Tailoring Your Resume To Push Yourself Strongly For Non-Legal Jobs

The vast majority of resumes look the same. Why? They look the same because the vast majority of job seekers do not put enough of their own thought or effort into writing them. They use a form resume out of a book as a template. Then, all that is left to do is slap together one page of seemingly unrelated data that ends up reading like an obituary notice, make a lot of copies of it, and mail it out to as many places as they have postage. Of course, they whine because no one calls them for an interview! Approach this differently.

You already have, or are about to, write a dynamic, guided introduction letter. It is pointless to draft a winning introduction letter if you are going to attach a mass-produced obit notice to it. Decide now to put in the work required. Before you get underway writing a better resume suited to your particular qualifications and the job you are after, look at the following.


What Not To Do:

I may surprise you because many of these what-not-to-do's appear on most of the mass-produced resumes. So, how can they be wrong if so many people do them? I compiled the following list from input from people who read lots of resumes. These things annoy them. Remember, in order to favorably impress someone, you want to put yourself in their shoes and see yourself as they see you. It is hard to impress someone whom you have just annoyed.

• So, please don’t label parts such as Work Experience, Education, and Career Objective. The readers are smart enough to know what these entries are without you telling them.
• Avoid mentioning your undergraduate GPA. That is past history and no longer relevant
• There is no point mentioning your marital status, kids' names, height, weight, and condition of your health. Again, all that is irrelevant. Or, at least it should be.
• Don’t mention your hobbies; unless they directly relate to the job you are after. Although it may be fascinating to you, not many people will care about your stamp collection. You will see how to handle this area later on.
• One thing that really bugs the reader is when they pick up a resume is to see RESUME written on the top. Like the applicant thinks they’ve never seen one of these before! It gets them off on the wrong foot with the writer.
• And then, there is RECOMMENDATIONS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. We all know that. It's almost as if they think you will not believe what they are saying, so you can ask someone else. -Human relations manager for a Fortune 500 company.

Hopefully, you will avoid these long-standing irritants. We are still not through with looking at the form. As with any advertisement, format sells. Let us look at resume format.

Selecting A Format:

In the world of resumes, there are two basic types of formats. There is the topical format resume and the chronological format resume. A topical format resume highlights skills that you believe you have and the job you are after requires. This resume format stresses skills and infers experience. A chronological format resume focuses on jobs you have had, when you had them, and what you did at them. This resume format stresses work experience and infers skills. So that you can see the difference, the following set of resumes show how the same applicant's qualifications, education, and work experience might appear in the two types of resumes. Do not study the resumes for the purpose of learning how to write your own. Just notice how each one presents the information.

First, we examine the topical format resume.

Date:
Janet Smith
Address:
Phone Nos:

I want to utilize my communications and marketing skills, in combination with my knowledge of computer systems and software, as a Marketing Director for a business computer systems company.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING:

As Marketing Manager for Small Business Enterprise Magazine, a national publication devoted to operating and enhancing the small business, I oversaw all aspects of marketing. Over a three year period, I increased circulation by over 25% through an aggressive direct mail campaign and trade show advertising throughout the United States. I worked with small business owners, including computer systems companies, and venture capitalists to determine what issues they wanted addressed in a publication such as ours. I also showed them how they could benefit from our magazine, both as a subscriber and as an advertiser.

I conducted seminars for small business owners on various aspects of their business operations. These seminars benefited the small business owners and effectively marketed my employer to target customers. Several new clients were added as a result of these seminars.

COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE:

I sold personal computers to individuals and small business owners. I recommended hardware systems and software that met the needs and budgets of the customer. In order to do this, I developed an extensive knowledge of personal computer models and kept myself current with the new developments in them by attending trade show seminars and reading literature provided by the various computer manufacturers.

I also have firsthand knowledge of how computers operate through repairing and servicing central processing units and associated peripherals as a member of the service department.

Still Yet Another One to Overcome:

Let us examine another resume writing truism. That is, that job seekers with limited work experience, such as recent graduates, should use a topical format resume because it showcases their skills and hides their limited experience. Does it really? Look at Janet's topical format resume. Are you sure when she acquired these skills? In what context did she acquire them? The problem with the topical resume is that it hides the applicant’s experience a little too much. The applicant cannot figure out where the applicant learned these skills. This is not good. Because when the reader cannot figure something out about you, he or she will just move on to the next applicant. Why should an employer waste time figuring out your situation? There are dozens of applicants waiting in the wings.

Why not try to get the best of both worlds? Merge the two resume format styles and create a merged resume. The merged format informs the reader when, where and how the skills were acquired. Raise the issues and deal with them on your terms. Dealing with problems on your terms gives you the best chance to put an employer at ease. Observe how Janet looks with a merged format resume.

Date:
Janet Smith
Address:
Phone Nos:

I want to utilize my communications and marketing skills, in combination with my knowledge of computer systems and software, as a Marketing Director for a business computer systems company

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

As marketing manager for a magazine devoted to small business, I designed and implemented a marketing program that resulted in a 25% increase in circulation over a three year period. I developed a rapport with reader/customer base of small business owners, business suppliers, including computer suppliers, and venture capitalists. Through these discussions, I determined the topics and issues they wanted to read and be informed about. By tailoring the magazine to their needs, they saw value for themselves as subscribers and advertisers.

As an account representative for a business consultant, I implemented strategies for small business clients to enhance their profitability. I conducted seminars on various aspects of their business and as a way of name recognition for the firm. By targeting our marketing effort in this manner, the firm was able to add several new clients for very few advertising dollars.

COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

As a computer sales associate for a computer store, I sold personal computers to the general public and small business owners after helping them evaluate their needs. I handled all major suppliers of personal computers.

As a technician trained through the formal in-house program, I repaired personal computers and peripherals in the service department.

January 2005 to Present

Marketing Manager, Small Business Enterprise Magazine Philadelphia, PA

January 2000 to January 2005

Account Representative, Forbes & Forbes Business Consultants Philadelphia, PA

December 1995 to January 2000 Sales Associate, Computer World Philadelphia, PA

January 1992 to December 1995 Service Technician, Computer World Philadelphia, PA

1991 BA English Midway University

Member, Midway Computer Club; Member, American Marketing Association

Notice how Janet sets out the skills she believes are important for the job and that she feels she has. In addition, you can see her work experience from where she acquired these skills.

Job seekers should look upon their cover letter and resume as their portfolio. Kind of like a model or an artist. It is what they've actually done. Models do not just tell you in a resume that they look good; they show you some photos. Artists do not apply for jobs just by telling you they can draw or paint; they have a portfolio of their work. Same thing should be for anyone looking for a job. Show me what you've done somewhere, whether it's in school or in your previous job, even if that job was waiting tables.
 

• See 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms for more information.