Why First Impressions Are So Important

I've been helping my aunt get her house ready for sale, and it's given me some insight into the resume writing process, believe it or not. Like their homes, people have an emotional attachment to their work history. That's usually the case with a PITA (Pain-in-the-you-know-what) clients. They could be insecure about some aspect of their work history, defensive about their age, reluctant to speak too highly about their former contributions so their next employer won't "expect too much." Or, they might just be nervous about the job search process, and any excuse to postpone finalizing their resume (even if they initiated contact in the first place) means they actually have to confronth fs and start looking.

I was originally going to write in this blog post about why first impressions on the resume are so important -- but I almost think it's more important for you to pay attention to first impressions with your clients.

Is it a wife calling for a husband? Does the person mention feeling unsure about their prospects for work after being employed with the same company for a number of years? Do they seem unfocused, or unsure of their job target? All of these are first impressions -- and how you handle them will be critical to your success with the client.

Identifying Client Skills

I've always struggled with this a bit. What is a skill, exactly? I found some clarity in The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book.

Author J. Michael Farr identifies several types of skills, including job-related skills, basic skills, and "key transferable skills." For both types of skills, it's important to list them, but then provide justification to "back up" your assertion that your client has these skills.

Job-related skills are the ones the client needs to perform his/her job effectively.
For example--
Auto mechanic: tune engines, repair brakes
Accountant: create a general ledger

Basic skills include:

• Basic academic qualifications
• Accepting supervision
• Following instructions
• Getting along well with coworkers
• Meeting deadlines
• Punctuality
• Good work ethic
• Productivity
• Honesty

Key transferable skills include:

• Instructing others
• Public speaking
• Managing people
• Managing money/budgets
• Meeting the public
• Working effectively as part of a team
• Negotiating
• Organizing/managing projects
• Communicating orally and in writing
• Organizational effectiveness and leadership
• Self-motivation and goal setting
• Creative thinking and problem solving
  

You can also find relevant skills from job postings for the types of position the client is seeking. For example:

"Business management position requiring skills in problem solving, planning, organizing, and cost management."

Spot Runner: A New Tool for Getting Business?

I first heard about Spot Runner a few years back, when I read an article about them in a business magazine. The premise was simple: They created television spots for multiple industries that could be "tagged" -- that is, you could customize them to easily fit your company.

They're an Internet-based advertising agency that makes it easy for local businesses to advertise on television.

They were designed for smaller businesses, like dentists, Realtors®, or boutique travel agencies ... and now they've even got two ads available for resume writers specifically. (I'd embed the videos directly in here, but I can't figure out how!)

Running a television campaign isn't cheap -- Spot Runner recommends running them for a minimum of four weeks to achieve your result of either brand awareness or direct response. You could run a pretty comprehensive campaign for as little as $500 a week (plus the one-time cost of customizing the ad). But you'll pay as little as $4 per ad, and get on high-profile channels in *your* area.

I ran a sample campaign in Omaha and $4,000 could get me 854 spots over a four week period on cable channels like E!, HGTV, and more. It averaged out to less than $5.00 per commercial, and that included the ad production AND airtime to run the ads.

I can see this being a great lead generator for local or regional resume writing groups, like the Arizona Resume Writer's Council. It might be too much exposure for a small, single writer (imagine if you ran 200 spots per week, and you got 40-50 calls per week! Better have your subcontractors lined up ahead of time!) But if you converted even 10% of the callers, that would be 4-5 new projects per week.

Click the ad below and search the TV ad inventory for "resume writing" to find the two spots -- "Get The Edge" and "Steve's World." Then imagine *your* resume writing business is the one being promoted. It could just revolutionize your business. (Especially if you target a local clientele and charge at least $250 per resume package on average.)

Is The Current Style of Qualifications Profile Dead?

I've been thinking about this for a week now, because a couple of resume writers talked to me about it in Savannah. And with yesterday's post, about the recruiter not seeing the value in the profile, I got to wondering, "Are profiles going out of style?"

I think the answer is yes -- and no.

The flowery, puffy, superlative-filled qualifications profile is dead. Or should be. I've written them myself:
"Seasoned sales professional with demonstrated organizational, planning, interpersonal, and team building capabilities. Skilled in identifying, prioritizing, and capturing new business opportunities. Proven ability to deliver bottom-line results under pressure. Excellent relationship-building skills with the capacity to work effectively with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds."

Blah, blah, Blah, BLAH, BLAH!

Sharon Williams, of JobRockit, was the one who first clued me into the demise of the traditional qualifications profile, telling me that resume critiquers at a recent session were simply crossing off the profiles. And the repeated use of "personal brand" when discussing the resume development process only drove a few more nails into the traditional qualifications profile's coffin.

The "so what" factor comes into play here, as does this question: "Does the qualifications profile you just wrote truly reflect this client, or could it be written of a dozen other candidates with his same job objective?"

I'll have more on this topic, including how to write new-style qualifications profiles -- and a future interview with the queen of personal branding, Kirsten Dixson, co-author (with William Arruda) of "Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand."