About the Author: Jack Milgram’s has been interested in writing since he made his first acquaintance of pen and paper. While in college he studied psychology and education, and began freelance writing while still a student. He currently works for Custom-Writing.org. Follow some of Jack’s posts on Twitter.
In today’s overcrowded labor market, applying for a job is like selling a product to someone who does not actually need it. Employers can receive tens and even hundreds of resumes per every position and still doubt whether they should have opened that position at all. However, you should not lose hope, because marketing your talents and getting the jobs you want is possible.
Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This simple principle is critical for selling your talents and writing effective resumes. With the current unemployment rates, being optimistic can be extremely difficult. Yet you should do everything humanly possible to control your attitudes, because they drastically affect the tone of your resume. Here are some hints for marketing your competencies and writing a winning resume:
- Do not be too annoying. What is your first response to an intrusive pop-up ad on a website? Close that ad! The recruiter’s response to resumes that look like spam is the same. This is why you should follow certain rules not to annoy your potential employers and prove that you are not a bot. The first rule is to write a cover letter. The second rule is not to send the same resume to different openings within the same company (ideally, not to apply for different positions within the same company). The third rule is not to annoy your employers, phoning them daily and asking if they have already made their decision.
- Make it simple and easy-to-read. Not making consumers think too much is one of the main principles of effective advertising. The conclusion from an advertisement should be obvious. The same goes for your resumes and cover letters. You should clearly communicate the idea that you are the best candidate ever. You cannot state it directly, but there is no sense hiding this idea behind sophisticated words and structures. Do not hesitate to use bullet points and tables to improve the logical structure of your resume and highlight its most important points.
- Avoid shameless self-promotion. Propaganda can be even more annoying than pop-up ads. Avoid using too strong adjectives (best of the best, magnificent, etc.), ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and exclamation marks (!!!). Sure, you should mention all your strengths and competencies. Yet choose appropriate manner of presentation for these materials.
- Avoid inflation and discounts. Desperately searching for a job, seekers can decide to use classical marketing strategies, such as sales and discounts. Whether in their resumes or during personal interviews, some job-hunters accept lower salaries or promise to work extra hours for free. Avoid this terrible mistake that will lead to inflation of your talents! Let’s not forget that your goal is not only to comply with requirements of your employers, but also to find a job that will be right for you.
- Visualize your success. The final step after you complete your resumes is visualization of your success. You can believe it or not, but visualization is an important step in goal-setting, which gives life to your goals. Anyway, you might better learn how to visualize, instead of trembling and waiting for the recruiter’s call.
Remember that just like good advertisements, which awaken desires of consumers, your resumes should deeply impress recruiters. Try to grab employers’ attention and create a “must have that employee” feeling in them. Act like a skillful marketer to create a resume that rocks and you will definitely sell your talents.
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