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A newsletter brought to you by Aussie Résumés http://www.aussieresumes.com 

Aussie Résumés offer résumé writing services, a résumé critiquing service, cover letter and selection criteria editing and writing, and software products.

July 2007: Issue 43

Editor:  Tara West

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In This Issue

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> Welcome
> Article: Tooting Your Own Horn: Shameless Self-Promotion to Get Ahead by Joan Schramm
> Positive Quote
> Article: Tailoring Your Application
> Positive Quote
> Subscribe / Unsubscribe Information
> Contact Information

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Welcome

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ARTICLE:

Tooting Your Own Horn: Shameless Self-Promotion to Get Ahead
 by: Joan Schramm

You probably grew up like I did, with your mother trying to instil in you a sense of propriety and humility. As kids, we are fearless about shouting out our accomplishments and trying to out-do one another. As we get older, though, we pick up on clues that other people don't like it when we brag about ourselves and we learn to keep our successes hidden. What we don't learn, though, is the right way to get credit for what we do professionally.

What are some of the things you heard growing up?

"You'll break your arm, patting yourself on the back."

"You have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you talk."

Or, my mother's favorite, "Self-praise stinks."

There's a wide gulf between practicing humility and promoting ourselves at work. What works to our advantage in a social setting (or with our family) doesn't always translate to the workplace. So, how do we make sure our accomplishments get noticed?

1. Own your success. Men learn this early on – watch any pro football player who's just waltzed over the goal line. He celebrates immediately and publicly, making sure that everyone knows that he's the MAN! If men in business could carry footballs, they'd be spiking them in the boardroom. Women are taught to be humble and will frequently attribute their success to "luck" or to the efforts of other people. Sure, your team worked hard to come up with the new marketing strategy, but aren't you the head of that team? By all means, make sure they get credit, but don't short-change YOU – every team needs a leader and, if you're it, stand up and take the leader's share of the applause.

2. Develop a good story. Salespeople all learn something called the "elevator speech" – a 30-second tidbit given in response to the question, "What do you do?" Even though you may not think you're in sales, you need to start seeing your work as a commodity and you as the salesperson who's touting the benefits. Don't just say, "Oh, I'm in marketing"; say, "You know that ad with the elephant playing tag with the rabbit? I'm head of the advertising team that developed it. And let me tell you – elephants are no pleasure to work with!" A good story makes you sound interesting and approachable, and gives the other person a place to take the conversation to.

3. Pass the word. If you get an "attaboy" from a client, send a copy to your boss. (Better yet – ask the client to write a note to your boss). If your boss sends you a "great job" note, send a copy to the district manager. If the district manager thanks you, send a copy to your boss and to the regional manager…and so forth. You get the picture.

4. Network, network, network. Savvy professionals know that no matter where they are or who they're talking with, they're networking. You never know when your airplane seatmate, cab driver or son's soccer coach will be your next big business contact. When you show up fully everywhere and express yourself with authenticity, passion and conviction, it generates attention. When your cab driver's nephew is looking for the perfect widget-maker for a huge order, wouldn't it be great if you just happened to be in his uncle's cab, tooting your own horn?

Remember: good work isn't necessarily its own reward. It doesn't matter how great you are, if no one knows you're alive. So get out there and start choreographing your end-zone celebration!

About The Author

Joan Schramm, the Workplace Solutions Expert, is a career, executive and personal coach with twenty years experience in management, training and coaching. Joan can work with you to figure out exactly what you want from your life and your career, and how to get there without a lot of detours. For more information, or to talk about what’s going on in your life, go to: http://www.achieve-momentum.com

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QUOTE

"There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."

-- Napoleon Hill

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ARTICLE

Tailoring Your Application
by Tara West of Aussie Résumés  

Regardless of whether you have written the résumé yourself or it was written for you, it is extremely important that you review your résumé and cover letter for each application.  

Too often qualified candidates are overlooked for a position simply because they didn't adequately display / demonstrate their qualities in the application itself.  

Never assume that the hiring manager will understand what you do in your current job or what you performed in previous roles - and more importantly, don't expect them to interpret or decipher the information you have in the context of the role being applied for.

A prime example is provided below:

Graduate Accountant:

Let us assume you are applying for graduate accountant roles, in addition to accounts payable / receivable type of positions.  You will need to tailor your application to suit both vacancies. Remember how you need to look at everything from an employer's point of view?  Well if you did this you would understand that if you were applying for an accounts role and your résumé was tailored for a graduate accountant role you would either: a) appear overqualified; or b) be demonstrating a passion for graduate accounting roles - to a hiring manager this means you are not passionate about an accounts role and you will only stick around until you find something better. 

If you take into consideration the correct formatting of a résumé this is what will differ:

• Your profile
• Your tertiary knowledge section (i.e. your projects, finance knowledge, etc) - this section wouldn't be needed at all
• Your employment history section

What you should be looking at for each application, irrespective of your profession:

• Cover Letter: this can be the most vital part of your application as the hiring manager wants to see how you can specifically address their requirements as advertised in the job advert.  If you have inserted some generic information in your letter that briefly touches on your employment history, communication skills and teamwork then this letter won't work for you.  If the job advert has specific attributes and skills that are needed for the position then you need to be addressing it in the cover letter.  Better still, if you have some gutsy achievements as it relates to the skill / attribute in question, then include it!  

• Profile: it should contain a similar title to the vacancy.
• Attributes: these should be framed around the requirements - if you're not addressing something then include it.
• Job titles.
• Key accountabilities (current role): if, for instance, you're applying for a marketing role and your current role incorporates both sales and marketing and you have a list that encompasses this, then review it and move the relevant tasks to the top of the list. You may also want to consider removing some altogether which are not relevant, thus putting a focus on what really matters.
• Key achievements: if, for instance, you are applying for a chief financial officer role and your current role incorporates both finance and operations management, review your achievements and insert the finance-related achievements at the top of the list.  Never remove achievements which may not relate to the role; but you may wish to consider condensing them somewhat.  Achievements are always great to have as they demonstrate a proactive attitude and the ability to obtain outcomes for your employer.
• Prior employment history: you may have to expand on a previous position which relates really well to the one you are applying for.
• Voluntary involvement.
• Personal achievements.
• Referees.

If you're not gaining enough interviews objectively look at your approach and start tailoring each and every application - it WILL result in more interviews!  Job hunting shouldn't be rushed - there isn't a quick method and time and effort on your behalf will pay off in the end! :-)

Employer Comments from the Aussie Résumés Employer Survey:

• “Most applicants do not seem to read the advertisement. When requesting specific skills and / or qualifications I would expect applicants to address these requirements specifically in their résumé. It is not always possible to read a cover letter so all important information should be listed in the résumé itself.”

• "I look for key points in the candidate's history that match job criteria – this could be a competitor's company name or job title match." 

• “This is a selling document. It must give me enough knowledge to make an interview seem worthwhile.” 

• “I hate to see people with qualifications but poorly written résumés - i.e. They have not taken the time to get advice on how the résumé should be structured.” 

• “The more professional the résumé the greater appeal to me as the Job provider. I generally give each résumé 2 minutes of my time. It's a very short window of opportunity.” 

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QUOTE

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake..."

-- Marie Beyon Ray

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