General Remarks before you Start
Lean back
and take a moment to get things into perspective.
Many applicants
focus on themselves rather than on the needs of their potential employer, or on the expectations, ... and interests of
the addressee. To prevent this happening to you, ask yourself: "Why are they advertising the
job and why should they hire me?" You need to make the match.
Identify their Problem - Quantify their Needs - Offer the Solution
Jobs are only advertised to fill a need, or in other terms: fix a problem. This could be an urgent requirement of certain expertise, lack of human resources to expand, or corporate policies, just to name a few. The job advert will usually tell you something about these issues, however, bear in mind that the job requirements will only tell half the story. Who kindly admits to a problem at hand?
Often, you can get the job advert into perspective by following the news. Watch out for any changes in the organization like pending mergers or acquisitions, IPO's, restructuring, major deals, new product launches, or threats such as major competitive pressures, or even upheavals in its industry. You will usually find quite specific information on the above and on medium to long term corporate strategies by reading the annual financial reports and their commentaries. This will also demonstrate your real interest in the company and your interest in the position.
If you can get the broader picture, it will help you to determine the "pain" and help you
focus the content of your resume on the needs of your counterpart. Specifically, hiring managers will look at the contribution you will be able to make to the company's
bottom line. Try to quantify your potential input and measurable results. Be specific on your relevant past accomplishments.
Your value is determined by
how close you are to being the fix: The right woman - at the right time - and at the right place!
The ideal introductory line to your resume would thus summarize the solution to the company's problem. This needs to be immediately followed by strong reasons why you could be the best candidate.
So where does personal information come in? Apart from being indicative of your lifestyle, it ideally should strike a cord with your hiring manager ....
The Personal Note
The best way of
marketing anything, including yourself is by personal contact. If you manage to get, and successfully utilize, information regarding, for example, the interests and style of the hiring manager, you have a key advantage which will be difficult for other candidates to match.
Since this will be difficult, if not impossible to achieve right away, make sure that you provide reliable communication details, and try to
break the ice barrier with any interactive tools at your disposal early on. The latter should be a resume homepage and a short
video clip (Video Resume) in which you briefly present yourself. Remember, you are a stranger to the hiring manager, and you should thus focus on
creating confidence, and forming a business relationship at your very first encounter.
This is where personal information comes in.
The personal, if only visual impression is so important in Germany that employees often only consider resumes which have the applicants' photograph attached! (German job application format) By contrast, divulging personal information in your resume is illegal in the US and will be eliminated from your resume by personnel consultants and human resource departments. (Anglo-
American job application format) In any event you need to get yourself across to the decision maker fast. Consider this objective accomplished when you and your hiring manager establish that you both have kids and love Chinese opera ... all else shall follow.
When you apply abroad, your interaction with the foreign country will be flavored by a host of cultural differences which are a potential mine field. Assuming that you do not know much about the host country, and need to act fast, remember that people are people and will mostly cope with "bizarre" and even "insulting" conduct (never turn the fish on your business dinner plate, or your Chinese counterpart may believe you wish him disaster) if they understand the reasons. Therefore make sure that you
address the situation immediately and recurrently. Point out your lack of knowledge and willingness to conform to different norms. How about saying hello in ... Japanese, French, German, Spanish? Its worth it: International experience will pay off intellectually, financially, and personally.
In summary,
bear in mind: "Why are they advertising the job and why should they hire me?" Good luck!
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