Friday, June 15, 2007

3 Ways To Tell If Your Resume Sucks - page 3


#2 Reason Your Resume Sucks -
Your Resume Is WIFM, Not WIFT


WIFM = "What's In it For Me", or what's important to the job seeker
WIFT = "What's In it For Them", what's important to the hiring company

Which one do you think appears most often in resumes? Since most candidates write their resume as an autobiography, they naturally include WIFM - it's human nature. That's why the vast majority of candidates write their resumes describing WIFT. The most obvious example is an objective statement - it's very function is to describe what the candidate is looking for, rather than convey what the candidate can do to solve an employer's specific problems.

This presents a big challenge for the job seeker - the hiring manager isn't searching for what's important to you. The hiring manager has problems and is looking for an employee to solve those problems. The hiring manager is looking for WIFT.

Hiring managers care about what's in it for you as an afterthought - Only if they are interested in having you work there, to gain some comfort that you'll stay for a while. To most managers, hiring staff is just as painful as the candidacy process, and a hiring manager doesn't want to go through this process again for the same position in six months.

Most candidates send virtually the same resume for all positions, or one resume template for each "type" of job. Using this strategy, it's impossible to present WIFT, since each employer has different problems and needs. WIFT only works with highly customized resumes ... but it can be extremely effective when utilized well.

Another often used example of WIFM is describing yourself as a generalist. In today's do less with more environment, you'll likely be hired primarily to solve specific problems rather than be a jack of all trades. This applies to executives as well as entry level staff. Even though your day-to-day responsibilities may be generalist in nature, that's not the reason you'll be the selected candidate, because generalist skills are WIFM. Your future employer will be more interested in choosing a top candidate who demonstrates subject matter expertise in a few areas (WIFT), with the assumption that general skills come with experience.

For more information to help you make your resume WIFT, see (http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/job-seekers-tell-your-readers-wift.html.

( Continued ... #3 - Your Resume Describes Your Experience & Responsibilities ... )

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3 Things Your Next Employer Will Search For On Your Resume
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