Though the majority of the career world raves about video resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and personal blogs for the use of recruitment, the truth is that resumes are still a necessity for the majority of job positions. If you’re experienced and are going after a position at an early-stage tech startup, then perhaps you can get away with a funny YouTube video that demonstrates your creativity and work ethic, but for the most part, investment bankers, accountants, consultants, and marketers need a written resume.
Tailor your resume to the position and industry
It’s good to have a generic resume that you’ll use as a template. Once you know which position you’re applying for, go back and edit the resume to make sure that it’s specific to the position and the industry.
Three types of positions that a marketer may choose to go after are marketing positions, public relations positions, and business development positions. Though they seem similar, the skill sets that stand out for each are unique and must be conveyed through your resume.
Marketing
- If it’s an online marketing position, then focus on the following skills:
- SEO
- Adwords
- Facebook and Twitter Ads
- Social marketing
- Conversion optimization
- A/B testing
- Google analytics
- Funnel optimization
- Email marketing
- If it’s an offline marketing position, then focus on the following skills:
- Direct marketing
- Branding
- Conference and trade-show marketing
Public Relations
- Focus on how you’ve gotten media placements in the past
- Showcase online media placements: Techcrunch, Mashable, Ask Men
- Showcase offline media placements: magazines, newspapers
- How have you utilized a blog effectively to gain media opportunities
- Build thought leadership in an industry
- Speak at conferences and trade-shows
- Organize events and invite the media
- Have you successfully managed the brand and reputation of a company online?
- Have you had to manage reputation problems in the past both online and offline?
- How have you removed negative posts from the front page of Google
- Relationship building with influential publications and bloggers
Business Development
- All about relationship building and closing deals
- What companies have you negotiated with?
- What deals have you closed?
- What’s the largest deal you have closed?
- How much in deals have you closed?
- Have you negotiated contracts?
- What CRM and project management tools have you used?
As you can see above. Resumes must be tailored for the job position.
Culture fit is more important than you’d expect
Internet companies especially care about the culture fit. Will you bring a vibrant sense of energy to the team and will you add to the culture so that everyone is happy and motivated?
Culture at internet startups
If you’re interviewing with an internet startup, then chances are that you’re going to work with the technology team. If you’re an engineer, then it’s simple because you’ve worked with engineers all your life. But if you’re not an engineer, then it’s important for the company to know that you’ll be able to hold your own with the smartest of developers.
The culture fit section of a resume is usually at the bottom and states your interests.
Of course be as honest as possible, but try to stick these in to make sure you stand out from the crowd:
- Physical fitness
- State what sports you play or activities that you like to do: hiking, biking, surfing
- Express a love of learning
- State what you’ve recently learned to do. Don’t just say “I love learning”. Write that you recently learned to cook, take pictures, or play chess
- People love to travel
- Again, don’t just say you love to travel, but state where you’ve been and where you plan to go
- Unique elements
- Try to fit in one unique thing about yourself that you’re proud of — for example, in my resume I write that I can finish a Rubiks Cube in less than 1 minute
Make it 1 page only
No one wants to read an entire novel. Make your resume 1 page and keep everything concise and in bullet point format.
You don’t need a “purpose for this resume” section. You can add that to a cover letter, but your resume doesn’t need any paragraphs. Keep to the following format and you’ll do just fine:
- Name and title
- Experience
- Education
- Interests
That’s it. Keep it short and simple, and you’ll make it easy for the recruiter to look through your info.
Author:
Jun Loayza is the President of Lion Step Media. In his entrepreneurial experience, Jun has sold 2 internet companies and lead social media technology campaigns for Sephora, Whole Foods Market, Levi’s, LG, and Activision.
