The WOW Factor

Imagine you are a hiring manager.

You're sitting behind your desk, its about 3:45 P.M., and you're getting ready to review the 237th résumé of the day.

Your eyes feel like sandpaper, you're starving, you're grouchy and if you see "References Available Upon Request" one more time, you're going to make somebody eat those words - seriously.

So you pick up the next résumé, heave another huge sigh of boredom and wish - for the 237th time today - that this résumé is different. That this résumé is the one you can't put down. That this résumé is from a candidate that gets it. That this résumé is from someone who's résumé is geared to what the hiring manager wants - not what the candidate wants.

Now - let's assume you have all the experience, skills, education and credentials necessary for the job.

What does a hiring manager think when she or he takes a look at your résumé? What in your résumé makes them want to get you in for an interview as soon as possible? What do you offer that the other 236 candidates don't? What differentiates you in the résumé market?

Your résumé has to tell your story in a way that makes you the high-end, upscale, exciting product - the unique brand the hiring manager has to buy, no matter how much it costs.

How do you get your story across in a way that showcases you in that way?

Here's how:

Know what the hot-button issues and challenges are in your field and show that you know how to address them.

Know what people in your business are talking about right now and talk about those topics.

Know what everybody who's anybody in your professional arena sees as the newest and greatest technologies, the up-and-coming products, the untapped markets and the high-profit potential opportunities - and talk about them in your résumé.

Show you know what's hot and what's not. If you can prove you have any experience or expertise in any of the latest hot topic areas, show it.

Make your résumé the one that gets the hiring manager out from behind the desk and running down the hall to the HR Director - to get you in for the interview. Good Luck!