I’ve had many people over the years come to me asking my advice about finding a position in various companies and/or industries. I’ve heard people say “I can’t get an interview” and “I’ve applied for everything” and a whole lot of other similar statements. I always start by asking, “What companies have you applied to and what do you know about them?” Sadly enough, most say they have applied to many companies but they don’t know a whole lot about them. Normally it boils down to the fact that they just want a job – any job, and I know that is not what they went to college for – just to settle for a job. I tell them that if they apply themselves in their job search – just like they did in college, then they can expect great things to happen. I get them thinking. How can a person expect to get an interview if they don’t know anything about the company they are applying to? I know you are saying, “How would a company know that a candidate did not research their company beforehand?” Well, it very well may be reflected in the person’s resume.
Do you want to get the recruiter or hiring manager’s attention in the normal six to ten seconds they will give each resume? If so, then you need to show them right at the beginning how you qualify. I look at a job posting from a company as a Request for Proposal (RFP). The company is putting out requirements for a position and expect the applying public to respond to those requirements. The person applying normally responds by submitting a resume, or in this analogy, a written proposal of how they qualify for the position. In the solutions world, a company would respond to an RFP by writing a little about themselves and their expertise in the subject matter, and then write how they would “propose” a solution to the RFP. A resume is very similar. A job seeker would write about their experience, whether it be actual experience and/or academic, and then write a Professional Profile at the beginning of their resume, summarizing in about four to six bullets as to how they qualify for the position.
A Professional Profile (or Summary) will show the person reading the resume just how much the candidate understands the job and the company, and he or she will do so in a very intelligent and succinct way. To write a Professional Profile, a job seeker must first research the company. What do they do? Who are their customers and stakeholders? What products or services do they provide? What is their culture? How did they begin and where are they going? What does the public say about them? All these and so many more questions need to be thoroughly answered before anyone should apply for a position. It is very refreshing to hear from a candidate who not only researched my company, but also shows a passion for wanting to be a part of what my company is doing. The job description normally only shows a small detail of what a company is looking for in a candidate, but the candidate can show what he or she has done in their past that lines up with both the position and with what the company does. This can be shown very well in the Professional Profile at the beginning of the resume.
For example, let’s say a company is looking for a Business Development person and the business is in the technology industry selling accounting software to businesses. The job description states that the ideal candidate must have the ability to identify prospects, initiate communication and maintain relationships. A couple of solid bullet points in the Professional Profile from a person who has done some sales, and is familiar with accounting because of the accounting classes that they took in college, would put: “Researched and reached out to an average of 50 prospective clients each week to meet a quarterly sales goal of $250K,” and “Obtained a 4.0 in four advanced accounting classes at XYZ University.” This would grab the hiring manager’s attention because that candidate has directly addressed some of the requirements of the job. He or she is actually showing quantitative data and addressed not only what is being asked of candidates in the job description, he or she is addressing what the company does as a business. Of course one would add at least two and no more than four more bullets to address other requirements of the position.
The Profile will be slightly different with each position a person applies to within a company. Stated again, no two positions and companies will be exactly the same so no two Profiles on the resume should be the same either. The education and experience sections of the resume may be the same or at least very similar, but the profile will be slightly different with each position.
A major tip here – do not regurgitate the job description in the Profile. Write an answer to the job description in a way that actually shows that you have the experience, education and skills being requested. Also, whatever you summarize in the Professional Profile, make sure you back it up in the detail of your resume (the education and experience sections). Be truthful in your communication, and if you do not have the skills or experience, then find a way to obtain it if you really want this position with this one company. Speaking of communication, remember, the only reason for a resume is to get an interview, and if you treat your resume like a proposal as an answer to an RFP (job description), then your whole resume will be reflecting excellent written communication skills, and that is a lot better than writing in the summary, “Excellent written and oral communication skills.” This will move your resume to the “call” stack, and that is just what you want.
Next time I will discuss researching companies within industries. Researching companies thoroughly will reveal the types of positions that give a person the motivation to get up daily and look forward to doing great things.