The purpose of your resume is to ignite interest in you and compel hiring decision makers reading it to interview you.
When crafting your resume, write for the reader. These days so many of them are reviewing resumes on their Blackberries, usually in transit.
They may be inundated with hundreds of resumes to assess for any given position and very little time to devote to each candidate.
The first thing that pops up on that tiny screen should brand you, have the power to immediately capture their attention, and differentiate you from the competition.
Don’t lead your resume with an objective statement. They don’t care what you want. They care what you will do to positively impact bottom line and just how you’ll go about doing it.
Here’s a before-and-after example of an executive resume lead-in:
BEFORE:
Objective: A challenging senior management position in product development where my proven record of success will benefit a progressive company.
AFTER:
Senior Product Development and Operations Executive
Striking success leading product development, IT operations, and professional services for very small start-ups, rapid-growth enterprises, and leading global corporations. Increased Quality Assurance productivity 300% and revenue growth 30% in one year.
Leadership Brand – An instigator of innovation with unwavering determination to bring products to market, I contribute selfless and ethical leadership, influence change, build great talent, plan diligently, monetize opportunities, and execute relentlessly. I will literally do ‘whatever it takes’ to get the job done.
Which one attracts you to the candidate more?
The top third or so of the first page of your resume is prime real estate — the make-or-break snapshot of you. Don’t waste that valuable location on fluff. If your resume doesn’t get to the meat until further down on the page, you may have already lost the reader.
Create chemistry and draw them in at the get-go with hard-hitting, to-the-point, brand-focused statements that illuminate your promise of value to your next employer, and give some indication of your vitality and personality.
