Day 4
On the 4th Day of Xmas --- Guerrilla
Marketing for Job Hunters revealed to me:
Four Guerrilla style resumes
- Chronological
- Functional
- Value
Based
- A
special 1-page eXtreme Makeover resume
Now
there’s a lot more to landing your dream job than writing a simple resume. But you know what? That’s what employers typically see first and
their decision to interview you [or not] is often made in the blink of an
eye.
Here’s
the basic challenge: most resumes look and read the same and quite frankly
they’re quite boring. They are generic
in their writing and approach, even thought each candidate claims to be
“special”, “dynamic”, “creative”, and a host of other superlatives. You don’t need to tell your reader this. You
must demonstrate it.
Your resume is a marketing
tool. Does your’s include a statement
about your background that’s so powerful that it transforms the reader’s
initial scan into a lengthy read and then into a call to you? It has to.
When you send off your resume,
whether you’re replying to a specific opportunity or trying to uncover a hidden
need, your resume needs to be read if you want to be considered. Many people are under the false perception
that just because they’ve gone through all the trouble and agony of producing a
resume, someone is actually going to read it and care. The fact of the matter is that you have
somewhere between 6 - 10 seconds to impress a reader enough to get them to read
the entire document for an employer which will likely take no more than 30
seconds.
Since resume writing is not
perceived as an enjoyable task, people will often try to produce one version
they can use for every possible situation.
They keep it nice and generic and stuff it with gobs and gobs of
“responsible for[s]”. Unfortunately,
these resumes are usually the ones that end up in employers’ wastebaskets. Writing
an all-purpose resume is like writing an all-purpose marriage proposal: you’re
going to have to kiss a lot of frogs …
Your resume is your personal
emissary. It should provide a positive first impression and an honest summary
of your skills and attributes. It must convince the reader that you are
reliable, responsible, and ready to successfully handle the responsibilities of
the job.
When your resume moves to the top
of the pile, the reader will give it a brief look—perhaps for 10 to 15 seconds
- for anything that piques their interest.
Does your resume include a statement about your background that’s so
powerful that it transforms their initial scan into a lengthy look? This is your one chance to make an
impression.
Resumes, like every document, have
a distinct purpose. Your success, as both a job seeker and resume writer
depends on how effectively you tailor your message to each situation. If the
job is worth going after, pursue it with a resume that has been carefully
produced with a specific job in mind. [See
there’s that clarity of purpose stuff again!]
Length is not an issue. Content
is. People will read any length of
resume IF the content is of interest to them, and that’s the secret.
A Guerrilla’s resume[s] screams,
“here’s what’s in it for you”. A Guerrilla builds resumes that are relevant to
a specific reader. They target them to a
specific group if not an exact individual.
Their resumes are always focused.
They are never general. They are
results-based never wishy-washy. They are
accomplishment focused not responsibility laden.
Chronological
This is the most commonly used
format and the one many employers like because it is easy to read. It is the correct choice for you if you
intend to stay in your current industry because it shows the reader exactly
what you’ve done and where you fit by detailing your most recent experience
first and then working backwards through your career history. It highlights your job titles, places of
employment, and dates of tenure by presenting them as headings, in order by
date, under which your achievements are listed.
Use the chronological format if:
·
your
career history shows consistent growth or promotions;
·
the
job you are applying for is clearly the next logical step in your career;
·
you
intend to stay in the same industry or one immediately adjacent to it; for
example: from automotive to Tier one supplier.
Functional
A functional resume, just like it
sounds, groups your accomplishments into skill headings [functions] like:
leadership, management, sales, marketing, new product development,
administration, finance, business development operations, etc.
The format presents your experience under skill headings,
giving you the freedom to prioritize your accomplishments by impact - and
relevance to your objective - rather than by chronology. In this format, your
work history (job titles, company names and dates of previous employment) is
listed concisely in a section separate from your achievements.
Use a functional resume if:
·
you
are changing industry or professions and need to emphasize your transferable
skills;
·
you
are underemployed in your current position;
·
your
job title does not accurately reflect the level of responsibility you have
·
you
are a student with great potential but near zero “real experience” and you want
to demonstrate a track record of activities that would lead an employer to
conclude you have “promise” and hire you for your first job;
·
you
are reentering the job market;
Value based resume
My personal preference is a value
based resume. This style mirrors the
attributes employers are looking for according to the New Value Table from the
two books, Career
Guide for the High Tech Professional and
Guerrilla
Marketing for Job Hunters.
I pioneered the Value Based
Résumé. It’s a hybrid of the
chronological and functional resumes and it’s designed to address the one
question on every single employer’s mind, “What
can this candidate do for me?”
It’s a concise no-nonsense
approach which easily transmits your bias towards action to the hiring
manager. The tone should be, “I walk through walls on a regular basis.” Look what I’ve accomplished so far. What can I do for you?” It generally resonates well with senior executives
because just like them, you have passion and a bias toward action.
Use a Value
Based resume if:
·
you
have the accomplishments to back your claims;
·
you
can’t hide the fact that you’re a type
“A” personality;
·
you
want to encourage an employer to move quickly to an interview stage;
·
you
are already a high-powered executive;
·
you
are in a fast paced, high intensity occupation, like sales, law, or
entertainment; or
Special eXtreme Makeover – 1 page Guerrilla Résumé
Now, let’s break some rules. So many times it’s this sparkling, one-page
resume that is
directly responsible for landing the job interview. This is your biggest weapon in your Guerrilla
job hunting arsenal. Nothing—and I mean
nothing—beats it. You can use the
eXtreme resume makeover as a stand-alone resume or better yet as a teaser to
generate interest and secure an interview.
Done correctly, it will get
you an interview every time.
This resume is a cross between a Functional and a Value Based resume
that’s been pumped with steroids. This format can only be sent to senior
executives. Let me warn you though, if you use this
resume format you’d better be prepared to back it up with facts and figures in
an interview. You’ll have to document
your facts meticulously.
Use
Guerrilla Resume if:
·
you
are currently in a situation where there is enormous competition for a limited
number of jobs and yo need to crush the competition;
·
you
want to “test the waters” before launching a comprehensive job-hunt;
·
you
want to create a job in a company that has no openings; or
·
you
want to change industries.
It has 6 major areas…
·
Job
Objective or Summary
·
Summary
of Accomplishments
·
Special
skills
·
Career
History
·
Education
·
Proof
Section
For Example - here’s a sample of a before
and after. Click here
to buy 25 examples for resumes that landed real jobs.
Non-Guerrilla job hunters do the
following when they are looking for a new job:
they construct a resume that details their responsibilities, ask their
friends and neighbors if they know of any job openings, respond to newspaper
ads, and a few of the tech savvy ones will reply to job board postings. That’s it.
That’s not enough, it’s the bare
minimum which everyone else does. Non-Guerrilla job hunters can count on the
competition for the few advertised or known jobs to be fierce. Good luck to them.
Make sure 100% that you gear your
résumés to the employer’s position – specifically. Pre-screen yourself for the employer. If it’s too much work – then you have to ask
your self a question: how important is my future. A good head hunter may pre-screen and qualify
you and then ask you to gear your resume to the specific position. Follow their advice.
David Perry, Perry-Martel International, co-author Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters
