1. Overview
Consider that Human Resource Manager weed through anywhere from 30 - 300 resumes or CVs for a single job opening and that your resume gets only about 10 to 20 seconds to be accepted or to end up in the reject pile. Hence, consider your resume as your very own 15-second advertisement with the principal goal of securing an interview.
Resumes should ideally be a one to two page document depending entirely on each candidates level of experience, expertise and profession. Professional resumes are long on facts but short on words! Imagine a three or four page resume coming on the desk of a recruiter who needs to read hundreds of other resumes – it holds no attraction at all. Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter and only include information that is really relevant to the job opportunity.
Your resume should provide potential employers with a brief description of who you are, what you've done, and why you are the right person for the job. It should formulate a clear picture of your career goals and competencies in an easy-to-read style. Simplicity is here the key in order to get attention and to capture interest of the potential employer. Make sure that your resume is well organized so that the reader can identify your strong points at a glance. An effective resume markets your skills rather than simply listing responsibilities, with the goal of securing an interview.
The general format we advise is as follows:
Job Objective (optional), Summary of Qualifications, Professional Experience with Accomplishments, Additional Headings (optional)
Put your accomplishments right up at the top of the resume so managers can easily find them. Always include a cover letter when mailing, faxing, or e-mailing a resume. You should keep in mind that your resume serves as a guide for you and the interviewer in an interview while deliberating your background and acts a reminder of your professional identity in the ensuing discussions.
Here are some quick tips to get you started:
Get someone who knows absolutely nothing about your prior experience to review your resume to see if it makes sense to them. Most people fail to realize that they use "industry-speak" that makes sense only to those with a similar background. The simpler and clearer the resume, the better your chances are of getting an interview. A great service is provided by AspirationsResume.com. These guys provide a completely free resume evaluation service of your resume draft which gives you a perfect starting point for your resume development.
Emphasize teamwork, leadership, passion, and creativity. Many marketing firms believe that if you worked on a team before and you were in previous leadership roles, it is likely that you will continue to grow these attributes. Having a passion for anything translates well in an environment where you must believe in your brand. You may not have been in a "creative field," but if you can prove that you are capable of "out-of-the-box" thinking, then your chances at a marketing career are improved.
Scatter marketing terminology throughout your resume regardless of your background. Words like "cross-functional teams," "customer needs," "strategic direction," "portfolio management," and "communications platform" make you look like a marketer even if you were a banker.
Focus on results. If you lead a cross-functional team through a budgetary process, quantify your results. (For example, "I saved the firm $30,000.") This shows that you can succeed when given a task, and that you are action-oriented.
Illustrate your love for consumer behavior. Maybe you majored in psychology or cultural anthropology at your undergrad university. Maybe you were a manufacturer, but your favorite part of the job was understanding how to make things easier for consumers to use. Maybe you were a banker, but really enjoyed understanding why people invested the way they did. Whatever angle you take, make sure that consumer understanding is clearly demonstrated in your resume.
Spelling and Punctuation. It really goes without saying that orthographic errors are the faux pas of all faux pas when writing a resume! It does not matter that you created the almost perfect resume if your text contains poor punctuation or spelling mistakes. The reviewer will think that your are a careless person and with a lack of education, neither of which are attributes that will endear you as an appropriate candidate. Use in first place the spell-checking option of your word processor and then get your document proofread by several people.
Below we present some helpful tips on writing effective resumes that will grab attention and land you the required interview. If you want to improve your chances of getting positive response to your resume, you might prefer to use the service of Professional Resume Writers or apply Professional Resume Software.