Where is your headline?
Why is that when so many executives wish to stand out in a crowd, all they do is blend-in for fear of being different? I see this every day when people, most of whom are seasoned executives, search for their next career opportunity.
In our corporate real estate advisory and transaction services firm, we deal with a lot of very senior executives. I receive resumes almost everyday from people I know and from those who know people I know. So, the resumes I see are pretty thorough and contain some really cool experiences and seriously impressive accomplishments.
In one respect, almost all of the resumes I receive look exactly the same. They tell me what the candidate has done. That's history, old news, and not necessarily pertinent to what they might be capable of doing for the next company for which they work. What they accomplished in previous positions only references what they might be able to do, it only infers their capabilities. Moreover, most resumes are written like technical journals for your television....really boring and unimaginative.
Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself: Why leave interpretation of your tue abilities and value, and your career, up to chance? Why risk that the person reading your resume will actually read all of it? Why risk that the reader will understand all you've done? Why risk that the reader make the connection between your past and their company's future? Why permit your resume to blend into the hundreds or thousands of resumes that companies receive daily?
WHY NOT JUST TELL THEM WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE...FOR THEM???!!!
Think of a contractor who is brought to a house where the roof has blown off. Does he spend his time talking about all of his other jobs, his technical expertise, and what he accomplished for his previous customers? Hell, no! If he's good, he is intelligent enough to recognize the problem, assess the damage, and then focus on the solutions he'll provide to achieve the prospective customer's objectives.
Apply this to a doctor: If you were her patient, would you first want to know about all she's done in the past, what she thinks was exciting, or how she'll save your life right now?
How about an attorney? Do you care about how he won his cases, or simply that he won more than he lost, and how he'll win yours?
The same is true about every aspect of the job search. Before your interviewers and those who read your resume pass by your resume, tell them exactly what you can do for their company. Don't make your sign black and white, and don't forget to even use a sign! Don't leave it up to them to figure you out. They may not fail or not even try. And, you simply have too many competitors today to permit yourself to blend into the crowd, when you're trying to stand out. How can you do this? By creating a sign that will entice them to learn more about you.
WRITE A BRIEF HEADLINE!
The answer is simple. Add a headline to the top of your resume in a font that is a bit larger than the rest of the document (not too large) that says what you can do. Put it right at the top, above everything else. Make it a very specific statement. And, when you meet for an interview, write a headline that precisely address the needs of the company or department with which you're meeting! For example, the headline for a candidate seeking a CFO position with XYZ Company might say "I can reduce XYZ Company's operating costs by 20%, reduce its risk by 10%, and increase its profits by 25% in approximately 1 year!" That will get their attention! That's how you will stand out from the crowd that follows the same tired resume and communications styles as everyone else.
Of course, you must be able to back-up your headline. And, that's when you tell your interviewer how you will achieve those objectives. Afterward, back up the "how" with your experiences and accomplishments. This approach requires research, a keen understanding of the target company's objectives and your abilities...and guts! Now, that's the mark of a true executive...a leader! Or, instead of taking control of your career, you can simply send your resume to hundreds of companies, blend into the crowd, miss your chance to stand out and win that coveted career position, and keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that someone will sift through hundreds of other resumes and because of the color of your letterhead, decide to hire you...yeah, right!
But what if you would consider anyone of multiple positions? Simple...write multiple headlines.
But, what if you don't want to be specific and prefer to leave your options open in case a different position comes around. Well, if you've got all the time in the world and aren't concerned that being vague may casue you to miss an real opportunity, then you can certainly take that approach.
Think about it like this: What if a restaurant owner took that approach and was vague about what he offered, so that he could capture every possible customer that drove by his store? Would you go to a restaurant if the sign out front contained nothing more than a white background with large black letters that only said "Food"? Would that sign entice you to enter and learn more? Would you be entrigued by the spices, old working cooking styles, or fresh produce they use? Would you be excited that you will have a great meal, meet interesting people, and be fully satsified after? Of course not! You'd likely pass right by it on your way to a restaurant where you could easily figure out what you'd get, and one that you expect would satisfy the criteria you've determined would be important to you....likely, the kind of place where, from the first second you stood out front, the sign, the building, the entrance, the aromas, the people, the sounds, the atmosphere, and everything else about the place appealed to what you were seeking....and, made you hungry!
Should your resume say "Food" or "I can save your company $10 million"? On your resume, don't try to come up with a catchy slogan, tag line, or phrase. Tell it like it is. Tell the reader or interviewer exactly what they will receive after they hire you.
So, stand out, don't follow the crowd and do what everyone else does. Executives are not supposed to be followers. They are leaders, who are very well aware of what they can achieve for their employers. And, that must come out in everything you do and say, from your resume to your interview, and everything in between.
What? You don't know what the interviewing company needs? Then, you don't belong in the interview. Do your research, make an assessment, make some phone calls, ask some questions, and confirm the company's objectives before you present yourself. Never in the history of the world has so much information been available to so many people about so many companies and industries. With the information that is available to you today, you have no excuse for not being fully prepared and not connecting how your past experiences and your current expertise can all be brought together to accomplish great things for your next employer...and, for you.
Now, go write your headline...and, Good Luck!
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