Perhaps the time has come to face some hard truths about ourselves…what do we stand for?
Someone looking at my resume can make assumptions about me and they would be right…about half the time.
I do a fairly good job of creating multiple resumes designed to appeal to the interests of the position I am applying for. I avoid any prepackaged one size fits all resume…it speaks of laziness.
My approach is to think about the tasks that I like doing and emphasize my experience doing them. Conversely, if I am good at something I really hate doing I weigh that carefully because if it comes up in an interview I would not be able to conceal my distaste for it.
Perhaps I would rather deal with it if it came up during the duties and responsibilities of the job description but why “lead with my chin” and put it on my resume.
When I was in sales I liked business development assignments and I would beam in an interview when the topic came up..it made the interviewer ask more questions and I was in a favorable light..so I highlighted it on my resume…but…one of the tasks that I did not like..would be something like meticulous data entry…entering data on multiple databases during every customer contact…we if I remember correctly, these programs would take so much time and then I would inevitably need technical support to resolve an issue so I could continue…it just wore me out…so I didn’t want to draw attention to that..because I would have to hide my disdain for serving systems..instead of people.
I always use the first date analogy…if I want to put my best foot forward I simply look for common ground with the interviewer…that is my fist task…I determine what is important to them and I prepare a little speech regarding what I know about the company…I am also ready to give a brief 30-60 second speech about my history when they ask me to talk about my background and what I am looking for.
This is key…do not miss the opportunity to tell them your mini commercial because at that point they are forgetting most of what you said previously..they want to know if you are a fit for the job..use that time to shine!
Marketing is largely done through networking and it is not always electronic or social networking websites. It can be simply reaching out to college buddies and former coworkers. A truly skilled net-worker can see the value in never burning a bridge and they rarely throw out a business card. Take a tip from them and recycle your contacts by sending a card on the holidays which is an effective and benign way of keeping your name in front of them.
What to do during the rest of the year?
How about investing in some contact management software and just fill out profile information?
List the company, contact information and maybe some personal data like their affiliations…if you met on the golf course or at a meeting, go ahead and log that too. You will input websites and email addresses and before you know it you will have their information the next time you need to develop contacts for a project. It is crucial not to waste your contacts!
I think we all know what a SIC code is…go ahead and log what industry they belong to.
Your commercial is you..take pride in your “product” and they will too! "Marketing personal" written by Ken Bownes
