Your resume is an expression of your personal brand
As one of the front-line people here at TLM, a lot of resumes cross my desk. And to tell you the truth, I have become a wee bit judgemental. Not gearing the resume and cover letter to The Letter M? That tells me you don’t care enough to put in the extra effort. Typos? That tells me you are not detail-oriented which is very important in our line of business. These are not the expressions of your personal brand that you want to make.
But how can you express your personal brand in your resume? Here are a few tips to help “you” stand out.
- Know the purpose of your resume – The purpose of a resume isn’t to get you a job – it is to get you an interview (which will then hopefully lead to a job). So leave out the long boring details. Focus on what you can do for the company you’re applying to.
- Back up your qualities and strengths – Connect your list of qualities and strengths (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) with your real life and work experiences.
- Avoid negativity – Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This rule applies to your resume and interviews.
- Explain the benefits of your skills – Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you explain how it will benefit their company, and connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances.
- One resume for each employer – One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings they can find. Sure, it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could actually be a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters. One of my favourite resumes that I saw here at TLM used our own marketing materials within her resume and cover letter. She, in a visual way, presented how she could fit in at TLM. We loved it! And yes, she got an interview.
- Proofread twice. And then have someone else proofread too – It simply looks bad on you when you can’t get the little details right. Enough said.
For more tips on writing a great resume, see 44 Resume Writing Tips by Daniel Scocco.
