Dos and Don’ts for the perfect resume

Has COVID hit you hard? If you are someone who has been dealt a hard blow by the pandemic — either in terms of a layoff or a furlough — it’s time to get rid of those stress lines on your forehead. You’ve spent hours searching job boards, identified the ideal job, and now it’s finally the time to apply. I still see that look on your face screaming how do I begin writing my resume? Do my skills even apply to this role? What does the employer want to know?
There are so many conflicting recommendations out there. Should you keep it to one page? Do you put a summary up top? Do you include personal interests and volunteer gigs? This maybe your best chance to make a good first impression. So you’ve got to get it right. The hiring manager is the buyer, you’re the product, and you need to give him a reason to buy. Not to fear! Here are some sales/brand/marketing manager resume tips to calm your nerves and help you get the job of your dreams.

First: The resume objective

Also known as a professional summary. It is the first thing that a recruiter or hiring manager will read on your resume. This is where you’ll provide a brief. It’s a one to two-sentence summary of your experience. It should show to the employer that you’re qualified for the position. And be sure to avoid clichés or platitudes in your summary like saying, ‘I’m not more valuable than anyone else.’ They are meaningless, obvious, and boring to read.

You may add years of experience in sales, relevant skills, and high-level qualifications. You can close it off by adding how you will add value to the organization you’re applying to work for and how the position you are applying to fits into your career goals.

Two: Getting the order right

There are a lot more people switching industries now — and are moving away from those sectors that are severely impacted by COVID. Make sure if you’re switching industries, don’t launch into job experience that the hiring manager may not think is relevant. We suggest adding an accomplishments section right after your opener. One that makes the bridge seamless between your experience and the job requirements. This should contain the crux that you want to get across, the powerful stories you want to tell. It should be something that makes the reader sit up straight and say ‘Holy cow, I want to talk to her. Not because of who she is but because of what she’s done. ’

After the accomplishments section, list your employment history and related experience. Then add any relevant education. Some people want to put their education up top but it doesn’t work like that. That might be appropriate in academia but not for a sales/brand/marketing manager resume. You should highlight your work experience first. And save your degrees and certifications for the end.

Three: Don’ts

• Use clichés — elaborate what makes you a better candidate in concrete, specific words
• Cram text in by using a small font size? It has to be readable guys! Whoever said you have to fit everything in one page — said it wrong
• Keep in mind not to cut and paste your resume into your LinkedIn profile. Ensure that your Linkedin enhances your resume — and is not an exact copy of it
• It’s tempting to list every job, accomplishment, volunteer assignment, skill etc you’ve ever had. But don’t. A resume is a specific and selective body of content. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive and elaborate autobiography. If it doesn’t contribute to convincing the hiring manager to talk to you, then take it out.

Follow these tips by Fieldproxy and you can make a fantastic first impression! When you make a good impression they will have to give you a ticket to sell..without saying, ‘hey! sell this pen to me!’

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