Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from a recent session with Cindy Kraft, The CFO Coach.
During this week’s Ask the Coach call, Cindy reminded us of a common misconception that all job-seekers seem to fall into – ask not what the company can do for you, but rather what you can do for the company. It’s not about what you need or want, but rather why an employer can’t do without you.
That’s why your resume needs to be value-driven. You need to demonstrate how you drove ROI, increased sales, cut costs, and basically proved yourself invaluable. Your cover letter should focus on what you can do for a company, not what you want. And your executive bio is extremely important. Look for samples on LinkedIn or try searching for keywords related to your target position. Look at corporate web sites of companies that interest you and determine how to articulate your value in terms of their needs. Then use your network to identify the right hiring manager.
If you can work with recruiters you will stand a better chance of success than with HR managers. The HR department works from a list of job attributes and use them as a checklist to weed out resumes, including yours. If you can reach the hiring manager directly, you will have a better opportunity to present your credentials and show your stuff. That’s where your network connections come in – talk to your network. If you can’t find the hiring manager, then work to find the recruiter who will know how to identify and sell your unique value.
Of course, getting the attention of recruiters and corporate hiring managers can be very frustrating. Cindy offered a football analogy to explain: if you have a whole field to play in, but both teams are in the same end zone, you can’t differentiate the players. The ones you can identify are on the perimeter. Your objective, then, is to become one among a handful, not thousands. Rather than getting lost in the crowd, you need to use your marketing documents to let you stand out on the perimeter, where you will be noticed.
