Author: Roxanne Ravenel

Imagine that you are an employer that has recently run a print or online job ad. You are short-handed, behind schedule, and now find yourself inundated with hundreds of resumes in response to a single job opening. Your first priority is to begin eliminating applicants. But, there is no way you can manage to read every single resume. So, what will you do? Like most employers or recruiters in this trying situation, you will probably hastily scan each resume to see if it merits further consideration. The majority of applicants will quickly be rejected.

However, not every candidate whose resume ends up on the reject pile is a poor fit. Perhaps it is the candidate’s resume that simply doesn’t make the cut. A resume is not just an inventory of past jobs or education. It is an essential marketing document. A poorly written resume is lifeless and uninteresting. It will not move the employer to action.

Think about the compelling brochure or clever television ad that motivated you to make your last purchase. Your resume must have much the same effect on potential employers to be effective. Its sole purpose is to get you to the next step in the hiring process - being invited for an interview. Start by objectively assessing your resume. How does it rate? If you were a busy employer with hundreds of resumes to review, would it catch your attention? If not, it is time to administer CPR:

• Connection

• Perspective

• Resonance

To get noticed by potential employers, start by creating a clear connection.

Create a Clear Connection

Employers and recruiters are faced with a daunting task. They must assess whether a candidate would be a good fit for the job based on a 30-second or less review of the candidate’s resume. In that initial glance the employer or recruiter is likely looking for the hard (or technical) skills and experience that were outlined in the ad or job description.

A cover letter is essential to making a clear connection between the skills, experience, abilities, and training that the employer has requested and what you have to offer. Use your cover letter to create a seamless bridge between what the employer needs and your skills and experience.

Some employers skip right to the resume. So, be sure to include a profile or summary of qualifications in the top one-third of your resume. The profile is typically a bulleted list that highlights experience, training, and skills that relate directly to the job applied for. This helps the reader to quickly make the connection between your assets and their needs.

The Proper Perspective

Making a clear connection in your cover letter and resume begins with the proper perspective. You are the subject of the cover letter and resume, but it is all about the employer. Create your cover letter and resume with the employer’s perspective in mind. This means that each cover letter and resume sent should be unique to that employer. Keep your basic cover letter and resume saved on a computer or disk so they can be easily adapted before being sent.

Now that you’ve gotten the employer’s interest by tailoring your resume to their needs, it’s time to keep them reading and motivate them to action.

Create an Emotional Response

Evaluate the impact your resume will have on potential employers. If it is simply a laundry list of past job duties or it is filled with overused resume clichés it will not resonate with the reader. Employers scan dozens of resumes with the same worn-out wordage:

• “Highly professional.”

• “Excellent communications skills.”

• “People person.”

• “Team player.”

It is easy to see how these overused words and phrases quickly become meaningless to employers and recruiters. Instead of resorting to unoriginal phrases, give the employer specifics that will evoke a response, preferably ones that can be quantified. Compare the following phrases:

1. Possess strong customer service skills.

2. Earned company-wide customer service award.

1. Team player.

2. Delegated daily projects for five-person team.

1. Sales oriented.

2. Increased customer accounts by 20% in six months.

Author: Moshin Manji

We all know that dressing professionally for a job interview can leave a good first impression with the employer, but what about the color of your attire? Have you ever wondered why doctors wear white or police officers wear blue? Or why black represents power and red implies passion?

Different colors influence people in different ways, emotions from trust to aloof and everything in between. Color psychologists and scientists have been studying the impact of colors for years and how people respond to different colors listed below. Keep this in mind when choosing what colors to wear to the job interview.

Black: Represents authority, power, and drama. Black can also make you appear unapproachable and overpowering. So avoid it when interviewing, unless in small amounts or as an accent color.

White: Symbolizes of purity, chastity, and cleanliness. White is a neutral color that goes with everything. It’s usually worn in shirts and blouses year round.

Blue: Signifies tranquility, authority, trust, and loyalty. It’s the best-selling color globally, and the one with the biggest success rate in job interviews. Blue is the ultimate “power color”.

Brown: Addresses credibility and stability. It’s the color of the earth and abundant in nature. Brown creates a neutral environment for open discussion.

Beige and tan: Similar to brown, are calming, stress reducing, earthy colors that invite communication. These colors are perceived as nonassertive and passive.

Gray: Denotes neutrality and sophistication. After blue, it’s the second most popular color to wear to a job interview. If you want to look confident without being overpowering in black, go for gray.

Red; Implies heat, danger, power, passion, and strength. The most emotionally intense color, red can stimulate a faster heartbeat and breathing. Use red as an accent color to motivate people to make quick decisions and increase expectations. It can also increase emotions during job interviews, so avoid wearing large amounts of red.

Orange: Like red, can stimulate strong emotions. Related to warmth and autumn, individuals who wear orange are perceived as having a strong personality. Bright orange, like bright red, will attract attention and induce intense emotions, so wear moderately in job interviews.

Yellow: Promotes a wide range of emotions, from cheer and goodwill to caution, and jealousy. However, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms than in rooms of other colors. It is the most difficult color for the eye to absorb, so it can be unbearable if overused. Wear in small doses in job interviews.

Green: Indicates nature, success, wealth, and security. A calming, refreshing color, green is the easiest color on the eye and most relaxing. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. People will feel comfortable with you without standing out in a job interview.

Purple: Symbolizes royalty, richness, power and sensitivity. It’s also the color of passion and love. Purple is often viewed as a “feminine” color, so avoid wearing purple when attending a job interview with a strong gender bias.

Pink: Inspires a variety of emotions, from fun and excitement to calm and low energy. Pink is viewed as a feminine color, and, like purple, should be worn with discretion in job interviews.