Changing Your Resume From a Chronological Obituary to a Dynamic Value Proposition Getting Interviews

JOB SEARCHING, NETWORKING/LinkedIN, & RESUME TIPS...That Get Interviews! Job Seekers can distinguish themselves from others & get the attention of hiring managers by converting the traditional "chronological obituary" resume format, to a powerful value proposition.

It is recommended that job seekers design a resume format that does not simply list tasks, duties, responsibilities, projects, & technical acronyms, much like anyone else's resume who has a similar job! One should highlight; Core Competencies/Areas of Expertise, Quantifiable Accomplishments (i.e. Productivity Improvements, Efficiencies, Cost Savings, Sales Increases, etc.), with as many percentages & dollars as possible. In other words, a resume that not only "tells" what has been done, but also "sells" the candidate's significant achievements & skills, versus others, to stand out from the crowd!

This 21st century approach has been proven to get the hiring manager's attention & get in the door for interviews, versus the traditional 19th century resume that most job seekers unfortunately utilize. Over 75% of jobs are filled by research & networking, namely the unadvertised job market. Thus, the challenge is how to identify the companies who are in the growth mode, management change mode, expansion mode, in growing & profitable industries, who are not necessarily advertising positions, where they often create, replace, or fill positions when candidates get their attention.

Employers & recruiters will search the Internet, especially LinkedIn, to find candidates for the unadvertised positions. Thus, it is essential that the candidate has an Internet presence, along with the appropriate keywords on the resume & LinkedIn profile, reflecting the position(s) desired, skills, achievements, & core competencies. LinkedIn Signal should be used to identify the people who are hiring & Word Cloud Technology should be used to more accurately identify the best keywords to include on your LinkedIn Profile, Resume, Cover Letter & elsewhere. Submitting relevant industry articles should also be done, to establish a more prominent & credible Internet presence when employers or recruiters Google you.

The job seeker must also do their homework, & then launch a strategic, proactive, & targeted marketing/networking (LinkedIn, etc.) campaign, with aggressive follow up. This approach is also more likely to help you identify the better "career" opportunities rather than having to settle for just a "job"! In summary, the search for a rewarding career must not only be a passive, reactive, chance-driven pursuit (e.g. posting a resume on the Internet). By utilizing a proactive networking-based campaign, better results & opportunities will be able to be identified, & sooner in most cases.

Robert P. Wolk, President
Top Career Coaches & Business Mentors
Career transition success coaches, LinkedIn & social media specialists, Six Figure Jobs resource. Franchising advisors.