Your Resume Has a Job To Do...

Your resume has a job to do...

...and it’s not to get you a job! Your resume has to get you in the door so you can work on landing that job! If you think that your resume should consist of a list of duties, think again. Sure, experience is important, but in today’s competitive market, there should be more to your story than just what you do all day long. Your goal here is to SELL your employment value and qualities, NOT tell the reader about your duties.

Employers are looking for well-rounded candidates who can offer a set of transferable skills in order to generate results. They don’t care what you do as much as how you do it and what you achieve. Whether your function is sales, accounting, financial analysis, manufacturing or management, it is imperative that you demonstrate how your knowledge can translate into things like improved operations, better productivity or increased profits, cost savings...in a nutshell, employers need to know how you can contribute to their bottom line. Period, finite, end of story.

In the financial/banking industry, it’s even more crucial that your resume contain the industry “buzz words” (in the correct context, of course) that demonstrate how well you know your stuff. If you excel at implementing cost saving programs or integrating technology innovation that improves accuracy and speeds delivery of invoicing, your resume needs to outline a few examples. If you have success in organizing finance operations, your resume needs to say how you were able to pull it off. If you’re an expert in market forecasting and financial analysis, and have a history of utilizing this knowledge to impact profits, then of course, your resume has to convey that leadership expertise.

When competing against hundreds of skilled candidates within the same industry, you have to not only present a compelling documentation of why YOU are the best person for the job but also how your experience has played a role in corporate results. If you are trying to break into a new industry (such as the financial field), familiarize yourself with what’s “hot” now and demonstrate how those transferable skills you possess can help a company keep up its momentum; even a new industry will need skilled professionals who can integrate marketing, general management, training and operational skills into the finance world. If you’re an accomplished techie and are itching to go to work in this industry, then study technological advances and identify how technology can relate to financial results…you have to show the reader what skills you can bring to the table that compliment existing operations.

Put your resume to some good hard work by ensuring that it tells the story of what you’ve done, how you’ve succeeded and how you can help your next employer surpass its corporate goals!