Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 - Jay Conrad Levinson [61]
2. Symbols: One million dollars is less likely to be noticed than $1,000,000. Numbers and symbols jump off the page so use $, %, not dollars or percent.
3. Charts: A graph adds visual appeal and is ideal for demonstrating any type of quantitative improvement.
GUERRILLA TIP
• The purpose of graphics is to draw the reader’s attention and lend credibility.
• They need to be in line with your accomplishments.
• Use logos and product pictures sparingly.
■ GUERRILLA PROOFREADING CHECKLIST
Print this page for easy reference. Then, proofread your resume for each section below. Check the box after completing each task, just like a pilot does before takeoff:
• Contact information: Verify that your name, address, ZIP code, and phone are correct.
• E-mail address: Use a personal e-mail on your resume, not one from work. Besides looking unprofessional (readers will assume you’ll use company time to look for a job again after they hire you), it’s dangerous to get e-mail at work about career opportunities. Employers often have the right to read any e-mail that comes to your work address. Furthermore, make sure your personal e-mail address is not something like hot-stuff@aol.com or gameboy111@msn. If you need to get a new e-mail that looks professional, do so. And put some thought into it. Best yet, put in your LinkedIn personalized URL so they will check out your online portfolio.
• Facts and figures: Check all years and numbers in the resume and cover letter. Do they add up? Are they consistent?
• Clarity and content: Read the resume aloud for awkward, missing, or extra words.
• Spacing: Make sure the space between each sentence and section is the same.
• Spelling: Use your word processor’s spell checker and then read it yourself. Most misspelled words occur in the headings and in the names of software and companies.
• Punctuation: Read the resume backward, looking for missing or incorrect punctuation, such as commas, dashes between dates, apostrophes, and so on.
• Layout: Are the upper and lower margins even and pleasing to the eye? Is there white space throughout the document, or is the text too dense? Print the resume and show it to friends for their comments.
■ SELLING YOUR VALUE-ADDED ADVANTAGES
What’s your personal 2-for-1 strategy? Why should an employer hire you over the next equally qualified person? You can bet that in the United States today there are thousands of people who have skills similar to yours.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure you’re well qualified, and I really am on your side, but you have to know that you’ll have competition for every job you go after. Your competition will come in 3 forms: internal candidates, external candidates, and the status quo. You will need to convince interviewers that hiring you will get them to their desired future result better than any other option. Doing nothing is a very viable option, especially for people in middle management who are risk averse.
So, back to my question—why you?
As a job hunter, if you understand that you are likely to have competition for a coveted position, you can leverage other skills to appear more qualified. You do this by selling your personal value-added qualities, and everybody has one or more.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines value-added as: adjective—“Of or relating to the estimated value that is added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution.” In short, it is something added to a product to increase its value. In this case, the product is you.
Your value-added is a skill, life experience, or attitude that when added to your basic qualifications gives you an advantage over the next candidate because you exceed the employer’s expectations for the position. For example:
• Nurses who have had active combat training could have an edge on other candidates applying for an emergency room job at a hospital because they’re already acclimatized