As a career consultant, I review lots of resumes: project leaders, business development consultants, sales and marketing managers, health care professionals, finance directors, to name a few.  They are intended as the ‘best foot forward’ of eager, bright and experienced business professionals -- yet, all too often they are inconsistent, jargon-y and mediocre at best.  Why?  They recreate work history without the slightest attention to the image they convey in the process.

Why Image Is So Important

A resume is much more than your work history.  It paints a picture, or image, of you for the hiring manager.  Each title, phrase and word you use causes a potential employer to make assumptions about you that either detract from, or add to, your image. 

A strong image not only gets you the interview, it sets the tone for the interview.  When a hiring manager interviews someone with a strong image, they tend to focus on strengths; when they interview an individual with a weaker image, they tend to focus on the gaps.  Finally, and no less important, image has a significant bottom-line impact:  a strong image creates a case for a higher, rather than lower, salary.

How To Build Your Image

In crafting your resume, your first decision is strategic – that is, to select either a chronological or a skill-based resume.  Chronological resumes are traditional “work history” resumes with most recent experience first.  They are excellent for seekers with a stable work history with two to four companies, and top-notch experience that matches the job being sought.

Alternatively, skill-based resumes cluster skills under “umbrella” headings and de-emphasize work history by putting it at the end of the resume.  This approach is best if your job titles are weak, or your work history is erratic, has gaping holes, or is concentrated in a single company; it is also the appropriate choice if you are changing careers.
Once you decide on a chronological or skills-based approach, use these five image-building tips:

1.      Use titles or skill headings that BEST enhance your image.  If your job titles are strong, such as Director or Vice-President, use them; if you’re job titles sound weaker, substitute skill headings instead.  For example, a skill heading of Global Product Development sounds stronger than Product Manager, and similarly, Client Care Specialist sounds stronger than Customer Service Representative.

2.      Always remember you are marketing yourself.  Like any good marketer, ask “Who is my target audience and what do they want to hear?”  A sales manager wants to hear different qualities and accomplishments than an accounting manager; an operations head wants to hear different abilities than a finance manager.  If you are responding to a job ad, take your cue from it and use the same descriptive words that appear in the ad.  Avoid shot-gunning all of your qualifications in hopes of snowing the reader – it can be quite counterproductive.
 
3.      Use and specific details and accomplishments to enhance your image.  For example, the phrase “was responsible for all phases of bookkeeping” is much weaker than “managed all phases of bookkeeping including 1,200 accounts with monthly receivables in excess of $300,000”.  Other examples of specifics include  significant people you’ve interacted with, your scope of responsibility, awards and honors received, budget accountability, or P&L accountability.

4.      Don’t be shy:  If you did something once, you did it.  For example, if you managed even one project overseas, you are a global manager; if you temporarily held an “acting head” role, you have that leadership experience under your belt.  This is not to encourage dishonesty (more and more resumes are being fact-checked all the time) -- this is about owning your accomplishments – even if they are not evident in your job title. 

5.      Always use clear, action-oriented verbs and phrases.  Avoid “ing” words and phrases, such as “responsible for leading” or “responsible for generating”; use just the verb instead, as in “led” or “generated”.   Note how much stronger and more energetic “led Microsoft’s global market positioning effort” sounds than “responsible for developing Microsoft’s market position nationally and internationally”.  Other strong words include achieved, launched, spearheaded, delegated, or collaborated.   

6.      When your resume draft is complete, give it the eye path test.   Where does your eye flow?  What pops out?  On the most important Items?  On the high image items?  If the answer is no, target those items that lower your image and make appropriate changes.  When your answer is yes, have someone – a mentor, or fellow manager, or career professional -- give you image feedback.  In other words, what image impression does your resume leave with another experienced professional?

      Your resume is way too critical to your job search success to take any chances.  If you have not done the appropriate research or are not skilled in this arena, without question pop for the $200 - $300 to have a professionally crafted resume and cover letter.  In the long run, you will save considerable time and money by landing a job with greater income potential -- faster -- than by struggling alone.

©2006 - Patricia Soldati is a former President & COO of a national finance organization who re-invented her working life in 1999.  As a career fulfillment specialist, she helps corporate professionals enhance their working lives.  She is a certified coach (International Association of Coaches), thought leader for a major workplace-related website, and has helped scores of job seekers craft compelling resumes.  For more resources on how to optimize your job search, visit her website at http://www.PurposefulWork.com