History Reports: When Your Resume Equals, I Did This, I Did This, I Did This

Do these sound familiar?

"I worked for?"
"My responsibilities were?"
"My duties included?"

Does a prospective employer care about what you "did for other companies"? Of course they do, but that doesn't mean that's what they really want to know. Conducting a job search is a marketing campaign, moreover, a sales process, not your personal history lesson.

Do you consider obtaining a position a sales process? If not, you should. There are many ways to make a sale but all of them include a marketing campaign. Your resume is your marketing tool. It is your most important marketing tool. Make sure your marketing tools reflect what you bring to a company, not what you once brought to other companies.

Does a hiring manager care about what your duties were in a position you had 10 years ago? Maybe, if they are associated with a position you are seeking.

Is a hiring manager more concerned with your abilities to handle the duties of their open position? You betcha! Any professional marketer or salesman will tell you that "building value" is key when conducting a sale.

"How do I build value in a resume?", you may be asking. When it comes to a resume, there are several ways. Certainly you want to include prior responsibilities, but you may also want to expound on them as well (assuming that they are applicable to the position you are applying for).

?List the duties and responsibilities of applicable positions

?Showcase successes with each of these duties. Because of your efforts, did revenue increase? Did profitability? Did your efforts result in streamlining costs? Did you save your prior company money?

?Articulate an ability to continue these successes with your next company.

Show your next employer that you will excel at the position before they determine if you will.

Remember, you are marketing yourself to these hiring managers, not just telling them what you have done. The concept of an effective resume is to look at it from a reader's point of view, not a writer's point of view. Does a prospective employer care about what you've done for others? Or what you can do for them?

Steven Bristow is a senior consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. (http://www.interviewing.com), a career marketing firm and organization celebrating over 24 years of providing strategic marketing solutions for its clients' career transitioning needs.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


What You Should Know About A Medical Billing Specialist

Whether you are a person who is thinking about becoming... Read More

Making Sure You Get a Good Reference

You've had 3 interviews with a potential employer and they've... Read More

10 Tips For Writing A Winning Resume

Your resume (or curriculum vitae), combined with the cover letter,... Read More

Finding Employees For Insurance Industry Jobs

Finding the right employee for any job opening can be... Read More

Five Powerful Tips for Interns

Interning is about more than earning money during summer break.... Read More

Intuition: The Secret To Your Career Success

For far too long, we moderns have relied on our... Read More

How People Really Explore New Careers: What Does A Real Career Search Look Like?

The traditional model of career choice suggests a linear pattern.... Read More

4 Internet Job Search Mistakes to Avoid

The Internet is the most powerful employment tool on earth.... Read More

Get In The Game With a Stellar Resume

During the job hunter's market of the 1990's, employers were... Read More

About Your Work

I like Simon, one of three judges on American Idol.... Read More

Acing The Interview

It's no secret that there is a lot of competition... Read More

Top 10 Resume Writing Tips to Get You the Interview

There are many reasons why you could be in the... Read More

Have You Given Up On Yourself?

Have you given up on yourself? Have you decided to... Read More

Five Fabulous Resume Tips for College Grads (or Anybody)

Fluffy clouds. Chirping birds. Green trees. Colorful flowers. It's springtime!... Read More

Resume Objectives ... The Hidden Pitfalls

Why Use Resume ObjectivesBefore we can discuss the pitfalls you... Read More

6 Vital Tips For Creating A Superior Resume

1: Keep It ShortConsidering that initially HR personnel only spend... Read More

Nine Ways to Tell Youre Ready for a Promotion

So you noticed the new job board posting on your... Read More

Giving Notice: 6 Things to Do To Prepare to Leave

After days, weeks, months or longer of interviewing, you have... Read More

Resumes Arent Important - They are Everything When it Comes to Getting an Interview

Employers and recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for every position... Read More

How to Manage Your Career Like a Business

Look upon yourself as a company with a product or... Read More

What Can I Do To Improve My Job-Interviewing Skills?

Whether you're a student job seeker or a polished and... Read More

Your First Job

"Your first job is an extension of your education"Fresh out... Read More

Q & A How to Find a Great Search Firm

Q & AQ: Are people sometimes cautious of 'headhunters'?A. Yes.... Read More

10 Keys to Getting Paid What You?re Worth!

Asking for money is so taboo in our culture that... Read More

Why a Professional Resume?

As a job search tool your Resume is your main... Read More

How to Make Your Career Change Easier

Despite what your grandmother told you, life is not supposed... Read More

Sample Cover Letters ... The Hidden Pitfalls

You can benefit from sample cover letters as they can... Read More

Do Dream Jobs Really Exist?

More than four out of ten thirtysomething professionals want to... Read More

60 Hour Work Weeks - Can You and Your Career Survive Them

In the 80s while I was an account executive for... Read More

Stacking The Deck In Your Favor

Many people do not bother to look at their own... Read More

Booster & Drainers

Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people... Read More

Ten Tips to a Job Winning Interview

These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The... Read More

How To Win the Job-Hunting Game

When I got over the initial shock of being urged... Read More