DiceTV: Your Resume MUST Focus on Your Audience

The Script

Hello aspiring resume writers. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Would you expect to find a story about foreign affairs on a sports website? How about a stash of quick dinner recipes on a career site like Dice?

The obvious answer is no, because most publications have savvy editors who know their audience and keep them engaged by offering them customized content. I'm Cat Miller and this is DiceTV.

Your resume is a written document but is it employer-centric? That means, putting the focus on the employer.

Editors start by reviewing market research to get a feel for their audience. In this case, the audience for IT job seekers includes screeners, who quickly scan resumes to identify qualified candidates before passing them along to hiring managers. Within the audience are technical and non-technical personnel, so you have to write for the entire group.

You can create an emotional connection by reading the job description, researching the company and then mimicking their language and tone throughout the resume.

So how do you appeal to a diverse group of reviewers? By putting yourself in their shoes and offering each one a host of customized, relevant information that specifically addresses the requirements in the job description. Remember, relevant is in the eye of the beholder. You've got to create tightly focused copy and be disciplined enough to eliminate superfluous information.

Appeal to screeners by including a summary of your qualifications at the top. Then highlight your critical skills by using boldface type. Speak to technical reviewers by providing a detailed list of your technical qualifications in the same order as the job description.

Satisfy scrutinizers by providing examples - a lot of examples - of your skills and experience in your work history. Write to business managers and non-technical staff by spelling out acronyms on first reference and going beyond a litany of technical tasks and responsibilities to describe your business impact.

Remember, it's easy to write to your audience, if you place their needs above yours. I'm Cat miller and this is DiceTV. We now return you to your regular desktop.

 

Post originale: http://career-resources.dice.com:80/articles/content/entry/does_your_resume_speak_to