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Locating and securing a job is a job in itself. In fact, many people dread the employment search process because it is often very tedious, grueling, time-consuming and unrewarding. We are frequently mistreated, misunderstood and misrepresented. The up side to this dilemma is we can eliminate most of the confusion and despair that accompanies beating the streets for that ideal career position by implementing a simple, yet very successful, plan of action. Which starts with a good resume.
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Risky, Time-table. This goal setting program can be applied to your resume creation and self-marketing campaign. Therefore, it helps tremendously to ensure your overall success.
SPECIFIC: Set specific goals. This means select a definite career niche, industry or position. For instance. You may want to be Vice President - in Operations - in the auto industry. Therefore, your resume should indicate what position you are striving for not only in the objective statement but throughout the body of the document as well. Although, most of us have a little bit more leeway or versatility than this example. For instance, my wife is determined to be CFO - she's Controller now. However, she's not limited to construction or horse racing or any other industry she is currently familiar with because that is secondary to her. Her primary and specific goal is be CFO and I guarantee you she will be one some day because that is what she has in her objective statement. Therefore, as long as you are specific in how you design your resume you stand a pretty good chance of achieving your desired goal.
MEASURABLE: Set measurable goals. If what we want is not quantified we can't define it or even know if we have achieve it. One of the best examples of this quandary is salary. If we state that we will accept whatever salary is offered than you can bet the company will offer a salary as low as they possibly can. Therefore, preparing a Salary History as a separate document will let the future employer know valuable information as well as set the stage for the natural progression of income. That is an earnings increase at the new job over your previous one. It is also in your best interest to have an appropriate salary range in mind for the given position before you meet with anyone.
ATTAINABLE: Set attainable goals. You may want to be a lawyer; but, if you don't complete law school it isn't gonna happen. However, if you study and complete a massage therapy program, even though you have never worked in that field, you are now primed for this new career opportunity. Therefore, I recommend placing your new certification or degree before your work experience to highlight your latest accomplishment. And with a good resume, like yours truly prepares, you can get your foot in that door.
RISKY: Set risky goals. This is the flip side of attainable. Take a chance. Stretch yourself. One of the most exciting aspects of my resume writing and executive search business is seeing candidates reach for a loftier position than they have ever had before. Let's say you've been a retail store manager for XYZ Corporation for over 10 years. During this time you not only increased revenue 37%, cut costs 18% and reduced turnover 22% but you successfully opened 3 new stores throughout the state. Isn't it time you became District Manager - and get a raise! Therefore, I would emphasis your accomplishments over the years in several powerful bullets throughout the resume. However, to achieve this goal may require taking a risk and exploring a new company, or even industry, and leaving the cushy familiarity you have with the company that is more than happy to milk you for another 10 years behind. Nothing I love better than having a client read their new resume, look up at me, smile and say: "Wow, I'd hire me!"
TIME-TABLE: Set goals with a definite time-line. If you make up your mind that you will have a job within 30 days - you most likely will. Too many people let the long recession we just experienced keep them down. Many had gone 6, 8 even 12 months without work because they didn't set a definite goal of when they had to have a resume in order to get a job. That's scary. But most of us do answer the call under pressure. Therefore, get your resume prepared or updated as soon as possible. So bottom line; if you commit to success by setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Risky, Time-table resume goals then you will be well on your way to landing your dream job today!
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