I’m going to teach you a new way to win a job. Right now.
Today’s reality: I’m a hiring manager and I have taken the time to write my job “spec” or job description, and now I need to rifle through tens or hundreds of résumés. Your résumé, like all others, is a chronological output of your background, but does nothing to tell me if you have the skills to do MY job. For those of you who know the children’s book series “Where’s Waldo”, that’s what it feels like. For the few applications that have cover letters, they just summarize their résumé and still don’t help me connect the dots between you and what I need.
Solution: Write your one page Cut the Crap or CTC Job Description Profile (JD Profile) for each specific position. The revolutionary new JD Profile is going to compare your background, skills, and experiences to the exact job in a very compelling way. It is the single most critical document that will determine your job search success. And it’s one page! I designed this proprietary practice 5 years ago and it has delivered results for job seekers I have provided it to.
How to: In Microsoft WORD, create a simple table of Column A on the left and Column B on the right. Remember, your résumé is not organized to match the hiring manager’s job description list. Therefore, you are going to provide the right elements of your background as the “answer” to their “question.” More importantly, you can quantify your specific successes or results in each of the specification categories.
| Job Title, #: | Your Name:
|
Job Specifications from JD | My Qualifications, Experience |
| 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. etc. (have 6-8 rows) |
It’s simple but do it well!
You will fill Column A of your JD Profile with the contents of the job description in an abbreviated format. Bullet-point phrases are preferred. Remember, the audience wrote that job description so they will know what you are referring to. Group various requirements together, as appropriate. As an example, you can put all of the education specifications in one row. If you don’t have a job description, create the information as best you possibly can by looking up similar positions on Monster.com or Indeed.com to get a sense of the requirements. A hiring manager won’t mind if you take a guess at his/her job requirements. If you had any type of information-gathering meeting with the recruiter or hiring manager, be sure to ask clarifying questions about the job description or secure the job responsibilities if a job description doesn’t exist.
Column B of your JD Profile is the most important. In each row and next to each job description skill or requirement, you will put concise and relevant information that shows your qualifications. If the Column A entry says “8-10 years in outside sales,” your column B may say “12 years in outside sales: 5 with IBM, 7 with Kodak, exceeding goals 11 out of the 12 years.” The key is to answer their requirements and add a bit more information than requested on their job description. You are sourcing the content for Column B of your CTC JD Profile from your résumé or from recalling key experiences in your background.
Job seekers, here is your chance to draw out relevant experiences from your résumé and match them with the hiring manager’s needs. Always be truthful, do not embellish as all facts can be checked out. Use excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling and avoid acronyms they will not understand. Do not write long sentences or go two pages or 8 point font. Bullet points for concise points.
There may be 6-8 rows in your table, and you need an answer for each one. In some cases, you do not have that experience or skill set. Do not lie or fill it with “fluff.” Simply say “No experience but will learn on the job.” It’s good to be humble.
In “Cut the Crap, Get a Job! A New Job Process for a New Era”, on Amazon in April, 2013, I will teach you how to utilize another proprietary practice, a Cut the Crap or CTC Candidate Packet with this new JD Profile. Best of luck!
