Is your resume targeted to the right goal?

Resume targeted? Professional resume writers talk about targets often but I still find confusion on the job seeker side about what that means. I often find people who panic at the thought of rewriting their resume for every application. Your job search should be targeted and your resume should match the target.

Is your resume targeted to the job description?

Are you trying to land a role outside of what your resume is selling? If your most recent history is in sales but you are trying to demonstrate expertise in the industry you represent but in a non-sales role, how you can sell that expertise?

Product experience is key to successful sales and a great salesperson leverages product knowledge and applications in a solution-selling strategy.

Conversely, if you have the product knowledge to be able to lead other sectors or a high level, operations, finance, overall management, you need to demonstrate the product knowledge over your sales prowess.

Showcase industry knowledge

You need to showcase your industry knowledge for that particular job description. Today’s world requires a broad understanding of multiple facets of business in almost every job.

A successful sales executive must be great at delivering dynamic sales presentations, but they also must be proficient in translating sales data to the reporting formats the company uses to track sales.

• Analytical skills to be able to determine the effectiveness of campaigns.
• Leadership skills to drive their support staff and channel the leads in the right direction.

It can just as easily be the reverse. If you are an expert or deeply knowledgeable in an industry but not in a sales capacity, you need to prove you can transform your product knowledge into useful sales strategies.

Leverage your ability to work with people, influence people, and get the job done from a sales perspective. The key to this kind of transformation is demonstrating the people skills, solution-selling mindset, and the confidence to present the product effectively.

Not just the resume, the job search strategy must hit the target

If your resume is re-positioned or targeted to a sales emphasis, the next step is to write an effective cover letter to get the interview to explain your value.

Paramount to success with this kind of transition is winning the interview. You must view the interview as the hiring team investigating if you have the stuff to sell. If you can’t sell them that you are right for the job, they are not going to be confident that you can sell the product.

Often people see the resume as a one-size-fits-all solution. If you don’t make sure your resume is targeted for the job you want, you will struggle to even get the interview.

Is your resume targeted for the job you want?