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Yesterday’s Hero
By Linda Matias
Wonder Woman makes it look so easy. She gets up every morning, fights
the good fight, calls it a day, and starts the whole process all over
again. This is the way most of us begin our workday. We work hard,
accomplish lots, and get up in the morning for an encore presentation.
From childhood we were told that if we put 110% into our careers that
we will be shoo-ins for promotions and raises. It sounded like an
excellent plan and one that you easily bought into-hard work equals a
big return on investment. Good deal.
Then one day you walk into your office only to discover that your
position has been eliminated. Not through any fault of your own, but
because the powers-that-be made an executive decision to reduce costs.
At that moment, you quickly realize that not everything comes from
hard work, and you are reluctantly thrown into the job search.
THE CHALLENGE
No matter how many awards you received and no matter how impressive
your career progression, the old adage is true: "You're only as good
as your last sale." And if you have been unemployed for a while,
hiring managers may view your experience as being outdated. To your
surprise, a search you were convinced would take only a few weeks
turned into a year-long process.
Since the resume is the first meeting between you and a prospective
employer, the way you position your skills is critically important.
This is especially true if you want the reader to overlook your
unemployment gap and focus their attention on your successes.
If your resume fails to cleverly tackle red flags, the reader will
eliminate your candidacy within seconds. With today's job market, it
is rare to find a jobseeker who has a flawless work history, and a
traditional resume doesn't always properly address the immediate
concerns jobseekers are facing today.
THE SOLUTION
This is the reason why professional resume writers recommend a
combination resume for those a) who have been unemployed for over a
year and want to deemphasize an unemployment gap and b) those
considering a career change who wish to highlight relevant marketable
and/or transferable skills.
A combination resume integrates the best features of the functional
and chronological resume formats. Similar to the functional resume,
the combination resume emphasizes skills; and just like the
chronological resume, the combination resume sequentially showcases
your professional history.
ANATOMY OF A COMBINATION RESUME
The most basic format for a combination resume includes the following
sections: Introduction, Accomplishments, Professional Experience, and
Education. Below is a breakdown of each section.
Introduction
The opening of a resume serves as a teaser and is called a Career
Summary, Professional Profile, or Summary of Qualifications. Whatever
term you decide to use, the end result must sum up your value to the
hiring organization. Let's take a look at an example:
Goal-driven, tenacious sales and management professional demonstrating
award-winning sales record in highly competitive industries. Strong
leader and team player; excellent motivational skills to build and
sustain forward growth momentum while motivating peak individual
performance from members. Experience in managing all aspects of sales
development cycle, from prospecting and cold calling through detailed
presentations and negotiation to closing follow-up activities.
Notice that the example above provides the reader with a checklist of
the candidate's qualifications. From the onset, the reader has a feel
for what the candidate can bring to the table.
Accomplishments
Since this section appears immediately after the introduction, it must
keep the momentum going. This is your opportunity to showcase the fact
that your experience is still relevant, you're still in the game, and
you are a serious candidate. Let's look at a couple of
accomplishment-based statements.
* Ranked consistently in top 5 company-wide for sales production among
staff of 600+ brokers, bringing in $3.5 million in gross commissions
during tenure.
* Contributed to success of supervised brokers through hands-on
training and mentoring; led team that generated $13 million in
commissions.
Notice that the statements are specific and target key achievements
the candidate is most proud of.
Professional Experience
This section provides a chronological history of your experience along
with a brief summation of your responsibilities. Here's an example of
how your professional history can appear.
Vice President, Bay Shore Financial, New York, NY, 2000-2004
Supervised team of 12 brokers in account prospecting and development
activities. Conducted in-depth research on stocks and related topics
to provide best recommendations for clients. Mentored team members and
provided assistance with complex and escalated client issues.
Authorized sign-off on large transactions.
Education
The education section can include your college background, technical
training, and/or professional development.
Bachelor of Arts, Accounting-LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Brooklyn, NY
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
A combination resume will allow you to highlight your impressive
accomplishments and grab the reader's interest right at the beginning
while also providing the chronological work history employers are
looking for.
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About the Author:
Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of
experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for
her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search
strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number
of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek. She
is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’
Association.
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Courtesy CareerNewz
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