HOW TO SPIN THE RESUME WHEEL-OF-FORTUNATE

An brief tutorial on how to spin the same content in your resume to create multiple versions to target multiple job openings

There is certainly a lot of conflicting advice on resume preparation on the market. This ranges from creating a branded resume in order to effectively package industry experience, expert knowledge, and both hard and soft skill sets pertaining to the requirements of a job that are nearly identical to a job seeker’s background — to creating a flexible resume that will showcase a wide range of experience in a way that would appeal to many employers.

The approach to developing a flexible resume is certainly timesaving because it will result in a one-size-fits-all type of resume that will later allow for easier modifications to avoid creating drastically different versions. If you are not sure how to do this after going through this tutorial, this approach might be better left to a professional resume writer who is skilled in designing a powerful master resume that will serve as the foundation for spin-off versions using carefully planned strategies and design elements.

In the end, there will be several resumes to use for several job targets. But, the overall resume will still have the same information. It simply needs to be tweaked to create a new focus. This can be as simple as changing the headliner, revising the profile, and moving sections around, such as certain functions and achievements to place key information closer to the top to help the reader find what they are looking for.

With the economy and job market in dire straits, the need to have multiple resumes has spiked in recent years. It is imperative that a job seeker understands what to leverage to ensure their experience is appealing to a hiring manager. Minor changes to a resume can have a powerful impact if done right, while also creating a new focus.

A new focus means a new brand, which is simply a presentation of who you are as a candidate that is unique over other candidates, what you know about the employer’s industry, and what you have done to make a difference in that function. Other areas of importance include qualifications such as academic credentials, technical acumen, languages, publications, and community leadership.
If a candidate is targeting a position that they are highly specialized in, then they only need one resume. If that same candidate is in an industry that has downturned and is having hiring freezes, then they need to reinvent themselves so they can target other types of positions outside of their industry while they continue shopping their master resume.

So what strategies should be used to achieve this resume design goal? The following is a breakdown of things to consider:

1. Look at a resume as components rather than a chronological, functional, hybrid or combination resume.

2. Know that there are still many ways to achieve variations of these strategies with the creative use of interesting layouts and design elements using text only.

3. Picture your resume in a pile with 60 other resumes, or that it is sitting in a recipient’s email box. To ensure that they see you immediately, you need to indicated the type of candidate you are. Remember, many leave off an objective or their objective is so general it wasn’t even worth the effort, and is a complete turn off to an employer that wants to know what the job seeker’s goals are — and what they are going to do for them.

4. To stand out in the pile, make sure that both your email subject line and the top of your resume indicates what you are about and your industry. For example, Senior Sales & Marketing Strategist — Enterprise Solutions; or Product Development / Project Management (PMP); or Law Enforcement / Corporate Security Management Consultant.

5. Optional: add a descriptive statement under the headliner to elaborate on your brand. This could read something like: “Bringing 18 years of globally reaching experience managing critical technology projects, from development to market entry for XYZ industries with an emphasis in technology engineering”

7. You can then create a tailored profile paragraph that includes specifics about your background, not just skill sets. The reader will not be able to find what they are looking for in order to quality you because that information will be missing.
Now for the fun part — modifying the resume “above the fold,” meaning above “Professional Experience” to create a new presentation.

If you are transitioning your career, you need to brand yourself immediately. In your resume, the headliner is the place to start. If your headliner reads, “Senior Sales & Marketing Strategist — Enterprise Solutions” but you want to manage the sales and marketing function for a medical device company, you should remove “Enterprise Solutions.”

If you are targeting a completely different type of position or a higher ranking role, then you need to indicate that in your headliner as, “Target: Global Sales – Enterprise Solutions.”

The headliner, as you can see, is your branding statement and objective all rolled into one. Visually, it is clear and powerful.

The profile is the “skinny” on who you are. It is almost like a mini cover letter at the top of the resume. It should be a mix of experience covering your career progression, areas of expertise and specialization (not just skills), and anything critical to the requirements such as credentials.

In short, it a summary of qualifications without bullets. It is a narrative that allows the reader to get to know you. So what do you want them to know about you that speaks to the requirements of the position? Whatever that is should be covered. Even if it is as simple as being a “road warrior” or having an earlier background in the military if you feel it will solidify your brand as a technically specialized candidate with experience managing large teams.

Depending on the job target, the profile should be tailored to place an emphasis on what you have done that qualifies you for the position. This is not limited to your team leadership skills. It should mention things such as having experience managing multi-site locations or championing the successful creation of a major organization’s Center of Excellence, if you feel those are important points to make.

Another way to do a keyword-rich profile that can be easily modified is to use a two-column chart.

Going down the line (not across), column A should have several long-tail keyword phrases, such as Multi billion-dollar Sales Management * National, Multi-site Management * Program Development * Center of Excellence Initiatives.

Going across, column B should have a sentence or two supporting what your areas of expertise are specific to those keyword phrases. To make it visually interesting, you can lightly shade column A.

For spin-off versions, you can change the keywords in column A and add fresh information to support those job-required functions. This is an effective way to create an entirely new focus while keeping in tact your information under Professional Experience.

Under each job, you can move sentences around to put the most relevant information first for greater impact.

If you want to really have flexibility, you can create functional sections that you can move around to achieve the same goal.

Whatever you do, make sure you include achievements, real experience vs. just tasks, and keep the reader in mind. Use the job postings to build your resume and to create a new focus. Be careful not to give into the temptation to copy and paste the job requirements into your resume and leave them as-is. You must customize the information if you want to compete with your stiff competition.

About The Author:
Ann Baehr a CPRW and President of Best Resumes of New York. Notable credentials include her former role as Second Vice President of NRWA and contribution to 25+ resume and cover letter sample books. To learn more visit http://www.e-bestresumes.com