There are two things you should immediately remove from your resume, an objective statement and your street address. Save your street address for the application, not online for the world to see. However, leave your city and zip code since hiring managers search by both of those criteria.
The objective statement is outdated so don’t get caught with it. Instead, learn to write a branding statement. Here are some tips to get you started in the right direction.
To help you create your positioning, I recommend a brainstorming exercise. Make a list of possible attributes, values, and differentiators. Brainstorm first — don’t judge or evaluate.
Then, you get to decide what your personal positioning is. Look through the words and phrases you’ve identified, and see what stands out. You may be many things, but pick one to emphasize. It may help you to ask yourself: If I were creating my ideal career, I would ____________.
If you are still having trouble identifying your positioning, use this idea from Brian Kurth, author of “Test Drive Your Dream Job.” Create a collage of your interests — quotes, photos, words, and inspiration from magazines, newspapers, and materials you find online. You can even create a Pinterest board for this. Then, mine that information to find the “theme” to your personal positioning.
When developing your positioning statement, consider these five areas:
- Who is your target employer? (industry, size of company, public/private/non-profit)
- What problem or issue are they hiring to solve?
- What results can the employer expect by hiring you? In other words, what solution do you provide?
- What proof do you have that you can deliver results?
- What sets you apart from other candidates? What makes you different or memorable?
Be sure to include:
- A target audience — who are the clients or customers you work with?
- Your employer/industry — where do you want to work? Who do you want to work for? You can even include your desired employer’s name.
- A point of difference — what sets you apart? What is the most compelling reason to choose you as a candidate? (This can be included in the “Achievements/Results” section of the personal positioning statement.)
But don’t try to stuff too much information into the statement. The positioning statement is “overstuffed” if you have more than one conjunction per sentence, or more than two punctuation marks (commas or semicolons).
Also, don’t confuse big words with effective positioning. Choose your words carefully. When possible, incorporate in keywords — nouns or phrases that can be picked up through online searches and are prominently used in applicant tracking systems.
If you’re ready to move forward and make changes in your life contact me today for your free strategy session. Click here to schedule your free strategy session today if you’re located in the U.S. or Canada. If you enjoyed the post, please click the thumbs up icon above and let me know!
Click here to download my free EBook concerning salary negotiation today!
Jennifer Owenby offers her combined expertise as a recruiter along with training as a professional resume writer. Please visit ONB Professional Resumes and LinkedIn Services for additional information and scheduling an appointment.