By Maria Hanson, for LiveCareer
With the national unemployment rate still painfully high, the competition for jobs
is fierce. Millions of Americans are looking for work, and hundreds – and sometimes
thousands – of resumes
flood employers for every job opening.
But there are still jobs to be had and someone is going to get them.
"With a resume that leverages your talents and showcases your career achievements,
you could have a uniquely competitive position in the marketplace," says resume
expert Wendy Enelow, author of more than 25 books on resume writing. Try these tips
to help recession-proof
your resume and land your dream
job:
Customize your resume
Surveys find that the majority of resumes received by hiring managers do not match
job openings. In one survey, 92 percent of recruiters said they’re swamped with
irrelevant resumes. Simply customizing your resume will put you miles ahead of the
crowd.
Every resume you send out needs to be targeted to the job you want. Focus your resume
on your qualifications, achievements, skills and experience that specifically match
the job's requirements. And leave out unrelated work experience.
Some people restate the job's requirements in their summary of qualifications or
objective. While it's good to nail all the essentials, vary the wording and add
your own touch. Mirror the job description without just copying it.
Brand yourself
What can you do to distinguish yourself from your competition? "The answer," says
Enelow, "is a branding statement that highlights your unique value proposition;
the one thing that you do better than anything else." If you were an
IT Manager, she says, your headline and branding statement might read something
like this:
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER
Designing next-generation technologies that consistently out-perform and out-innovate
the competition
Think about what sets you apart from the crowd. How are you better? What do you
offer that others don't? Identify your unique brand and use your resume to sell
it.
Show your value
Job applicants need to show they can meet the increased needs of a company that
might be struggling with its own bottom line. Employers are looking for people who
can create business, bring in customers, boost revenues, open new markets, improve
quality and help them thrive (or at least survive).
Quantify the business you think you can bring a company. If you come with a Rolodex
packed with potential contacts, those connections could be a goldmine to an employer.
Highlight how many potential clients and connections you have at your fingertips.
Be the solution
Employers are expecting more for less money right now. Some employers are rolling
two or three jobs into one. It's a buyer's market.
Read between the lines of job descriptions to figure out what employers are looking
for. Then use your resume to show your track record of filling diverse roles and
juggling numerous tasks. Make it clear that you're willing to take on additional
responsibilities. (You have to be willing to follow through on this if you get the
job, of course.)
Tweaking your resume in just the right ways can help it rise to the top of the resume
pile. Use our Resume Builder
– the fastest, easiest way to build a resume that gets results.