3 Resume Fails That Dump You Into The Black Hole

3 Resume Fails That Dump You Into The Black Hole 3 Resume Fails That Dump You Into The Black Hole INBOX: “I have literally applied for 650 jobs by this point, and I’m just not clear on what I’m missing, but I know that it’s not leading me to getting very many calls back.” That 650 number doesn’t make anybody happy. When you’re seeing jobs, reading the descriptions, and knowing full well you can do the jobs with your eyes closed, then what’s the problem? Let’s go over 3 key points that can cause you to get sucked into the ATS machine and spit out into the black hole of the Internet, never to be seen again. Resume Fail #1: You’re Not A Match In your mind when you read the job, you think to yourself of course you can do it. You dust off a resume and hit send. But wait. There’s a difference between what you know you can do and what the piece of paper actually says you have done successfully. For example, an ad for a Sales Representative may require the applicant to present the following points: ? An in-depth technical knowledge of contact center functionality including ACD/CTI/IVR/Omnichannel/Reporting. ? Selling the value of moving from a Capex to an Opex model. This includes a general understanding of ROI’s as it relates to Opex consumption. ? An ability to present to both technical and business audiences, including executives up to the C-Suite level ? A professional demeanor and experience talking to Fortune 1000-type customers ? Collaboration and team-oriented skills are a must, including cross-organization. What’s important here is to not only match the language of the ad, but to match the right language. If your background is in technology sales, but not necessarily contact center solutions, you could tell yourself, “Well, I could easily do that.” However, the employer is looking for some indication that you’ve actually done that â€" we know this is supremely important to the employer because it’s the very first qualification on the list. Too often candidates fail to make sure they match by reflecting less-important language from the ad on the resume. It’s easy enough to say you have, “a professional demeanor and experience talking to Fortune 1000-type customers.” However, dropping in those keyword phrases can have you come up short. Resume Fail #2: You Have No Brand Your resume needs to be more than the sum of your different professional experiences. If all you do is list one job after the next from 10, 20, or 30 years, that amounts to a {boring} history lesson. Instead of stringing all that together, think about your brand. A good question to ask yourself is, “What can I come into the organization and do that will make a difference for them?” Derive the answer from your professional history, and dovetail that with the primary functions the employer is outlining in the ad. Using our same example, your resume could begin with the following brand: “Top-ranked sales specialist who drives multi-millions annually in new revenue for contact center, ACD, CTI, and IVR solutions.” A powerful opening statement like that sets the scene for the full story you have coming up throughout the resume. Resume Fail #3: Your Story Is Twisted Twists and turns are the enemies on your resume. The goal is to craft a marketing piece. What marketing does is showcase something in the best light, highlighting all the advantages, so the intended audience will buy in. Your resume as marketing piece needs to present a smooth, straight story, not one marred by twists, turns, gaps, and unnecessary explanations. Dispense with the reasons why you left every employer. “Company closed, “laid off,” “sought better opportunity,” are speed bumps written into a failing resume that slow down, distract, and annoy. Make no apologies for why each job came to an end â€" everyone has had several jobs that have come to an end for one reason or another; that’s simply a function of advancing through your career. Check these points on your resume and make the necessary upgrades. Then, by all means, do not blast things out to the next 650 opportunities. Test the market. But strike a balance between making improvements and getting stymied in analysis paralysis. Submit the new version of the resume for the next 20 opportunities. At that point, re-evaluate your results. If you need further recalibration, do so. Discard what doesn’t seem to be working, and build on top of the solid blocks. You can get multiple offers in a reasonable amount of time, without applying for hundreds of roles all over the Internet. Once the resume is where it needs to be, they make sure to connect with a relevant human being every time. I walk you through exactly how to do that in our free job search training, “How to Land Your Ideal Job in 8 Weeks or Less!” You’ll find out precisely what to say, what not to say, and how to psychologically trigger a response from the recruiter or decision maker. Join us for the free presentation today.