances of getting interviews, you should send out a different resume for each job that you apply for.

Why is this so important? Think about how your resume might be reviewed.  Might it be screened by an HR department before the department you're applying to ever even sees it?  If you're applying to a medium or large size company, the answer is almost definitely yes.  Think about what this means.  A person in your field may be able to see how your experience has prepared you for the job you're applying for, but the HR staff are not experts in your field.  What they know about the job is what's in the job description.  So, they will be skimming resumes looking for key words and information from the job description. 

So why do other resumes services give you one all-purpose resume and tell you it'll get you jobs?  Simple- because it makes more sense for their business.  These services charge $100 or more for a single resume, and people pay it.  But who's going to pay $100 per resume for each job you want to apply for?  In order to get people to pay for multiple Job-Targeted resumes, they'd have to significantly lower their prices, meaning they'd have to do more work for less money.  And of course, they don't want you to know that what they're selling you is NOT the most effective way to apply for jobs. So, it continues to be a Big Secret...

Having an effectively targeted resume will greatly increase your chances of getting interviews.  But figuring out how to effectively target your resume to a job description is difficult, and takes a lot of practice to become good at it. 

That's why I'm here to help.  I can write your resumes for you, or I can help you learn how to effectively write your own targeted resumes.  For a complete list of the services I offer, click on the Services link above.

For information about me, my qualifications, and to view my resume, click on the About Me link above.