Do you have an up-to-date résumé? Hardly a week goes by that I don't receive a call from someone asking if I could write their résumé, TODAY!!! An opportunity has been presented to them and they've been asked to provide their résumé ASAP. Since I require my clients to provide me with salient information regarding their past accomplishments, achievements and value-added contributions in previous positions as well as identifying their core marketable talents, they are rarely prepared to provide me immediately with the information I need to write an interview-clinching résumé.

Today we are experiencing the tightest, most volatile and highly competitive job market in years. More than ever, you must be proactive in continually assessing and self-marketing your skills, talents, abilities, experience and training. A "Cutting Edge Résumé"^™ that positions you ahead of your competition is a critical tool in your job search and career management arsenal.

Your Résumé Must Serve Three Critical Functions...

1. Introduction: Your résumé is usually a hiring manager's first introduction to you; and you know the old adage: "You never have a second chance to make a first impression!" Nowhere is this truer than with your résumé.
2. Interview: During the interview stage, a hiring manager (or HR professional) will use the résumé as a "roadmap" to guide the interview. Use it to your advantage to point out your stronger points and deflect attention from your weaker ones. Know everything on your résumé so that you can respond confidently to any questions you may be asked about it.
3. Leave Behind: The interviewer will use your résumé to demonstrate his/her good judgment to his/her direct supervisor. After deciding who will get the callback, the interviewer will most likely show his/her superior the résumé to justify why YOU were selected.

Additionally, today's savvy professional has an updated résumé at all times. Within 3-6 months of accepting a new position, update your résumé. Begin to document your accomplishments, contributions and achievements in a career journal. A new internal or external opportunity can open up at any time. Also, bring your updated résumé with you to performance evaluations. The person who reviews your performance might not be familiar with the contributions you have made to the organization.

General Tips for Creating A Résumé That Will Position You Ahead Of The Competition.

• Think of the employers needs. Make your résumé employer-centric. An employer doesn't care what you want, but is interested in the value you bring.
• Use "targets" not objectives: e.g. CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, IT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, etc.
• Employers don't hire responsibilities; they hire accomplishments and achievements. Accomplishments and achievements create value. Quantify accomplishments whenever possible. Prospective employers will look to your past performance as an indication of your future contributions.
• Study your market. What are the qualifications for the position you desire? What are the "keywords" that keep appearing for those positions? Make sure you include them in your résumé.
• Think of yourself as a "product", a product which will solve your next employer's problems and meet the organization's challenges. Identify and "sell" your unique blend of talents, skills, qualifications, achievements and accomplishments based on what the position requires. Think of it as your unique "branding proposition." Sell the benefits the employer will derive from your qualifications.
• Today's career marketplace is all about "YOU INC."
• Today's job search requires a strategic plan. If you are unemployed, plan on spending 30-40 hours a week on your search. If you are employed, spend between 15-20 hours positioning yourself for your next career opportunity.

Keywords and Electronic Résumés

• Keywords, generally nouns, are industry buzzwords, functional skills and traits.
• You will need an electronic version of your résumé during your search. Well over 80% of companies are using some form of résumé tracking software or the Internet.
• When a company or recruiter is "data mining" for appropriate résumés, they will do a search using desired keywords as search parameters to select résumés for the first cut in screening.
• Know the keywords for the positions and industries you are targeting. You can identify keywords by looking at advertisements for positions in ads and online as well as in job descriptions. Other good sources are résumés of people in similar positions and government publications such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the ONET (both of which are online).
• A résumé that will be used electronically should be formatted in ASCII with all graphic elements removed.

Write Not So Ordinary Cover Letters

• Capture attention! Start with a powerful opening. Never use "Enclosed for your review..." (That's obvious!)
• Use bullet points; quantify.
• End with a call to action: preferably YOURS! E.g. I will call you on Tuesday to set up an appointment.

Reference Sheets Tips

• Have a reference sheet prepared; however, it should be provided at the time of the interview, not accompanying your initial résumé.
• The best references are people who are familiar with and can attest to your on-the-job performance. These can be past superiors, co-workers, people you supervised, vendors, customers, etc.
• Contact your references and review your professional relationship with them. You don't want them to be caught off guard if someone should contact them. Also, it is a good idea to provide them with a copy of your résumé so that they can corroborate any relevant information.

Salary History Tips

• In general, I coach my clients to not provide salary history when they submit a résumé (there are exceptions). It places the job seeker at a significant disadvantage. How can you provide a fair quote for your services before you know the actual scope of your future responsibilities? However, in today's marketplace, you might not want to take a chance of not providing the information.
• Prepare in advance on an effective strategy for maximizing your salary negotiating position.
• When you do provide salary information, provide it in a "gross" manner (unless the salary for your position is typically given on an hourly, daily or weekly basis). It is best to think in terms of "compensation package," including the value of benefits, allowances, expense accounts, etc. $50,000 a year with a full benefit package is a lot different from $50,000 with limited benefits. In that case, you would be taking an effective pay cut.
• Know what the market range is for a your qualifications and the position that you are seeking. You will significantly strengthen your negotiating position by doing your research.

Best of luck in attaining your career goals!.

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