Free Sample Resume

Step 4: Call to Action

Getting the Reader to Act Worked for William

Many job hunters close their cover letters with something along the lines of this:

Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for the Product Engineer position.

Much more effective is the technique that William, a production engineer, used. Here’s the closing paragraph on his cover letter:

Your schedule permitting, I’d like just a few minutes to show you some prototypes. The technology I developed was successful in solving issues similar to what ABC Company faces. I’ll be in the area next week and will call on Monday, the 21st, to see what time might work best with your schedule.

William persuasively, yet politely, wrangled himself an audience with the plant manager who, by the way, cleared a 2 p.m. slot to look at William’s prototypes.

Adding a Pager with an 800 Number

Make it easy for your reader to take action. Make sure your telephone number is easy to see. If you’re relocating for your next job, consider getting a pager or telephone with an 800 number to overcome any employer concern about an area code that seems like it’s from a strange and distant land. Or use a friend’s telephone as a message number to give the impression you’re serious about relocating.

Ross had recently married. His wife, Zena, lived in San Francisco. He lived and worked in Fresno. A seven-hour, round-trip commute is not terribly conducive to a healthy marriage. Ross was looking for a new job in the Bay Area. Simply revising his Before résumé heading helped to generate callbacks on three of the next five résumés he sent:

Before:

After:

The address and telephone were his wife’s apartment in the city, and the pager made it easy for employers to reach him. Your accessibility may mean the difference between getting an interview or not.

The quote that introduces this chapter asserts that advertising is not a science but an art. I believe that the art of persuading can be likened to science. Just as in chemistry, where mixing certain compounds produces specific results, incorporating time-tested advertising formulas into your résumé can get employers’ attention, capture their interest, and create desire in your candidacy. When used thoughtfully and tastefully, advertising formulas can produce the desired outcome-an interview with your boss-to- be.