If you're applying for jobs either online or by other means available to you and you're getting little or no response (notwithstanding that applying for jobs is the least effective way to get hired), the lack of overall response by Employers is a valid red flag that your resume is not doing its job.
The primary purpose of the resume is to get your foot in the door. Given that you are pursuing positions that align with your knowledge/skills/experience, if doors are consistently not opening it means the message of your resume is flawed.
In my experience scrutinizing hundreds of corporate resumes with an eye towards restructuring them into job magnets, I've identified several recurring blunders made by unwitting job seekers:
Shoddy Page Formatting.
Remember, the resume is a visual presentation as much as a content document. I once had an executive hand me a resume that aesthetically looked like something a teenager might pass off as a school book report. My immediate feedback was that it didn't visually represent who he was as an elite professional. I hadn't yet read a word.
The resume is a Marketing Tool. As such, it needs to draw the reader in much like a brochure or advertising piece. It is, in fact, an extension of your visual brand.
The disorganized header; irregular margins; sloppy line spacing; distracting page borders; multiple font styles (in the name of "standing out") will bring your resume to a visual deadlock. Haphazard formatting of your resume creates an amateurish effect.
The hiring manager isn't looking for an Amateur.
Having an Objective Statement.
Seeking a full-time position using my experience, energy and enthusiasm in an environment that offers greater challenge, increased benefits, and the opportunity to grow the company.
The problem with the Objective statement is that it's all about what you want. Employers have no vested interest in what you want. Their focus is their need as a company. Consequently, the objective statement on the resume has been replaced by the Summary/Profile.
(Exception: An Objective statement may be considered for inclusion within the Summary/Profile of a Functional resume focusing on change of career.)
Lifeless (translation: Average) Summary/Profile.
Financial professional with proven expertise in financial reporting; consolidation of multiple entities; project implementation; mergers and acquisitions; financial analysis and accounting research. Strengths include preparation, consolidation, analysis of financial statements, analyzing and streamlining of processes. Detail-oriented team player.
Is it not reasonable to anticipate that each resume in that screened pile of documents on the hiring manager's desk will contain similar credentials as yours? The Summary above isn't a bad Summary; it's an average Summary. Nothing in it makes the Employer say, "I need to speak with this person!" It lacks features-and-benefits impact, which is the strength of the Summary.
Interchangeably referred to as the Summary or Profile, it is this 3-5 sentence power-house narrative that induces the Employer to read further. What is it that you do especially well? What are you known for? What differentiates you from others in your profession? The Summary/Profile is your Brand Message.
Task-focused vs. Accomplishments-driven Position Information.
- Communicated daily to all key customer personnel via phone, fax, email and webcast technologies.
- Responsible for site RCI's (Root Cause Investigations) in regards to any safety incidents or operational/construction concerns.
- Conducted multiple off site team building events.
- Responsible for providing technical, project and organizational leadership for the Engineering, Service and Sales departments.
When you consider that the hiring manager knows what the job entails, why are you sending him/her a Job Description? The information within each of your positions should convey selected accomplishments demonstrating the impact you've made within each role.
Job seekers tell me they struggle with the idea of "bragging" in the resume. You're not bragging when you define how you've impacted companies throughout your career. That is the overall purpose of the resume! Employers expect you to promote yourself. To not do so diminishes your value in the Employer's eyes.
THE BOTTOM LINE: "SO WHAT?"
Your resume is your sales brochure promoting a product - you! The value of a sales message is measured by the interest generated in the buyer. With the glut of professionals out there with your job title, the message of your resume needs to be above the level of simply average. The Employer doesn't have to settle for average in today's Buyer's Market.
