subject: Turn Yourself Into A Hot Commodity On Your Resume [print this page] In a competitive job market, you can't sit back and expect jobs to land in your lap. A difficult economy that is contracting leads to a dwindling supply of open positions. People who have jobs hang on to them, while people ready to retire will often postpone their retirement plans because of economic uncertainty.
But it's important to remember that people will still retire, move, die and experience other life altering events that force them to give up jobs. Millions of jobs are filled even during a recession, and it's up to you to find the ones that fit your qualifications.
Naturally, you will have to make some changes in how you search for a job and how you prepare your resume. Blowing the dust off a resume from 10 years ago when times were good is not going to work. Your resume must be honed until it meets employer expectations and then refined to meet position requirements.
Jobs, Jobs Everywhere ...
It's amazing how many people find jobs during a recession while others are always moaning there are none. The go-getters are the ones who realize that it is necessary to think more expansively.
- Do you have skills that can be used in jobs from other industries?
- Do you know any employers you can approach who would consider creating a position for you or put you on a priority list?
- Have you looked online for job postings?
- Are there companies that are expanding?
- Have you researched companies that will accept resumes even when there is no opening currently?
Getting your resume in the hands of employers is the only way to land a job. If you just wait for traditional avenues to present opportunities then you might be unemployed for a long time. The resumes you send out must be carefully constructed to make your qualifications and accomplishments relevant to employers.
Hone and Refine Your Resume
You have to show your resume who is boss! In other words, the resume should be your servant. It should bring you employer calls for interviews. It must wait on you as a tool that is ready to meet your needs while making it clear your needs match those of the employer.
People often spend a lot of time creating their resume and then neglecting the content. You do need to make sure you choose the right format and spell every word correctly. But you should spend even more time insuring the content sells. It should sell you as a hot commodity. Hone and refine your resume until every word counts.
Now is not the time to be humble. The resume needs to be customized to reflect your special qualities and abilities. You need to showcase your qualifications by telling the reader what you improved on and which goals you met while performing your job duties in the past. The way you showcase specific accomplishments is by picking and choosing the ones that match the requirements of the job you seek.
So Distinguished ...
It is important to distinguish yourself by creating a resume that targets specific job requirements. You have to include your important and relevant accomplishments while inserting a bit of personality. With so many people looking for jobs, employers are going to be looking for those resumes that reach out and grab their attention.
So turn yourself into a hot commodity with your resume!
