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My experience counseling the self-employed
and business owners includes Management Consultants, Educators,
Retail Business Owners, Day Care Owners, Independent Manufacturers
Representatives, Human Resource Specialists, Landscape Design
Firms, Residential and Commercial Builders - to name a few.
Self-employed consultants and business owners
often discount the full range of skills they've gained while
running a business. Yet, these skills can propel them into higher
paying positions with key employers. Ralph had opened what he
had considered a small convenience store which he built up and
then sold at a profit after 2 years. He wrote me asking me to
critique his resume. He said he hoped to land a Human Resource
Trainee position starting at a minimum of $23,000. Here's what
his before resume looked like:
1996 - 1998 Owner/Operator, Back Street Deli
1985 - 1995 Sales,
Delivery, Counter Person - wholesale, retail oil and auto parts
accounts, Acme Rubber
1983 - 1985 Promoted
from front desk to night audit, then to night audit supervisor, San Francisco Hotel |
Critiquing his resume and asking him many
questions we developed the following summary at the top of his
resume. I've also included the headings we used to describe each
of his jobs. Review this information and see if it presents Ralph
at a much higher level.
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Seek a position
in Human Resources utilizing the following experience:
• Recruiting and training
over 40 personnel including assistant managers, customer service,
•
administrative and production staff
working both full-time and part-time positions.
• Hiring and supervising a staff of up to 12 with responsibility
for performance
• evaluations,benefits
and payroll administration including state and federal taxes.
• Overseeing operations including customer service,
accounting, auditing, inventory control
• and
order fulfillment for departments with sales of up to $2 million
annually.
Personnel & Business
Management Experience 1983
- 1998
Personnel / Operations Management
Sales and Customer Service - Wholesale and Retail Accounts
Audit and Accounting Management |
After working with Ralph, it was obvious that
he had many skills that his before resume didn't begin to portray.
Ralph's new resume highlights the best of his skills for a human
resources position. With slight tweaking he can also broaden
his ability to apply for a diverse range of supervisory, accounting
or sales positions in the $30,000 to $40,000 range.
$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after
resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000
Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created
an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level --
that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.
What Level Does Your Resume Market
You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing
you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques
in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's
resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once
you understand this … you will understand why the majority
of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job
titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing
them with skill headings that market you more effectively.
Most People Have Job Titles that
Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles
unrelated to their current career goals … and that they
are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles
to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview
rates.
For example, Fran had been
a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't
sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative
making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory
operators as providing true customer service. Most people say
that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000.
However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series,
Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator
that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators
to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office
and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol …
now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't
it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to
command $33,000.
Which sounds like a better
match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative
goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or
a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State
of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading
of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can
play with skill headings to control and elevate your image …
this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout
my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries,
and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer
… just in case you don't have the time or patience to write
your own.
Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from
a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none
of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume
landed an interview for each position she applied for.
Click here to learn other
ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000
more click here
to read
my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure
to go to my main website's home page for an overview of more
than 60
Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields,
Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking
and Confidence Building strategies.
The testimonials throughout
my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000
and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:
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Regina, the resume you wrote
caught the attention of the world's leading software manufacturer.
Thanks for helping inspire me through your thoughtful questions
and objective interpretation of my work history.
I'm sure it made a big difference
in my ability to be recognized in a competitive environment and
cross the $100,000 threshold. By the way, the offer I accepted
was an increase of $25K annually (21% increase).
Rachel Pizarro, Senior Sales
Account Executive / Operations Manager |
In Summary
If you have extensive experience
as a consultant or being self-employed,
I recommend that you consider purchasing my booklet series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Increase
Salaries. It is targeted for job seekers with a salary
range of up to $100,000+ and provides over 2,000 skills, skill
headings and sample sentences including a list for the self-employed,
consultant, accounting, business management, general management
and HR management positions and skills. It provides extensive
resume examples and worksheets to help you identify your skills
and market them to match the jobs you want. For a complete description
click on the link below. |
Website Contents, Regina Pontow,
1997-2005 