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12.11

Is Your Resume Marketing You as an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet or Gourmet Dining?

By Debra Feldman, JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent

Job seekers use resumes to market themselves. In today’s environment, employers are calling the shots — they are risk adverse and value shoppers. Candidates with direct experience have an edge. Recommendations from trusted referral sources confer a competitive advantage. To establish credibility, maximize personal value and get decision makers’ attention, candidates must prepare a presentation demonstrating agility and the ability to adapt quickly and to reliably produce good results.

Too broad a selection overwhelms buyers. Smart sellers position their goods to attract their ideal customers. Year-round, employers are deluged with resumes; candidates who command attention from employers in this very competitive job market skillfully promote their strengths and serve up their contributions in measurable terms. They present their qualifications as remarkable and memorable. Comparing a resume with a holiday meal might seem farfetched. From a marketing perspective, there are fascinating parallels.

Successful Job Searches and Restaurants

I’ve identified several striking similarities between the marketing attributes of an effective executive job search campaign and how a successful restaurant operates.

To attract their target customers (hiring authorities for job seekers, and patrons for the eating establishments), sellers must satisfy their buyer’s basic requirements plus offer something intriguing, an “x factor” to differentiate themselves from their competition.

The sellers, job seeker or restaurant, must be accessible and available, trustworthy and likable.

Candidates must find a way (usually a personal referral or written presentation/resume) to “get a foot in the door” for a chance to impress a hiring manager one-to-one. Restaurants use a variety of advertising and promotional activities to lure target customers.

The right contacts generate job leads for candidates.  Restaurants expect that happy diners will be repeat customers and will share rave compliments with their contacts who will become new customers.

Resumes and Menus

There are also marketing parallels between resumes and menus. Which appears more exclusive and justifies a higher price: the executive willing to do everything for anyone, who is not focused on a specific role and responsibilities and just wants any job or the accomplished specialist and recognized industry expert with a proven track record who articulates how they get results and describes their future plans? Which connotes higher value and more caché, the bargain-priced all-you-can-eat buffet accommodating hundreds of diners or the white-glove service, painstakingly curated, best-of-the-best tasting menu served in an elegantly appointed private room with limited seating?

Compare the cost-benefits of using the same ingredients to prepare ordinary, easily accessible food to a precious, extraordinary, attractively displayed, gourmet dining experience. Which has more appeal to a highly selective, well-heeled market? Which commands a higher price? If the chef prepares the same recipes for the buffet and the tasting menu, the packaging, process, pricing and promotion differentiates them.

A job seeker has similar challenges. Many executives have very similar credentials. Candidates who get interviews and ultimately land a job distinguish themselves by promoting their extraordinary qualifications on a carefully crafted resume designed to persuade the target employer that they are the top candidate for the job. This means tailoring resume content to include remarkable, credible success stories customized to each employer’s needs. Resume layout should emphasize the most important information. Candidates can facilitate referrals by sharing a repeatable, memorable, brief narrative and asking for introductions to individuals or listing target companies by name. (Avoid overwhelming people by asking them to figure out how to help or what to say about you.)

Differentiating and Positioning Yourself for a Favorable Outcome

To gain a competitive edge in today’s job market, individuals must differentiate themselves and position themselves within a market niche as the go-to first choice. Being an average player today doesn’t cut it. Candidates with deep and unusual expertise and a proven track record are preferred by employers. With far more talent available than open positions, companies demand the cream of the crop. To be among the elite, a “gourmet selection,” an executive must not only have the desired background, but also prove that he is not a hiring risk, will not have a costly learning curve, will fit into the corporate culture and be a good investment. (The job seeker must convey how he will contribute to the bottom line through increased profits, decreased expenses and/or improved process.) Again, it’s an employer’s (or buyer’s) job market. Market dynamics entitle employers to be extremely choosy; they don’t have to compromise.

Each prospective new employee’s challenge is to demonstrate his or her potential fit and gain the decision maker’s confidence in the job seeker’s ability to get the job done. Hiring managers demand assurance and are ultra-busy. The best way to get their attention is to hand-feed them the relevant data information they need, including best examples of proven accomplishments. Hiring decision makers are unlikely to slog through a long, rambling “buffet resume” to sift through to find the information they need to evaluate a candidate. The solution is to catch their eye with a powerful, focused summary that highlights qualifications that will most interest the employer and build the candidate’s credibility. A resume should be tempting; enticing the employer to want to learn more and ultimately meet the candidate in person. A resume can’t get a candidate a job, but it can eliminate him.

There are more candidates today than there are job openings. If a job seeker wants to land a desirable job, she must distinguish herself, attract an employer who can appreciate her, establish trustworthiness and prove value. A successful job search is a marketing campaign that includes choosing target employers and developing a customized resume highlighting accomplishments that meet the decision maker’s needs. Candidates who come recommended by a trusted mutual contact increase their chances. Use the inside knowledge that your connections share to prepare a stand-out resume that has all the ingredients that will attract the employer and enhance your appeal.

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All rights reserved, Debra Feldman 2011.

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