Writing Your Personal Brand Resumé In The 21st Century

FACT: The ‘typical’ resumé receives about 45 seconds of the screener’s or hiring manager’s attention – if it’s ‘eye-catching’ and ‘inviting’ enough to be red at all! And, over one-half of all resumés have some type of error that will immediately get the candidate excluded. – “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! , by Skip Freeman

‘Headhunter’ Hiring Secrets is the best job search book I’ve read this year. The author makes the case that in the 21st century the rules for a job search and getting hired have changed, and that most people are wholly unprepared for the new realities.

While it is true that much has changed, some things have not. First, the purpose of your resumé is still to land an interview. It is your central marketing piece.

Second, your resumé should be targeted to a specific audience and it must reveal to that audience your key value proposition, what an employer can expect for a return on investment (ROI) should they hire you. In other words, your resumé needs to express your unique personal brand. A personal Brand resumé stands out among the deluge of typical resumés.

It a recent interview with Deb Dibb, CEO Coach, and co-author of the soon to be released personal branding book Ditch. Dare. Do! She described your return on investment this way:

“ROI is value, fit, and chemistry; it is what the company gets when they get you!”

Every word of your resumé should be used to tell the story of your value proposition. My approach is to capture the essence of your value proposition in what is called a brand statement. This is one of the first things your targeted prospect will read. Your brand statement is top and center. It will compel the reader to read on. If it doesn’t, it is in the hands of the wrong prospect. A well prepared brand statement will be able to stand up to scrutiny and it will be unique to you. Everything that follows must support that statement and have it ring true.

Creating your brand statement requires careful introspection and self-searching assessment.

For my clients, I often employ the help of 360Reach Personal Brand Assessment. This tool will reveal your unique brand attributes as seen by the people who know you best, your associates, managers, friends, and family. With 360Reach, we cull powerful adjectives and nouns that together succinctly elucidate your brand taking into account your unique personality, key strengths, skills, and leadership qualities.

A key element of your value proposition is the skill set you would bring to the organization.

Your brand statement may address the top one or two skills, but depending on the level of employment you are seeking and your target audience, it may be desirable to actually list your skills using bullet points just below your brand statement.

Right up above your brand statement, included with your contact information is information about where the reader can find you on the World Wide Web.  A well managed personal brand includes a well crafted online presence. This is especially critical if you write a blog that is relevant to your work. I submit that this is far more important to include on your resumé than your home address in the 21st century.

Take your readers directly to your relevant profile pages.

Using live link graphical buttons will add color, dimension and get noticed. Of course it is paramount that what is found there supports your brand statement.  A resumé to be uploaded to an online data base should simply list your URL addresses and not use graphics.

The body of your resumé contains your accomplishments and experiences that demonstrate the value you bring, your unique skills as applied over the span of your career. The accomplishments and experiences expressed must flush out for the reader how you would either make their company money or save their company money, two of the most important reasons a company would consider hiring you. Here, it is crucial to quantify your past successes wherever possible.

Building intrigue for the reader is the goal.

Exactly which accomplishments and experiences to include depend on your audience and the job you are going for. There is plenty of reason to exclude certain experiences. If they don’t support your brand statement they probably aren’t necessary. It’s OK if your resumé raises some questions.

Ideally, you want to prompt a question from the reader – ‘wow, you did that, how?’

Finally, we will include all details about your education and relevant professional development course work, association memberships, certifications, and publications.

The one or two page axiom applies. This is a marketing piece that must be digested in seconds not minutes and every word and punctuation counts. The 21st century rules for a job search are designed to eliminate you.

Your resumé, your brand, in the hands of your audience cannot be ignored, it is designed to illuminate you!

Publish your personal brand resumé on the web and make it social.

Want to have your resumé become a searchable document on the Internet? Scibd.com is a powerful self-publishing site with excellent SEO, meaning that Google and other search engines give its content high ranking. Recruiters often use search engines looking for specific job titles. Key word tags associated with your resumé allow it to be found, read, shared, linked to, downloaded, and printed.  Now you have a 21st century, personal brand, social resumé!

What are some things your brand statement might say?