A Great Background Does Not Equal A Great Resume
As I do on a regular basis, I am compelled to write candidates when I feel that their resume is doing them an injustice. 99.9% of the candidates respond by saying thank you and they look to revise their resumes to improve their chances of securing an interview. Then there are those who think differently.
About a year ago, a candidate from Ethicon sent me his resume for an opening I had posted. His background was very strong, but his resume was horrible. Wordy, poor grammar, punctuation mistakes, little or no accomplishments, etc. I pointed out that my client wants to see a good clean resume, and that he should spruce it up a bit. Here was his response:
“So you are telling me that my four years at Ethicon, and three years at ADP is not a good background? Are you blind? You are a first class jerk. Get a life!”
Now, did I say that he had a lousy background? No, I said he had a lousy RESUME!
(Of course he didn’t realize that I, retained by the company, was one of the five decision makers, but that is another issue for another day – he was immediately bounced out of the process).
The point I am trying to make is this; Some of the best candidates out there have the absolute worst resumes. And you know why? Because they are giving 110% to their current jobs and don’t have time to write a resume. And many of them are thrust into the unfamiliar role of having to seek a new position and do not know how to express themselves on a resume.
And I’m talking about people at the Executive level as well.
You could be the greatest sales talent of all time and yet if you do not have a well written resume, you can seriously damage your chances of landing the great position you seek. There is no shame in admitting that you need help in marketing yourself properly. And it starts with a good resume, a good Power Point presentation on your skills, a good business plan, a good profile, and a good attitude. We are never too successful to learn new things and to seek help. If you need our help to get you up and running, please let us know.
Your responses and comments are welcome. Don’t forget to leave a comment below.
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