With apologies to Sergeant Friday and Dragnet….the thing we hear most frequently is that “professionals” suggest that a candidate have a resume that is functional. They normally go on to suggest a host of fluff works to describe what they have done during their careers. That is one of the main reasons why we rewrite every resume that we refer on to our clients. We have found that most people do not include salient definable bits of information that enable a recruiter or company to evaluate their skill set. While these same “professionals” would tell you that that only makes the recipient pick up a telephone and call to find out more, in fact, the vast majority of recruiters or hiring authorities simply pass on to the next potential candidate where they do not have to guess at their experience. Below are two short descriptions of a position held by the same fictional candidate that is typical of what we see everyday.
Sales Manager. Managed and developed key relationships with client companies. Proven success in new account development and in business retention and have growth strengths in strategic planning of sales and marketing initiatives. Prepared formal presentations and monthly reports using metric parameters. Instrumental in planning, developing and implementing new specialty product for a national untapped market.
Sales Manager- Responsible for sales in the southeastern United States for Great Foods a manufacturer of specialty candies. Responsible for 45 SKUs sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers. Supervise a broker network and have national key account responsibilities for Publix, Winn-Dixie and Food Lion Supermarkets. Sales have risen by 110% over the past five years to a total volume of $37 Million.
One can reasonable assume the first set of skills from the second job definition but not the second set of quantitative and qualitative information from the first. Why miss out on the job that you know best to get an interview with a company that most likely will not hire you anyway?
