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In This Issue...
Sherri Thomas, Publisher
April 17, 2008
Published bi-weekly.
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Personal note from Sherri:
My Wall St Journal interview - Yikers!
Featured article: Resume
Checklist - Get Noticed FAST!
Client
spotlight:
Congratulations John Bord on your new career!
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Sherri's personal note ~
Think BIG and Carry an Updated Resume!
Hello!Opportunity came knocking
on my door (or in my case, my Blackberry!)
on Friday, April 4th. I'd just
received a fourth e-mail encouraging me to
apply for a new marketing position that had
just
opened up in the company where I work.
(Yes, I'm a career coach who's actually out
there in the Corporate world driving my own
career as a global project manager!)
The e-mail was from the hiring manager
saying that since the on-line tool to apply
had been down for the past 24 hours, she was
extending the deadline through the week-end.
I applied on Sunday night. By
Monday afternoon I received a call from the
hiring manager. And after two rounds
of interviews, by the following Monday I
received the job offer! It all
happened lickedy-split just-like-that!!
It reinforced the fact how quickly career
opportunities come up - and how EVEN QUICKER
they can pass you by.
Whether you're satisfied or not in your
current situation, it's critical to always
have a polished, updated, spectacular
looking resume that you can send off in a
moment's notice whenever a great opportunity
presents itself. It allows you to have
choices in your career and create even more
opportunities for yourself.
Throughout my career I've
had many job offers (I ended up not
accepting the new position because it wasn't
a really great fit for me), but it always
feels great knowing that I'm driving my own
career! So, I've written the article
below, "Resume Checklist - Proven Strategies
to Get Noticed FAST!" to share with you some
strategies I use on my resume so that you
can POUNCE on the next opportunity that
comes knocking at your door.
P.S. Let me know what you
think of the article. I'd love to hear
from you!
To your
success!
Sherri Thomas
Resources and Events
Career Change
Seminar
-
a step-by-step program
to help you change careers quickly and
easily!
Three (3) one-hour conference calls
A three-part series of live conference
calls (or teleclasses) that Sherri
personally teaches to professionals who want
to get "un-stuck" and move their career
forward. Each conference call is power
packed with career advancing strategies to
help executives and professionals, just like
you(!) transition into a new role, company,
or industry quickly and easily. (I use
these same strategies to drive my own
career.)
Learn more.
Featured Article
RESUME CHECKLIST -
Proven Guidelines to Get Noticed FAST!
by Sherri Thomas
Your
resume can do a lot more than land you a job
interview. It can also help position
you as the top candidate going into
interviews, and even help you get a higher
starting salary which could add up to
hundreds of thousands of dollars over the
course of your career.
So how
do you know if you've written your resume
correctly so it gives you a leading edge
over other job candidates? Below is a
resume checklist with ten strategies to help
you write your resume and put yourself in
high demand in today's job market.
-
Feature
key words. Key words are those
skills listed as the job requirements in
the job postings. Key words are
different for every job so you need to
look closely at the job description.
Then, showcase all of those requirements
that you meet in a section called Key
Strengths, right underneath the
Objective section.
-
Show results.
This is the single biggest difference in
making your resume stand out from all
the other thousands of resumes. I
do this myself, and I know this is why I
get the interviews. Underneath
your Key Strengths section, I list 4-5
career highlights that are results
focused.
Quantify each of your career highlights
in terms of dollars, percentages, or
numbers. For example, let's say
that you're in sales and you've brought
in an average of 10 new clients per
month. That's 120 clients a year,
and if you've been doing that for the
past 3 years, that's 360 new clients!
So one of your career highlights could
be, Gained approximately 360 new clients
which generated $360,000 in new revenue
in three years.
Also, try to quantify each of your
accomplishments for every job that you
list in the Experience section.
-
Highlight
leadership and teamwork.
Hiring managers look for candidates who
are strong leaders, AND strong team
contributors. Someone who can
lead, as well as be led. So
highlight your leadership skills - and
what the results were with the projects
and teams that you've led. If
you're just started out in your career
and haven't led any projects or teams,
then highlight any leadership experience
you may have had in professional
organizations, a sports league, in
church, or any other extra-curricular
activities. Also, list projects in
which you were a strong team member in
terms of what your role was, and what
the team accomplished.
-
Be specific and
clear. Don't waste your resume
space (or the hiring manager's time) by
using "filler" words or vague
overarching comments like, "received
awards for various contributions", or
"launched several products". List
the specific awards you received, or the
names of the products you've launched.
This gives your resume substance and
credibility.
Don't worry if it's a product nobody's
heard about or is difficult to explain
on your resume. You want the
hiring manager to be curious about you.
That's why they have interviews - so
they can get more information about your
qualifications. Be brief. Be
specific. And give them enough
information that will leave them wanting
more.
-
Showcase yourself
at the right level. I review a
lot of resumes and more times than not,
the resume reflects the job candidate at
a much lower level than what they really
are. Use strong verbs like:
managed, supervised, led, orchestrated,
etc.
Also, sometimes less is more. You
don't need to include every job role
you've ever had on your resume.
When you keep lower level jobs on your
resume, it brings your whole career
level down a notch. And
conversely, when you delete some of
those lower level roles and focus on
those jobs where you had more
responsibilities and more significant
accomplishments - you're perceived at a
level higher.
-
Use the correct
format. There's a
chronological format, and there's a
skills-based format. Be sure to
use the format that showcases you in the
best way possible. Also, if you're
applying for a position posted on an
on-line job board, like
Monster.com or
CareerBuilder.com, then make sure
you use the text only format.
-
Always be
truthful. The last thing
you want to do is to overstate what
you've accomplished and get into a job
that you're unqualified and
inexperienced. Also, don't be
embarrassed if you have any gaps in
employment. It is completely
normal to have gaps. Life happens.
Hiring managers understand this.
If you took a break for more than a
year, then just list the years and write
next it, Career Break.
-
Relevant,
targeted and customized.
Employers don't have time to read about
every single skill and job that you've
ever had. They just want to know,
are you qualified to do their job?
So spotlight only those skills and
responsibilities that directly relate to
that position.
Customize your resume to go for the job
and company you want. A hiring
manager will notice you so much more if
your resume is specifically targeted to
that position for which you are
applying.
-
Write a
personalized cover letter.
Hiring managers form their first
impression of you based on your resume
and cover letter. So the last
thing you want to do is send out a
generic, mass mailing cover letter. It
should be short, direct, state your key
accomplishments, and be enthusiastic.
Make it personal and be specific why you
are passionate about going to work for
that particular company.
-
Invest
in
a professional resume critique.
Studies show that your resume has about
20-seconds in the hands of a hiring
manager before it gets tossed into the
maybe pile, or into the trash. So
it needs to make a great first
impression! Think of it this
way - when you walk into an interview
you want to make a great first
impression so you're going to dress
well, wear a great pair of shoes, you're
going to smile more, etc. Well
your resume needs to do the same thing.
You may think that your resume is sharp
looking, but are you confident it's
going to help you stand out from your
competition? Invest in having your
resume professionally critiqued.
Getting some personalized
recommendations from a resume expert
could not only get you more high quality
job interviews, but it may also help
position you at a higher level which
could mean getting a higher starting
salary!
WANT TO
LEARN ABOUT HAVING A PERSONAL CAREER COACH?
You can learn more about personal career coaching,
personal management coaching or personal leadership
coaching by visiting the web page:
Personal Career Coaching by Career Coaching 360
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A
PROFESSIONAL RESUME CRITIQUE?
Visit the web page:
Professional Resume Critique by Career Coaching 360
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with it: Career success coach Sherri Thomas is
President of Career Coaching 360, an international
speaker, and author of "Career Smart - 5 Steps to a
Powerful Personal Brand." If you're ready to
jump-start your career, transition to a new level,
and move into a more meaningful and enriching
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Client
Spotlight - Congratulations John Bord
on your new career!
"I never had a
problem marketing someone else's product or
service, but when it came to my own skills -
I would draw a blank. Sherri's
expertise clearly positioned my skills,
accomplishments and personal strengths to
engage prospective employers. I now
have my dream job, but wouldn't have reached
the next level without her insight."
~John Bord, Chief Marketing Officer
About Sherri ~
Career success coach Sherri Thomas
is President of Career Coaching 360, an
international speaker, and author of "Career Smart -
5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand."
She has successfully transitioned into
the radio, television, finance, retail, and high
tech industries, and now teaches others how to do
the same.
If you enjoyed this issue, then check out the
products, services, and coaching support available
to help you
get "un-stuck" and move your career forward.
The website is power packed with resources to help
you transition into a new role, company, or industry
quickly and easily. (I use these same
strategies to drive my own career.)
Learn more.
Resources and Events
Resume & Interviewing Toolbox
Sherri's personal "Resume & Interviewing Toolbox"
When you're ready to get "un-stuck" and move your
career forward sign up for the "Resume &
Interviewing Toolbox." You'll get instant
access to easy-to-use, proven resume templates,
samples, and guides to help you create a
professional resume QUICKLY and EASILY. Also
includes the "Interview Smart" guide, the "Know What
You're Worth Compensation Report", and personal
coaching support.
Learn more.
CD Audio Program: "Career Change Boot Camp!"
A step-by-step action plan to help you change
careers quickly and easily.
AVAILABLE NOW! This boot camp
program includes two (2) audio CD's, e-Workbook, and
transcripts
I designed this
program
as a
step-by-step action plan with proven, easy-to-use
tools, insider secrets and strategies to help you
transition into a new industry, company, or job role
quickly and easily. This is the exact same
formula that I've used to successfully transition
into the radio, television, finance, retail, and
high tech industries.
Learn more.
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Copyright 2008 Career Coaching 360, LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
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