Matchmakers and Resumes – More similar than you think

We have all had it happen to us. Our sister, or brother, or best friend (the “Matchmaker”) wants to match us up with a great guy or gal that would be just perfect for us. 

So, the Matchmaker tells their friend all about us. What we look like, what we do for fun, probably what we do for a living, maybe where we grew up, where we went to school and on and on. In other words, the Matchmaker is “selling” us to their friend and trying to get us a date. 

Well, that is exactly what a well written resume is intended to do. Its purpose is to “sell” the candidate to the hiring manger, and get the “date” – in this case, the interview. 

Given that is the case, why do most of us find it so difficult to create a great resume? Why do we find it so challenging to write about our knowledge, our skills, and our ability? More importantly, why do we find it almost embarrassing to talk about what we have made, saved and achieved during our career?

The reason why is simple – we grow up in a society that does not look favorably on people who promote themselves or their own accomplishments. People who do that are considered arrogant, or smug, or overly proud. So, whether it is in dating or other endeavors, we either rely on other people to do the “selling” for us, we “sell” ourselves at the risk of criticism, or we do not “sell” ourselves at all. 

When it comes to writing a great resume, if you are not “selling”, you are wasting your time. It does not matter if you are writing an entry level resume, a professional resume, or an executive resume - your resume must sell what you have to offer. Do you think a functional resume is most suited for your needs? Fine – write it to sell! Is a chronological resume better for you? Great – write it to sell! Do you like using cover letters? Ok – write them to sell!

But, how do you create a great resume? How do you sell yourself effectively in a 2 page resume? How do you get the date – the interview? The secret to a great resume is to focus on your value proposition. Your value proposition is what you can bring to the new job. And it must be written with such clarity that the person reading your resume can immediately see what you offer and how that meets their needs. Your value proposition is built upon your knowledge, skills and ability (your KSA’s) and can be evaluated by what you have made, saved and achieved (MSA’s) in your career. 

A resume with a clearly written value proposition, supported by relevant KSA’s and valuable MSA’s is an Impact Resume. An Impact Resume will “sell” you in terms that hiring managers understand, will allow hiring managers to immediately recognize your value, will enable hiring managers to quickly determine if you are a match for their need, and will generate more interviews for you. 

Writing an Impact Resume is not easy and may require the help of a professional resume service. But if you want to be your own matchmaker, and if you want the interview, then an Impact Resume is your best option for success.

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