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How your resume can differentiate you in this tough job market - Hot tips from Ken Shimabuku, West Japan Manager, CDS
A successful job search takes preparation, persistence and time. It can be a tiring and frustrating experience, as not only is it difficult to identify attractive opportunities but even more challenging to be recognized as a qualified candidate and selected to interview with the hiring company.
Job seekers need to get out there and market themselves, but often they don’t spend enough time composing their primary marketing tool…the resume. Although getting the job is your final goal, you can’t reach that point without first making it past the ‘gatekeepers’ who screen your resume. Getting your resume right is the first step to finding a new job.
You can find countless tips and examples on “how to write an effective resume” and make it look visually appealing via the internet. The look and feel of the document is important, but even more important is the content.
Too often, I am inundated with resumes that read more like a general job description than a showcase of the candidate’s abilities and accomplishments. It doesn’t hint at the challenges faced, how the candidate addressed them, and what were the end results. Instead there are company names, job titles and dates followed by brief “lists” of duties. The resume basically says nothing about how the candidate can be expected to add value to the hiring company and, as a result, this resume is likely to get passed over.
Your resume should cover the following:
- Know-how to add value to the company.
- Your ability to contribute to the overall growth of the organization.
- Concrete examples of your work, along with qualified and quantified information spoken in plain language that is relevant to the industry and position that you are seeking.
- Be easy enough to be understood by the lowest level screener.
- Show a proven track record of success, by highlighting accomplishments.
- Be tailored for that position and not a generic document.
These key things will draw the interest of the recruiter and the hiring company increasing your chances of being invited for an interview.
The resume is the first documentation required in establishing a candidate's worth to the employer and serves as a focus point at the interview. At the interview itself, with careful planning and listening, you can refer to the information written on your resume to answer tough questions. By providing evidence from start to finish, you are more likely make it past the gate keeper and secure an interview. With a resume that has relevant content you are more likely to pass the interview and receive a good offer as the employer is confident in your ability to do a great job and be a value-add hire.
Ken Shimabuku
West Japan Manager
Ken is the West Japan Manager for the CDS Osaka branch office.
View Ken's CDS Profile
View Ken's CDS Executive Profile
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