With unemployment at a record high and companies receiving more applicants than ever, there has never been a trickier time to land an interview. With so much ‘noise’ in the job market today you need to make sure your resume stands out and gets a quality review. Here are the top 3 things you need to do to make yourself stand out and get the interview!
1. Customize your resume to the position
As tempting as it is to send out the same resume to a number of postings, resist the temptation. Take the extra time required to carefully read the job description and requirements and make sure those are the first skills you highlight in your summary and experience.
Example:
“Sales and marketing professional with 9+ months hands-on media sales and design consulting experience. Skilled in implementing print and web-based advertising. Seeking Junior marketing and advertising positions.”
2. Use Numbers
Numbers are the best way to draw the eye to specific parts of your resume and allows you to quantify your experience. Use metrics to highlight your achievements.
Ask yourself:
- How much?
- How often / for how long?
- How many / how many times?
- How many people did the project impact?
Examples:
- “Prospecting 8 new leads per day, conducting 4 in-person client meetings daily to generate 2 closed deals.”
- “Making 30-60 cold calls daily to book 20+ meetings per week.”
3. Reach out and Follow-up
Even if you have the perfect resume, it is increasingly common that it doesn’t get reviewed. With 500+ people applying for one position it is not uncommon for amazing people go unseen!
After sending an application it is critical that you follow-up. Connect with the potential hiring managers on Linkedin, and check the company website for email addresses or phone numbers.
Send them a note mentioning your application, and if you can, attach your resume again for easy access. You may have to reach out to multiple people in different departments. If they don’t get back to your first message, follow-up and let them know that you’re really excited about the opportunity and ask if they need anything else from you.
Taking initiative to reach out and follow-up will put you ahead of 95% of the other applicants and shows you are interested in the role!
By: Michelle Najduch