Resume Advice for Nonprofit Professionals
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by Laura Edwards, ExecSearches Resume Reviewer,
La...@ExecSearches.com
The average headhunter will spend about eight seconds looking at your resume
before moving on to the other hundreds of pieces of paper on his or her desk.
Pretty scary statistic, huh? If you cannot capture that headhunter's interest
in those eight seconds, you can kiss your chances to interview for that
fairytale job goodbye forever.
So, how do you create a resume that tells your story accurately and
effectively, and grabs that headhunter's attention? Neon green paper isn't the
answer, tempting as it may sound.
Size Matters
One of the biggest questions I hear is, "How can I present a fifteen, twenty,
or thirty year career in just one page of text?" The answer: you cannot.
Feel free to elaborate to the length of two or three pages.
I once got a resume from a college student who was applying for an internship;
it was four pages. At the age of 19, that was obnoxious.
If you at a level where you are comfortable applying for senior level executive
positions, then a one page resume is doing you a disservice. While a recruiter
will only spend few brief moments looking at your resume, you should provide
enough material so that he or she can understand the full scope of what you've
accomplished.
Numbers Add Up
So, now that your resume is longer, how do you capture a headhunter's brief
attention? It's not the cover letter, it the numbers on your resume!
Including specific numbers on your resume allows a headhunter to scan through
and quickly discern whether you have had the correct level of depth, breadth
and scope of experience for the position for which he or she is recruiting.
The headhunter will only go back and read your cover letter if there is enough
meat in your resume to prove it worthy.
List numbers of dollars raised, staff managed, grants written, board members
trained, speeches written, press mentions secured. But don't get too carried
away; listing salaries, number and ages of children, or your own age is crass,
and in some cases illegal for the recruiter to even take into consideration.
But What Did You Actually Do?
When was the last time your day to day job reflected what was in that position
description you agreed to years ago? If you are like most of us, it's not
likely lately.
Most of us fall into the habit of reflecting our job descriptions in our
resumes because it is the easiest starting point to help us explain what we do.
But, your job description lists tasks, i.e., what you are supposed to do, but
not your accomplishments, i.e., what you actually did. Why say, "secured
donations from private corporations," when you can say "raised $5 million in
corporate donations through three $1 million major gifts, four community
events, and the recruitment of two new board members"?
Are you a Resume Do or a Resume Don't?
1. Do you find yourself telling interviewers, "Well, it's not on my resume, but
..."?
2. Does your resume accurately portray your level of responsibility and
accountability on projects?
3. Is your resume opening enough interview doors?
4. Has it been more than five years since you last actively interviewed or
reviewed the efficacy of your resume?
5. Do you have a clear understanding of how to phrase your accomplishments in
terms that recruiters will understand and appreciate?
If you answered yes to more than three of these questions, it's about time you
had a professional recruiter take a look at your resume and cover letter.
aparn...@gmail.com
> Finding the Fairytale Job: How to Tell Your Story
>
> by Laura Edwards, ExecSearches Resume Reviewer,
>
resumepassion.com, They drafted my resume, and I got number of calls.
They have team of certified professional resume writer. They draft resume, cover letter that are best in business.