If you still think of your resume as simply a historical document of your working life it may be time to revamp your thinking and your resume. Studies show that the average resume gets only about 15 to 30 seconds to drive its point home and to, hopefully, impress your future employer. Today, resumes are leaning toward a hipper, more progressive tone. They play down age, and play up achievements using monetary gains and savings to accentuate the positive.
Value proposition is a catch phrase being tossed around nowadays. Businesses have been using it for years to sell their stuff. Savvy job hunters now know they need to incorporate it into their resumes to help them sell themselves. A value proposition in your resume essentially describes the tangible results a company can expect to receive from you. And, by tangible, companies want to see dollar signs. This may be in the form of decreased operational costs ~ some money-saving ideas you may have implemented, or a step you may have taken to improve customer retention.
The old fashioned standard one-line objective statement has also long gone by the wayside. It has been replaced with a detailed resume summary near the top of the page. This paragraph cuts to the chase and directly expressses your goals and values to the company and how you can achieve their goals.
Yet another trend is downplaying your age, while playing up your experience. It's a well-known fact that in spite of age discrimination laws, sometimes 40-somethings and up aren't given the opportunities they deserve. There's a good chance that your old-fashioned resume may be making you out to be a member of the over-the-hill gang. Potential employers are probably not discriminating on purpose. It's just that if you have a 30-something office manager who's thinking about hiring a supervisor who'll be working for him, he's probably going to shy away from hiring anyone he subconsciously considers to be "old".
So, how do you overcome that? You can begin by omitting the date that you graduated, and by including the jobs that you've held over the past 5 to 10 years ~ rather than the past 30. Use a vibrant, energetic tone, with words like "progressive", "results-oriented", and "savvy". Perhaps, one of the best ways to convey your value is to keep your skills (i.e. computer, and software skills) updated to a current level. Be sure to let your potential employer know that you are willing and capable of learning new technologies and skills quickly. Finally, skip the dreary rundown of your past employment listing your duties and responsibilities. Employers want you to highlight achievements you made while you at past jobs. - 15254
Value proposition is a catch phrase being tossed around nowadays. Businesses have been using it for years to sell their stuff. Savvy job hunters now know they need to incorporate it into their resumes to help them sell themselves. A value proposition in your resume essentially describes the tangible results a company can expect to receive from you. And, by tangible, companies want to see dollar signs. This may be in the form of decreased operational costs ~ some money-saving ideas you may have implemented, or a step you may have taken to improve customer retention.
The old fashioned standard one-line objective statement has also long gone by the wayside. It has been replaced with a detailed resume summary near the top of the page. This paragraph cuts to the chase and directly expressses your goals and values to the company and how you can achieve their goals.
Yet another trend is downplaying your age, while playing up your experience. It's a well-known fact that in spite of age discrimination laws, sometimes 40-somethings and up aren't given the opportunities they deserve. There's a good chance that your old-fashioned resume may be making you out to be a member of the over-the-hill gang. Potential employers are probably not discriminating on purpose. It's just that if you have a 30-something office manager who's thinking about hiring a supervisor who'll be working for him, he's probably going to shy away from hiring anyone he subconsciously considers to be "old".
So, how do you overcome that? You can begin by omitting the date that you graduated, and by including the jobs that you've held over the past 5 to 10 years ~ rather than the past 30. Use a vibrant, energetic tone, with words like "progressive", "results-oriented", and "savvy". Perhaps, one of the best ways to convey your value is to keep your skills (i.e. computer, and software skills) updated to a current level. Be sure to let your potential employer know that you are willing and capable of learning new technologies and skills quickly. Finally, skip the dreary rundown of your past employment listing your duties and responsibilities. Employers want you to highlight achievements you made while you at past jobs. - 15254
About the Author:
Craig Calvin is a noted authority on the value of Six Sigma in the workplace. If you are considering Six Sigma training, be sure to visit www.sixsigmaonline.org to help you navigate through your questions. They're the top rated provider of Six Sigma certification.
