Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviews and Personal Brand | Mom Inc ...

July 16, 2012

It is said that a great cover letter compels a Recruiter to read your resume and a great resume ensures an interview and of course a great interview lands you the job.? But in many cases 100?s of job applicants are vying for one coveted role.? How can you make certain that you move from one step to the next? With the right brand. Branding isn?t just for organizations; we create an image of ourselves that we put forward to the world and this representation of ourselves is never as important as during a job hunt. Below are a few tips to ensure you are presenting the brand that best represents you.

Resume/Cover Letter: No Errors Allowed

I cannot stress this one enough.? Spelling and grammar mistakes are unforgivable.? Even one small error represents you as someone for whom shoddy work is acceptable. Recruiters are looking for ways to shorten the daunting stack of resumes; this is an easy way to dismiss you. Don?t let them.? Proofread your documents, and then have someone else proofread them and then proof them again.? Also, don?t count on spell check and grammar check to save you.? Two of the most common mistakes I?ve seen are spelling ?manger? for ?manager? and the improper use of their, there and they?re which won?t necessarily get flagged in your documents.

Resume/Cover Letter: White Space Please

Please do not cram as much information on your resume as possible.? I assure you; if your resume is hard to read it won?t get read. Leave ample space between sections and keep your margins to the standard size. A clean, clear resume and cover letter in a font large enough to actually read represent you as a professional who is confident in the skills listed.? When you stuff as much on the page as possible you come across as a braggart trying to compensate with quantity over quality.

Resume/Cover Letter: Short and Snappy

Your cover letter should be three paragraphs; a brief intro, a brief overview of experience and a brief overview of education.? Then close with a brief line such as ?I?m looking forward to hearing from you.? Sincerely?? Did you catch that I was stressing you be brief?? Don?t repeat the details that can be found on your resume. That is what your resume is for.? Any more information than a brief (there?s that word again) introduction is too much.? You want to be seen as a crisp communicator not muddled and verbose.

Resume/Cover Letter: Buried Treasure

Make sure you highlight your strengths.? Too often I?ve seen a key piece of information hidden between superfluous details. When you first sit down to write a resume start by listing your proudest achievements and the times when you most felt on top of your game.? When you have completed your resume cross reference that list and make sure those particulars are clearly evident.? There are a few ways of doing this such as a section dedicated to accomplishments, a line outlining highlighted undertakings at each employer or within the objective (for example: I?d like to continue my award winning sales career with an employer that allows me the opportunity for creativity.?

Interviews: Speak in Numbers

Whether in the public or private sector, whether in for-profit or non-profit, and whether your role will spend or save money your potential employer is thinking about the bottom line.? Don?t make them do the math for themselves. Which of the following sounds better to you? ?With my last employer I was able to be creative with my HR initiatives as a result we saw productivity rise.? Not bad, but how about this? ?Using a minimal budget and some ingenuity we created new team based initiatives that resulted in a 25% increase in production.?? Much better.? Arm yourself with these numerical details before the interview so you can present yourself as an asset who sees the bigger picture.

Interviews: Do your Homework

I open every single interview with ?What do you know about my organization??? How a candidate answers tells me many things such as how much research they did, where they researched, and what information they took away from that research, all of which gives me clues into how they work and how they will fit in with my team. But nothing tells me more about a candidate than when they didn?t do any research at all. The bare minimum should be a visit to your prospective employer?s website but in this case more is best.? Ideas include: looking for employees on Linked In to see what has been said about the company; conducting a simple Google search to lead you to current events, press releases, awards or potential trouble the organization may be in; and my personal favourite, pick up the phone and call a customer to ask about the culture and personality of the organization.

Interviews: Take your Turn

Ask intelligent questions but at the very least ask questions.? When the interviewers ask you if there is anything you want to know do not say ?No, I think you?ve covered everything.? Instead ask a question; any question.? Even if the interviewer has in fact covered everything ask for more details regarding something discussed earlier in the interview, ask about last year?s Christmas party or ask about the interviewer?s tenure with the organization. When you don?t ask a question the interviewer can be left wondering if you were interested and engaged in the organization or if you are just looking for a job. Present yourself as a thoughtful and attentive candidate and you just may find yourself as their newest employee.

Christina Stewart is a Mom, HR Professional, and Freelance Writer. You can find Christina and her three kids (ages four, two and two months) huddled in the library pouring over the latest books or traversing the local trails, behind their Burnaby home.

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Source: http://momincmovement.com/blog/2012/07/16/one-in-a-million-how-to-brand-yourself-with-recruiters/

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