Did you realize that your job hunt is a competition? Whether you like it or not, it is.
There are other people who are competing for the job you want. In some cases, there are a lot of other people competing for that job.
If you want that job, you’re going to have to stand out from the crowd. The best way to do that is to start with a great resume.
Here’s how you should approach your resume preparation.
1. Understand that you’re marketing yourself
To make money in this society, you have to be a salesperson. This is true even if you’re applying for a high-tech position.
You need to “sell” yourself as a qualified candidate to your potential employer. You need to market yourself to people who are scanning dozens of resumes every day.
You need to make sure that you stand out. You won’t stand out if you’re not making an effort to market your skill set in a way that will make people take notice.
2. Brag
When was the last time you watched a commercial in which the narrator said something like: “Well, our product isn’t that good in every way”?
Probably never.
Instead, advertisements are produced to showcase the quality of the product or service being offered. In short, advertisements brag about what they are trying to sell.
That’s how you need to approach your resume preparation. You’re going to boast about your work history. You’re going to show off your education. You’re going to brag about your certifications.
You’re going to use power words and phrases. Display all of your skills and experience to show you are “outstanding” and explain how you “excel” in certain skills. You’re going to say that you “over deliver” when you complete your assignments.
That will get the attention of recruiters.
3. Stick with a target market
Marketers frequently use the phrase “target market.” When they use it, they’re talking about a specific group of people being targeted for their product or service. Then, they craft a marketing strategy that will appeal to that target market. This is important because not all target markets respond to the same strategy. A strategy to market fast food to senior citizens would look totally different than a strategy to market fast food to teenagers, for example.
Define your target market. To whom are you trying to sell your services? To an employer seeking professional Java developers? To a recruiter seeking professional Python developers? To people seeking network administrators?
Once you’ve established your target market, craft your resume so that it speaks directly to that market. Someone looking for a Java Enterprise developer will probably not care that you have experience in PHP. You can leave that skill off of your resume and use the space to brag more about your accomplishments in Java.
Feel free to contact us at Selectek to learn more about job opportunities available for professionals with an engineering background. Our ability to match skilled candidates to exact-fit opportunities has been the basis of our success, and why we’ve become the staffing solution of choice for your engineering and technology industry.
