Jobseeker Tip #1 - The resume
2023 is off to an interesting start! There’s been so much recent unfortunate news about layoffs, and I’m saddened to learn of the staggering amount of incredible talent who have been impacted by this unrest.?
Understandably, executive recruiters receive significant daily outreach from friends, connections, and former placements to find new opportunities.?If we’re not getting back to you quickly (or at all), please don’t mistake our silence for apathy.?While it’s difficult, if not impossible, to respond to everyone directly, please know that below the surface, at?True Search?and across the industry, there’s a powerful undercurrent of activity. We’re all putting our heads together, reaching out to former clients, making strategic introductions when appropriate, sharing profiles with our team via our Slack channels, and trying to do our part to help as many people as possible during this unfortunate time.??We care!
That said, I would like to assist by providing general information to increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.?Instead of having one-off conversations, I'm hoping to help as many people as possible by sharing with a broader audience.?So, here goes . . .
Jobseeker tip #1 - Your Resume
Take the time to update your resume.?Hiring a professional resume writer is nice, but not a requirement to get started. Don’t let that be a stumbling block. You are the best architect of your own story.
The dirty little secret is that, due to the volume of candidates that we consider, recruiters rarely READ resumes. We SCAN resumes, and if there's something interesting that catches our attention, we take a deeper look.
Remember, your resume isn’t a regurgitation of your job description. It is your opportunity to highlight your impact and accomplishments across your career, which will set you apart from other candidates. Numbers and reporting relationships are useful for us. Quantify whenever possible, e.g. “Reported to the CRO, and led a team of five, consistently meeting and exceeding my $3M quota by 45%. During my tenure, revenues increased from $XX to $XXX in ARR” rather than “Passionate sales leader with a consistent track record in generating new business opportunities.”
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Include a Summary or Objectives section that accurately encapsulates your accomplishments and career goals. It’s where you teach people how to think of you.
And PLEASE, for the love of whatever deity you worship, avoid referring to yourself as “dynamic.” (It’s one of the most over-used filler words in resumes, and virtually meaningless)??
Once you get your resume in a good place, it should be replicated on your LinkedIn profile. I'll share more about the importance of LinkedIn profiles in the next installment. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please include them in the comments section.