Free Sample Resume

Studies show that direct-mail advertising letters have about five seconds to gain your attention. Résumés get about 10 to 20 seconds, at most. Résumés are, of course, a different medium than direct-mail advertising. At the same time, there are a number of similarities. The most obvious—you have precious, fleeting moments to get your reader’s attention and make a great first impression. It’s crucial, as these often-overlooked truths reveal:

• A great impression makes an immediate connection and compels your reader to go on reading…right now.
• An average impression may win a read-through…later…maybe.
• A bad impression will halt the process; your résumé (and your aspirations) could be destined for the same place you toss your junk mail.

Every year, American companies spend in excess of $52 billion (that’s nine zeros!) on direct-mail advertising, $46 billion on newspaper advertising, and $16 billion on ads in consumer magazine and business publications. Another $88 billion is spent on annual television and radio advertising, with Internet advertising at nearly $7 billion, but fast increasing with double-digit annual growth (Source: 2006 Fact Pack: 4th Annual Guide to Advertising Marketing, Crain Communications). Like it or not, the advertising gurus are pretty persuasive at getting us to spend part of our hard-earned paychecks.

Because they are so good at their craft, it makes sense to capitalize on some of their “trade secrets.” In this chapter, we’ll touch on personal branding, as well as explain how adopting and adapting bits and pieces of successful “advertising formulas” to the résumé-writing process has brought great success to people from all walks of life, from entry level to executive.

Personal or career branding is all about image (what you want to be known for) and connection or attraction (what kind of employer you want to connect with or attract). A compelling career brand can

• Make you more attractive to employers, even when there are no formal job openings
• Control what networking contacts and interviewers remember most about you
• Lower the barriers to hiring by creating trust and conveying value
• Elevate you from the status of commonplace commodity to one-of-a-kind service
• Differentiate you from the competition
• Guide you in your decisions about which interviews to pursue
• Create employer desire to buy (hire)

Many of the same dynamics behind why a consumer chooses Crest over Colgate also apply in hiring. That’s why it’s important to have a clear brand and communicate it consistently. Creating your brand is not a five-minute exercise, but there are some key points that will fast-forward the process.