RESUME WRITING WORKSHOP BOSTON COLLEGE WORLD-WIDE WEBINARS: Resumes – Top Ten Tips for Creating a...

RESUME WRITING WORKSHOP

BOSTON COLLEGE WORLD-WIDE WEBINARS:Resumes – Top Ten Tips for Creating a Powerful Message

with Donna Sullivan ’85, Vice-President, Transition Solutions

Today’s Agenda

• Understanding the Basics

• Defining the Product– Skills/Strengths/Interests– Accomplishments

• Creating the Strategy– Know Your Market– Understand Your Differentiation

• Selling the Message in our Soundbite World

Foundation for DevelopmentWHAT is a Resume?

• A Historical Document?

• A laundry List of Jobs/Titles and Companies?

• A Paper that you pull out every time you change jobs- so that you can add the latest?

………A SALES document!

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Top Ten TipsResume Development

#10 – Understand the Product First

What is a SKILL?

What is an INTEREST?

The intersection of the two is the KEY to Success

STRENGTHS

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#9 – Define Your Product

Go from Generic to BRANDED

Example

“Strong written and verbal communications skills”

Instead perhaps…..

“Extensive ability to interact at all levels of an organization from non exempt to the executive suite”

Think WHO,WHAT,WHEN,WHERE,HOW…WHAT SYSTEMS,PROCESS, TOOLS?

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#8 – Never leave a Strength Hanging

Support Your Sell with Facts. Be able to support every strength you sell with an ACTION and a RESULT that proves you have it.

Accomplishments are the Proof

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Examples of Accomplishment/Differentiation Drove sales from $4.5 million to $7.2 million while operating with a 38-40 percent gross profit margin by forging

alliances with key accounts and by spearheading highly effective inventory control and productivity enhancement initiatives.

Increased charitable funding by 50% within three years which increased charities funded from 1,000 to 2,000 by building case and gaining buy-in from senior management.

Spearheaded effort to understand and address issues faced by female associates and customers which accounted for 58% of associates and 65% of customer population resulting in increased donations from $3.5 million to $23 million over 5 years, and increased volunteerism from associates and customers

Delivered double-digit growth as a result of an effective campaign of corporate events and in-store samples that elevated brand and product awareness; exceeded annual EBIT targets in 2013 by $3MM.

Negotiated agreement with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) resulting in the recovery of $1.8 million for the Authority for utility and other services provided.

Launched Volunteers of America’s first-ever centralized direct response program by growing the donor base from 0 to 125,000 and expanding participation to include 24 of 38 local offices with 10 on waiting list.

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#7 – Understand Who You are Selling To

A Resume is Designed to Sell TO Someone

When they “Buy” You…..You get what you want.

No I’s, Me’s, My’s….

Direct Sell

Don’t Repeat

Don’t Repeat

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#6 – Don’t Show ’em….Tell ’em

People Read what you write

Quickly and Sensing….Not Intuitively

People do not Look for Messages

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#5 – Have a STRONG Summary that Directs the Reader

Lead with WHAT you are Support it with strengths you possess Experience you have had Proven results you have achieved

The more generic you are at the top of your resume, the less likely you will be noticed

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Writing a Strong Summary

• Avoid clichés, fluff, and overused language– “People Person” - UGH– “Results-oriented professional”– “Excellent communication skills” – “loyal”

• Create a “mini-resume”

• Reference specific accomplishment highlights

• Include keyword competencies if you wish– Look for creative ways to present them

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Summary Example

Retail Professional Corner Store | National Chain | Virtual Marketplace

A highly successful sales, merchandising and management professional with particular expertise in retail healthcare. Breadth of experience includes early career roles as a store manager for both small independent establishments and regional chains; then advancing to category management roles at the first internet pharmacy to do business on the Web; culminating in leading the marketing/ merchandising functions for a multi-million dollar business within a leading national pharmacy and retail healthcare chain. Success has been based on a thorough knowledge of the sales/ merchandising/ marketing process, extensive product knowledge, creatively and effectively working with vendors/ partners, a keen sense of customer expectations and the ability to find/hire/retain superior talent for all aspects of a physical or virtual large retail operation.

Sales Strategies | Brand Positioning | E-Commerce | Retail Operations

New Markets/New Operations | Market/Competitor Analysis | Hire/Retain Top Talent

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Summary Example

Media/Marketing Executive Strategic Planning/Management/Measurement

A Marketing Professional with extensive experience managing creation and execution of marketing programs through multiple media channels. This includes search engine marketing, digital display advertising, direct mail, print, broadcast in the consumer package goods and consumer services industries. Driven leader with continual success in growing revenues, fostering brand awareness and managing multi-channel media campaigns to solve a variety of marketing challenges. Assess business needs and develop tactical plans to leverage media channel power and pinpoint target audience. Talent for cultivating trust and respect with clients, vendor partners and colleagues.

CORE COMPETENCIES

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Media Strategy and Media Planning Campaign Performance Analysis

Paid Search Campaign Management and Optimization Relationship Management

Target Market and Audience Identification Contract Negotiation

Campaign Performance Analysis Team Management


#4 – Direct, Crisp, To the Point Content that Supports Your Summary

• Overt message of valueEverything after your summary should support your summary

• 2 Pages is the Norm• Highly skimmable

– Short paragraphs – no more than 4–5 lines– No “laundry lists” of bullet points – Bold, spacing, lists, charts, boxes… all toward the goal of helping

the reader grab information in a very quick read

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#3 – If YOU can’t Sell YOU, No one Can

• Identify those value adds that NO ONE but YOU can sell– DIFFERENTIATORS

• Avoid dry, detailed lists of job duties; give readers credit for knowing basic job functions

• Include job details in achievement statements rather than job summaries

• Frame each position within the context of challenge and/or opportunity

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#2 – Be Different (Good) Not Different (Weird)

• Graphs / charts• Tables• Color• Visual design

All within the context of the Industry/Function you are pursuing

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Example of Different- Good

Key member of executive team that increased shareholder value 330% in 4 years for the largest hazardous waste/environmental services company in North America ($830M revenue).

• Drove up shareholder value, boosting stock price from $10.50 to $45.22.

• Achieved revenue growth both organically and through acquisition.

• Initiated and led (in collaboration with McKinsey consultants) the company’s

first strategic planning process; resulted in formation of regional

sales and service organization to control costs and streamline market approaches.

• Conceived and implemented a vertical markets organization

to ignite sales in 6 strategic industries; realigned corporate account sales structure.

• Developed and introduced first long-term incentive plan for corporate senior managers to ensure goal alignment,

encourage retention, and increase equity ownership.

• Accelerated growth of professional services organization to 250 outsourced staff at 70+ customer locations. Direct all

facets of the business from strategy through general management.

2009 2010 2011 20120%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Revenue Growth (in millions)

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Example of Different - BAD

Fred Flinstone50 Granite WayBedrock, USA

508 555-1212 508 342 4545 617 234 4343

Objective

To get a challenging job as a Customer Service Manager in the Rock Industry so that I can learn more and excel in my career

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#1 – SELL what you have – Don’t FOCUS on what Doesn’t Sell You

People are forming opinions based on what you write

Dates (months/years –when, where, why?)

Experience (more than 25 years experience…)

Kitchen Sink (I’m a plumber, an accountant, a CEO, a singer)

Education Highest first moving down, leave out the laundry list of training unless it sells you

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Resumes are SALES Documents

• Sell what sells you • Leave off what doesn’t

A Great Resume Gets you in the Door. It is then Up to YOU to Get the Sale.

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Top Ten TipsResume Development1. Understand Your Product First

2. Define Your Product

3. Never Leave a Strength Hanging

4. Understand Who You are Selling to

5. Don’t Show ’em….TELL ’em

6. Have a Strong Summary that Directs the Reader

7. Direct, Crisp, To the Point Content That Supports Your Summary

8. If YOU can’t Sell You, No one Can

9. Be Different ( Good), Not Different (Weird)

10. Sell What You Have, Don’t Focus on what Doesn’t Sell You

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Additional Challenges

Q/A

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Resume Assistance

Alumni Connection for Boston College – Alumni RateTransitionsolutions.com

Seek out Resume Certified Professionals – Google on Internet

• Free and paid• http://www.resume-now.com/• http://www.gotresumebuilder.com/• http://www.sarmsoft.com/ (download)• https://www.resume.com/•

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http://www.resume-now.com/

http://www.gotresumebuilder.com/

http://www.sarmsoft.com/

http://www.sarmsoft.com/

https://www.resume.com/

Contact Information

Donna Sullivan ’85

Vice President

Transition Solutions

[email protected]

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Date post:	30-Dec-2015
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