A good date follows some very basic common principles, even if the strategy is unique to the person. A good resume will follow some of the same principles. Think about it, you are usually trying to impress someone who may have multiple options to convince them the two of you are a fit. But just like a date, a resume can go wrong on a number of levels. Here are five areas that resumes and dating have in common:
Resume Date Strategy #1: Wow Them Visually Before They Even Communicate
When dating, we all know that it is all about the entrance. What we see, even before we begin to converse, has a huge effect on your initial perception of the type of time you will have. If you are waiting for your date in a 5-star restaurant and they enter wearing sweatpants and a baseball cap turned backwards, that date likely ends before it begins, right?
A good resume writer will set a tone right away, before the reader even sees the name at the top of the page. Using proper design, layout and spacing, your reader is more likely to go into the reading of your resume with a positive attitude. This already puts you ahead of the hundreds of others who just believe that the “stuff they want to say” is the only thing that is important.
Resume Date Strategy #2: Keep It Interesting and Make It About Them, Not You
Guys, your date doesn’t want to hear about every single bodybuilding exercise you have ever done and how the ladies love you. Ladies, the gentlemen don’t want to hear about your fight with your girlfriend and each and every pair of shoes that you own. If you are going to impress your date, it means discussing things that engage and interests them.
When your certified resume writer is building an effective document, the goal is to always address the needs of the employer, and not drone on about what the client is looking for to further THEIR career. This is one of the primary reasons objectives fell out of favor in professional resume writing. It focused too much on “me, me, me”. Employers go into a hiring process looking to solve a certain number of problems. A good resume writer will communicate that you ARE that solution.
Resume Date Strategy #3: A Little Mystery is a Good Thing
On the dating scene, nothing keeps the blood pumping and heart fluttering like a little mystery in a relationship, right? During that first interaction, a holding a little information back seems to make the other person desire to seek you out to see what is behind the curtain. Hey, it worked for Cinderella, didn’t it?
Well, a well-crafted resume will also “drop a glass slipper” for the prince to pine over. Good resume writers don’t prepare all-inclusive tell-all books that chronicle everything you have ever done. The goal of a resume is to secure the interview. It is in the interview where the sale is made and the relationship begins to take formal shape. With limited page real estate in which to work, good resume writers focus on highlights that tell hiring managers “yes, you’ll want to talk to me to find out more about what I can do for you”.
Leave ‘em wanting a little more!
Resume Date Strategy #4: Mind Your Manners
Fellas, most ladies won’t be considering a second date with you if you chew with your mouth open, or talk and chew at the same time. Ladies, there is little chance of that guy calling you for a second date if you if you badger and insist on being overbearing with your server. How you conduct yourself with regard to your date (and others) will always play a role in whether there is another meet-up between parties.
A “rude” resume is one that does not account for the reader’s time, ability to process information and natural human frailties. A good resume writer takes the time an care to ensure:
- There is plenty of white space in your documents
- Content is presented in digestible chunks, including the elimination of lengthy blocks of content.
- You are not “talking down” to your reader with overly complicated prose.
- Your reader is presented with information in its proper context, not in a vacuum.
- The correct mix of text bold and italics to highlight points, without overdoing it.
A good resume is “polite” when it is developed using visual strategies that helps its reader navigate the resume with ease. The document should convey the important concepts right away without dominating the reader’s time by making them search for it. An effective resume is a reader-friendly resume.
Resume Date Strategy #4: Ask for the 2nd Date!
So, you and your date are grooving! The conversation is lively, the food was delicious and the entertainment fabulous. Seems like a magical night destined for a repeat in the near future. But guess what? You parted without letting her know how much you enjoyed the date, and you waited around passively to hear whether or not she was interested. Because of this, when you finally did call, she was out with someone else.
A good cover letter will not only provide a good “subjective” backdrop to a primarily “objective” resume, it will conclude my actively asking for the interview. This conveys confidence and the ability to directly pursue the desired goal. There is no reward for being passive. Not in the job search or anywhere else in life.
Fortune favors the bold, people!
