Your personal brand is an important tool in your job search toolkit. It tells employers the type of candidate you are (and employee you’ll be) in a quick glance of your website, your social media accounts or, in many cases, your resume. It also helps you differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other candidates vying for similar positions in your field or industry.
What does your resume say about you? Is it creative? Does it lack focus? All of these things can reflect poorly or positively on your personal brand and may affect your chances at landing an interview or receiving a job offer.
If your resume lacks focus and isn’t tailored to the position, this might tell others that you don’t understand your personal brand. Perhaps you don’t quite know what your ideal position is yet, or maybe you’re just starting out in your field and aren’t sure what to focus on. In any case, I always recommend customizing your resume for each position in order to show how your experience and skills are a good fit for the opening.
Aren’t sure how to focus your resume based on the job description? Resunate can help. It’s a web app that matches your experience against a job description to automatically create a perfectly tailored resume by using an old resume or your LinkedIn profile.
If your resume still lists job responsibilities, this tells employers that (a) you didn’t accomplish much worth sharing at your previous jobs or (b) you don’t know how to convey your accomplishments on paper. Especially in today’s uncertain economic times, employers want workers who will benefit their company. Show them through numbers, facts and statistics how you improved things at your last position and why they need you to work at their organization.
If your resume lists an objective statement, this could convey to others that you’re old fashioned or out of touch with today’s hiring practices. The employer knows you want to land a job where your skills and experience can be utilized. But they don’t need that taking up space at the top of your resume – a spot where you should be sharing something more important.
Not sure what’s essential for a killer resume? Enter RezScore, a free online tool that leverages the power of science in order to assign a grade to your resume. Receive instant feedback for improvement based on an algorithm developed by hiring managers, resume writers and recruiters.
