CAREER COACHING
and
JOB SEARCH SUPPORT

"Here, at whatever hour you come, you will find Light, help and human kindness."

___ Albert Schweitzer

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER

TO

Winning The Resume Game - Insider Secrets To Creating Powerful Resumes

Overview: 

     1. Are you a candidate for this book?

Do you find yourself in any of the following categories?

•  You are employed but unhappy with your job

•  You are about to be downsized

•  You just started a job search effort

•  You are involved in a career transition

•  You have spent some time searching for a job with few results

•  You are not sure how to market yourself effectively

If you answered YES to any of the above, you will benefit greatly from the information, techniques and helpful tips presented in this book.  Resumes and cover letters are the key to getting your foot in the door – but will any resume work?  No.

As a job seeker, you may possess expertise in your particular field.  However, when it comes to creating a masterful recounting of your professional abilities, your expertise may not be as proficient. 

2. Most resumes do not work

As a recruiter and executive career marketing professional, I spent many years reviewing resumes and meeting candidates.  I have seen every type of resume you can imagine, including some very interesting creations.  Resumes that: 

•  Were too long

•  Rambled on (and on and on and..)

•  Were unclear or unreadable

•  Didn't have a focus

•  Were formatted incorrectly

•  Had spelling and grammatical errors

•  Had distracting graphics

•  Were missing critical information

•  Had no correctly written accomplishments

•  Had long gaps in employment

•  Contained unnecessary information

Does any of this look or sound familiar?

If you want to get to the interview phase of your job search, you need to have a winning resume.  This book will help you be successful.  I have devoted a good part of my life to helping job candidates write better resumes.  Now I am going to help you.  It’s not difficult. You do not have to be a ‘professional resume writer’ to create a professional looking, finished product that gets you in the door.

3. What you need to know to write a compelling resume

This book is dedicated to teaching you how to write a powerfully effective resume.  You will come to realize that winning this game is simply a matter of adhering to a particular set of suggestions and guidelines.  Once you use these in your resume, you will be on your way to a bright and successful new job or career.

There are many things you will discover along the way.  For example, you will learn what employers look for when they scan your resume.  You will know which critical areas of your resume MUST be written with utmost care.  You will be introduced to the concept and importance of a Value Proposition.  Your Value Proposition actually becomes the cornerstone of your resume. 

You will see the relationship between your Areas of Expertise and your Career Synopsis.  How you present your work history can make or break your chances for success.  This will be discussed fully.  You will discover how to differentiate between your job responsibilities and your accomplishments, and learn the correct way of presenting your accomplishments.

What about Professional Affiliations and Special Honors/Awards?  You will find out what you need to present here and where this is sequenced in your resume.  Education is another section of your resume where caution needs to be exercised.  What you present here can go a long way toward getting you hired, or it can pull you out of the candidate roster immediately.

What are the correct number of pages for a resume?  What are the essential differences between an executive’s resume and one written for a recent grad?  What about graphics or fancy fonts or other ways of being creative?  When should you definitely use a functional resume as opposed to a chronological approach?  How many Letters of Reference should you include?  Is there some kind of plan to follow once your resume has been created?  After all, you’ve expended a great amount of time and energy into this project.  What next?  These and many other questions will be addressed and discussed in the following pages.

4. Personality types

There are different types of personalities on this planet.  Some people have a hard time starting a project, but once they have begun, they stick with it and do whatever it takes to complete it.  There are others who can initiate a task quite easily, but are challenged when it comes to completing it.  It’s essential for you to know which personality type you are. 

A lot of information is presented in this book.  Some of you may find it challenging – almost daunting to open up to Section 1 and begin the process of creating your winning resume.  Others of you will jump right in with tremendous enthusiasm and anticipation, only to drop the ball somewhere during Section 2.  This book was written with everyone’s success in mind.  You want to win, right?  I want you to win as well.  So here is a suggestion to assist you in moving forward with this book:

5. Make a plan then work your plan

The first thing you may want to do is review the Table of Contents.  Get a sense of the information presented, how it’s laid out, the types of things you will learn, etc.  Then put together a plan for success.  Write down what your goal is, and then formulate a step by step plan as to how you will get there.  Have mini-goals, or milestones, along with some sort of timeline.  Remember, it’s much easier to do things in small increments.  Look at the whole, but do things one step at a time.  Now picture yourself at the end-point.  Set your intention in that moment.  Trust in yourself. Have patience with yourself and confidence in the process. You will succeed. 

Now let’s get started!          

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