Creating a Powerful Resume

Jeff came to me for help with his resume. But Jeff’s resume had the same problem that many resumes have. Jeff tried to sell himself by primarily focusing on his skills and abilities.

Unfortunately, in today’s competitive world, this is NOT the most effective way to market yourself. Companies require a set of skills and abilities but they also want to know what benefits can they benefit from by hiring you. Jeff’s resume read like an academy awards list. He graduated with honors from an ivy league school, achieved many awards and held several jobs since his graduation. He listed each job and its corresponding job responsibilities. I was impressed by his resume but puzzled about the specific benefits he could add to the jobs and the companies he was applying for.

Jeff needed to think more strategically. He needed to focus on the value he could add to both the position and company he is applying to. Jeff and I reworked his resume. We targeted his resume for two positions in entertainment industry. This industry is very competitive and Jeff needed to stand out from the crowd. His two resumes were similar but not identical. Each one was focused specifically on the job posting requirements. Additionally, Jeff’s resume specifically told each company what HE COULD DO FOR THEM in addition to listing his job skills and work experiences.

In Jeff’s original resume, he wrote:

                “Assisted product managers and artist managers with production, scheduling and
              distribution and marketing material creation”.

This statement sounds administrative and doesn’t differential Jeff from the crowd. Jeff rewrote this statement focusing on the value he added.

His new statement read:

                 “Worked with product and artist managers to develop a marketing strategy                               which included production, scheduling, distribution, advertising, and marketing                     which resulted in $2.1 million account acquisition”.

His rewritten statement specifically spelled out how his actions specifically benefited the company he worked for. People want to know “what’s in it for them” and Jeff was basically told a company that I did this and if hired, I could do this for you. Jeff is now in the process of interviewing for these two positions.

If you would like to find out ways to make your resume stand out from the crowd, please contact [email protected].