Millions of people are looking to land their dream jobs in 2014. The competition to land the perfect and great jobs will get even stiffer in 2014. Your best bet at landing your dream job is a great, well-written resume with all the right information at the right sections.
Some employers now review digital footprints of prospective employees. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are all searchable footprints that speak volumes about who you are, what you do and what you are capable of doing. Resumes are still relevant but update your social profiles with the right information.
These are 6 creative ways you can prepare your resume to land your dream job in 2014.
1. Design your resume to impress in 20 seconds or less
Most managers are looking for all the wrong reasons to throw your resume in the recycle bin like the thousands of other C.V’s they have ignored in the past. If you want to get past the first 20 seconds your resume must stand out from the rest.
The first few seconds are crucial because the moment they don’t see that you are a match, you are history. Your job at crafting the best and winning resume is to highlight your most relevant skills and experience first and then work your way down to other important information.
2. You are not your resume-be human!
Your resume should not just be about your experience and skills-be human. Mangers are looking for team players, creative and solution providers and people they can comfortably work with for potentially a very long time. You should come across as friendly and open, professional but personable.
Your personality should speak volumes on paper before you get the opportunity to meet a recruitment manager in person. Most people have little or no chance of making it to the top list because their resumes just don’t sell.
3. Design to sell!
You are not your resume. What you could and can do far exceeds what is found in a CV. Your resume is the closest you can get to selling yourself, make it count. Choose a format that clearly but simply conveys who you are and what you can do and why you are the right person for the job.
Stick to standard, clean, minimal fonts. Bend the rules if you are applying for a creative position but stay away from advanced typography to sell yourself in the simple but perfect way.
4. Make a job proposal: Go on the offense!
Offer to solve a problem for your dream company where there are no jobs. Instead of sending in a resume in response to a job description, try sending a 1-page proposal to the company you want to work for and clearly state the problem you have identified and why you are the right person to tackle it.
Take action, gain control, and get that interview you so much want. According to Joanna Weidenmiller, cofounder of 1-Page, a job proposal platform, go on the offense. Your goal is to find a market problem and come up with a solution that will give the company a competitive edge. You are pitching yourself and building your personal brand, put together a great proposal that can land you an interview.
5. Side projects matter!
If you are ready to switch career paths and your past experience isn’t relevant to the new gig, you could direct your prospective employer to a personal project you started in the past. Show the creative side of you.
If you have taking initiatives in the past, this is the best time to show that you can take initiatives and solve problems. Most companies want to recognize a candidate’s passion and effort at tackling projects they love and how dedicated they can be.
If you can’t start your own project, find out about initiatives that can benefit from your experience and offer to help. Sometimes you don’t have to have tons of experience to do great things in your career. Drive and true passion can go a long to help you land you dream job in 2014.
5. Stop telling, start showing
If you can do the job, start showing it to your prospective. Think and act differently. Instead of sending a great resume, go ahead and get a task done before you even land the job. Help your prospective employer get a sales meeting, secure a client or get a deal along with your resume. An excellent work done before you even get hired is worth 1000x more than an excellent resume with no proof.
6. Don’t be tempted to list every skill you have acquired.
The biggest mistake people are making is overstuffing their resumes, trying to cram every single activity, skill or job they have ever had onto one page instead of focusing on creating a coherent story for a specific job.
Don’t give your prospective employer the opportunity form a wrong mental image of you as sales person, marketer, customer acquisition specialist etc on a single page. Pick the skill that is most important to you and relevant to the job you are applying for and emphasize it throughout your resume.
What did you do differently to land your current job? Share with us in the comment box below.