Most of us experience some struggle when trying to figure out how to market ourselves during the job-hunting process — even if we find it natural to sell. An outstanding resume presentation is the best tool you have to overcome that difficulty and successfully sell yourself when job hunting.
Immediately displaying the value you bring to your employer in your resume presentation and backing it up by showcasing your accomplishments and skill set allows a prospective employer to see a cultural fit immediately. You gain maximum leverage in obtaining the job and the benefits package you want.
Why a Value-Based Professional Brand Helps the Employer See a Cultural Fit
Recruiters and employers may view hundreds of resumes while seeking to fill just one position. You might be the best candidate, but if your resume does not immediately display the value you bring to the organization, your application may get lost in the paper stack. Your resume presentation won’t attract the attention you deserve — and therefore you’ll miss out on the job opportunity.
Research The Position & Company
Before you begin resume writing, discover the accomplishments and skillsets the prospective employer is looking for. Read the job description carefully. You can also read similar job descriptions posted on job boards and the LinkedIn profiles of people the organization has already hired.
When you know precisely what the organization you’re targeting wants, you can write your value-based brand statement using the keywords — not the buzzwords — that will enable your resume presentation to stand out.
Highlighting Your Accomplishments
Employers quickly get a good idea of what they can expect you to do for them when you showcase your job accomplishments after your value-based brand statement. Hiring managers can see how you have handled your responsibilities. Demonstrating that your accomplishment continues generating value until today is essential.
Two different questions you can ask yourself to find strengths to showcase on your resume are:
- Which accomplishments were your idea to launch or create?
- What direction did you take the role from your first day on the job to where it is currently?
Here are a few examples of specific achievements that showcase growth and accomplishments on a resume:
- Founded an aquaculture club that grew 2 million hatchlings, generating enough income to send 12 members to the state aquaculture convention on the Queen Mary which provided an inspiring path for future students.
- Improved data processing time by 67% through building a new cloud data infrastructure, creating a benchmark that still stands.
- Increased B2B sales by 83%, resulting in an additional $355 million in revenue through implementing SalesForce.
Your accomplishments create a more significant impact when they have produced measurable results.
Why Displaying a Diverse Skill Set in Your Resume Presentation is Crucial
Exhibiting a diverse skill set, including hard and soft skills, helps potential employers understand how you will drive your role to facilitate growth for the organization. Your goal in displaying your expertise is to show that you have the necessary skillset to produce the results the organization needs.
Hard skills demonstrate that you have the ability to do the job. Soft skills show how you perform while doing the job. Finding the right combination of both is magical for hiring managers. You can discover that right combination by thoroughly researching job descriptions and Linkedin profiles.
Hard Skills are Expertise and Knowledge
The tools you’ll need to use to get the job done are hard skills. They include your:
- Academic degree
- Certifications
- Foreign languages
- Ability to use computer programs
- Design, marketing, and management skills
Soft Skills are Problem Solving and People Skills
The Yale Job Outlook 2021 Spring Update rated these soft skills as the most sought-after by employers in 2021. Here are the five most important soft skills and how much importance employers placed on them:
- The ability to work in a team: 81%
- Problem-solving skills: 79%
- Communication skills: 73%
- Initiative: 68%
- Leadership: 68%
Employers regard the ability to work with others, solve problems, and communicate above all other skills. Displaying how you have used your soft skills to produce quantifiable results impresses hiring managers.
Showing Your Value and Skills Gives You Leverage
When writing your resume, placing your personal brand value proposition first enables resume presentation readers to identify candidates that match their needs quickly. Displaying your accomplishments demonstrates that you can do your job. Presenting your hard and soft skills tells employers that you have the qualifications needed to bring them success.
Showcasing these in the proper order will grab attention, hold interest, and help build leverage with a potential employer during the job interview process. You gain an advantage that enables you successfully negotiate the finer points of an offer — including your salary, time off, and other benefits.
If you are in need of assistance with resume writing and marketing yourself, Capstone Resume Services can help. Capstone has highly experienced professionals who can answer your questions, rewrite your resume or create an entirely new resume presentation for you. Schedule your consultation or contact us for more information.
