There is a vast amount of advice for those in career transition and sometimes it may seem a little overwhelming; professional resumes, cover letters, branding, coaching, job search strategies, social media and what may appear to be far too many mundane details! In a different job market you might have the opportunity to pick and choose which professional advice you would like to embrace. However, in today’s job market, you had better invest your time and consideration toward every mind-numbing detail because your competition is. Too much job search/career advice? Not in this market!
Consider yourself the HR Professional who has received over 80 applications for one, 3 month contract! Even a quick review of resumes suggests more than half are qualified, which creates a task focused more on that of elimination rather than one of seeking out a qualified candidate. What will it take to eliminate 50 or 60 potential candidates? What mundane detail will aid in this process of elimination? A process which requires expediency in achieving a list of only 5 candidates for interviews.
Do you know which detail, if overlooked may have a significant influence on the decision maker to eliminate you as a candidate? Could it be the professional advice that you chose to ignore because in your personal opinion you did not think it was important or relevant?
Standing out from the competition is critical but if you do not follow basic professional advice pertaining to resumes and cover letters, you will stand out as a candidate for elimination rather than one for consideration. Most of your competition have:
– kept their resume to 2 pages
– focused on an aesthetically pleasing appearance
– free of grammatical or typographical errors
– presented a professional email address
– included a customized, Linkedin address
– researched company data for a dynamic cover letter
– invested the time to create a significant online profile
– listed credentials beside their name
– avoided any non-relevant personal details
– included quantifiable accomplishments
– submitted application according to instructions
– provided a phone number that they can be reached at
– highlighted the position, not the company
– listed all dates without time gaps
Your job search is not a time to ignore any professional advice, nor is it a time for arrogance. How often I’ve heard, “Well if they don’t like it, I don’t want to work for them!” Trust me, they don’t want you working for them either. You are seeking to further your career and acquire a job along with many other qualified individuals. The employer has the option of choosing the best candidate, which will be based on their opinion, not yours.
For professional advice contact Elite Resumes, providing Executive Career Management Services for over 18 years!
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