Are you feeling like your job search is equivalent to solving a whodunit mystery? Are you spending hours at your computer trying to find and respond to leads and long nights reviewing your resume in search for clues as to why you are being passed over?
To bring this mystery to a successful conclusion, first open your resume:
Is your value the star of your career story?
Most job seekers believe their experience (tasks, duties, responsibilities held) should be front and center when really their VALUE is the star. Decision makers don’t have time to figure out how the responsibilities you’ve held in past roles will help you out-produce other similarly qualified candidates. To find your value, ask yourself:
- What do I bring to the table (as a leader, a problem solver, a rainmaker) that my competitors do not?
- What am I known for in my industry?
- How have I made an impact on my past and current employers?
Are you focusing too much on you?
Your resume isn’t about what you want — it’s about what your value offer and your ability to help an organization make more money than it takes to hire you. Look at your document through the eyes of an employer –have you clearly communicated your ability to deliver the results they are looking for?
- Does your document address your prospective employer’s needs, challenges, and/or goals?
Employers are looking for people who can solve THEIR problems. Have you clearly articulated your superpowers (by highlighting performance metrics that PROVE your expertise and link your accomplishments to your target employer’s needs)?
Your resume is your blind audition.
To STAND OUT and attract job opportunities, your resume MUST address your prospective employers’ needs, challenges, and/or their overall mission. Provide proof by sharing concrete examples of your career success stories that connect the dots between your skills, experience, and qualifications and your target industries’ needs.
Review where you are spending your time.
The majority of job seekers spend their time responding to online job postings; however, statistics suggest that less than 10% of jobseekers land a job using Internet job boards where their application is one of hundreds received.
If this is where you are spending your time, make 100% sure your resume is ATS (applicant tracking software) friendly – formatted correctly and includes appropriate skills, keywords, and headers. Navigating an applicant tracking system takes more than filling your resume with keywords and phrases but rather it’s about including the right keywords.
Look for these additional clues.
If you feel your resume + cover letter + LinkedIn profile are spot on, dig deeper. How are you using your resume? Are you spending too much time sourcing leads on online job boards? Is your search too broad (you just want a job and you haven’t taken the time to identify what type of role you are interested in)? Does your online presence tell a different story than your resume does? Here’s how to course correct.
By taking a closer look at your career marketing documents and how you are finding out about and applying for positions, you will be better equipped to devise a strategy that will help you breakthrough the noise!
If you’re uncertain of what is holding you back in your job search or how to create a compelling resume that highlights your value, I’d love to chat with you about a strategy and how I can be of assistance. Simply follow the link and schedule a discovery call. https://breakthroughresumes.com/contact/
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