It`s no secret that a resume is your ticket to landing a
job, getting recruited by head hunters, or initiating the first steps for
locking an interview at ESSEC Business School .
Resumes are the face of what you have got to offer, a big
sign stating your added value and ‘game’ for companies, schools and recruiters.
It is your marketing plan of your unique self, a showcase of all of the
admirable and unique values that your profile consists of. It is like your very
own Mona Lisa, and yup, you got it, you are DaVinci.
"Resumes are the face of what you have got to offer, a big sign stating your added value and ‘game’ for companies, schools and recruiters"
In order to fabricate this masterpiece, here are some simple
guidelines that we can suggest to you in order to make your resume clear,
precise, clean and aesthetically pleasing, just like a noteable piece of art
from the Renaissance era. We are going to give you an art lesson in structuring
your very own personal marketing plan.
Lesson N°1 –
Resume Writing = Marketing
ADVERTISE
It is no secret that your resume is your sales pitch, your
marketing strategy, your direct reflection and differentiation of yourself as
opposed to other candidates. Your resume is designed to scream « I am an
awesome candidate, hire me ! », and « I am so much cooler than
the rest of these candidates, pffffff please ».
"...you are advertising yourself."
So, know in advance before sitting down and writing your resume that you are advertising yourself. You need to communicate to the recruiter that once you are hired, all of the benefits that are presented on your CV will come pouring down on the company and people will shout hallelujha. Show that you will and can be successful for the potential job or school that you are applying to.
DO THE RESEARCH
Any good marketing plan is research based, as you will
thoroughly learn here at ESSEC.
Look up and hit the books about the company you are applying
to or the school you wish to attend, and formulate your CV according to their interests – this will boost your
visibility, as entities always are eager to interview candidates who have some
kind of connection to the establishment.
Your resume must demonstrate that you
have at least 70% of the entity’s requirements to have a legitimate hope of
landing an interview, with a 30% shot at a silver lining. Stalk the company or
school to know as much as you can about them and what activity they are involved
in currently – the web, social media tracking and networking with people you
know are always great ideas in order for your resume to shine.
Better yet, if you have the luck of
knowing anyone in the place where you want to slam an interview, take them out
for coffee or lunch and ask what they are looking for in a resume. Everyone
likes food and company.
"You need to be unique – it’s boring to have identical resumes. Tailor in your creativity and pizzaz"
CUSTOMIZE
You need to be unique – it’s boring to
have identical resumes. Tailor in your creativity and pizzaz when formulating
your CV, but also make sure to adhere to the company’s or school’s needs – the
extra effort will land you an interview.
Thus, your marketing is unique, but informed and precise, with a specific targeted audience. This ensures that your resume is definitely an attention grabber, just like Leonardo’s masterpiece.
Thus, your marketing is unique, but informed and precise, with a specific targeted audience. This ensures that your resume is definitely an attention grabber, just like Leonardo’s masterpiece.
Lesson
N°2 – Your Resume’s Job is to land an
Interview
IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU
Sad, but true. It’s totally about the
recruiter and how they view your profile. Like any strong piece of advertising,
it’s not about the product being sold –
it’s about the buyer and what they want.
Let’s take a look at Coke
advertisements: They say very little about the soda pop bubbles, but they
communicate the fact that people who drink it are happy and have a lot of
bright and shiny people around them. The focus is on the benefits of drinking Coke. So, be Coke - your resume is about the
benefits of hiring you.
"...your resume is about the benefits of hiring you."
Lesson
N° 3 – An aesthetic resume is an Attention Grabber
Beauty is pain. To make your CV look
fantastic and fabulous, many revisions need to be done to make sure that your
work of art is aesthetically pleasing, clear, and logical to the recruiter’s
eye.
If this is your first time writing one, take a gander in the library and
find a book about resume writing – inside, you will be sure to find many
examples of what a good resume is supposed to look like.
After using these rough guidelines,
think out of the box and make your CV unique. You want to make sure to
differentiate yourself from all of the other candidates applying for the job. Being
fresh is never a bad idea.
"You want to make sure to differentiate yourself from all of the other candidates applying for the job. Being fresh is never a bad idea."
Lesson
N° 4 – Never Lie
Though you might be tempted, make sure
to not create a white lie on your resume to strengthen your chances of landing
a job. Chances are, in an interview the recruited will automatically see right
through your past experiences and your competencies.
If you put that you speak six languages
for instance and in reality only speak two, you will be busted when a native
speaker happens to drop by during your interview to chat in Mandarin with you.
Lying never benefited anybody, especially when applying for jobs and schools.
Lesson
N°5 – Give a Fresh Perspective
Even though resumes are personal
marketing, you still gotta keep it original. Make sure to show the entity that you are applying
to that you are a diamond in the ruff. It is always refreshing to see character in a CV.
"Make sure to show the entity that you are applying to that you are a diamond in the ruff."
With that being said, it’s time to go
to work. Go to town on your masterpiece – who knows, maybe your CV will get
auctioned to a special exhibition in the Louvre.
Go get ‘em tiger.