A résumé lives: from the buzzwords. No, not the empty slogans and hackneyed phrases. Buzzwords are meaningful, well-placed, and smartly chosen keywords that draw attention to the skills that you want to emphasize to take the step in the desired direction.
It is very important that you optimally showcase the number of talents that you want to use in the future. Yes, that’s right: show off! And because the target audience is only interested in a small part of your talents, it is important to put this overlap in the right light in a very target-group-oriented manner.
As with any show, if you want to dance in the spotlight you have to talk to the lighting technician. He knows exactly where he is aiming the spot during the performance. And that’s where you have to go!
Our 5 point plan
1: Define goals and ideas: position determination
Where do you want to go? When candidates are looking for a new position, they simply screen the vacancies that bear the job title they currently have. That is very selective and not very far-sighted. Open your eyes and let yourself be inspired. What can you enjoy and why?
Our example: A specialist from the plastics industry who works in system support at a manufacturing company for disinfectants. He would like to switch to the pharmaceutical industry and assume personnel responsibility. He has two goals at the same time that don’t necessarily overlap. Pharma and leadership. This is reminiscent of two cones of light that have a small common intersection. It would be a coincidence if the person achieved both goals in just one step.
2: What do you bring with you, what are you already good at: What do I perform
To define different areas of competence: Is the attraction in a new industry or rather in a different department. Look for a higher functional level, more specialization and deepening, more external contacts, etc. Draw a circle around each goal and fill it with the skills and knowledge you already have.
For our engineer in the example, this means: I want to work in the pharmaceutical industry and also I want a management position. The problem: He doesn’t come from pharmaceuticals and does not yet work entirely in pharmaceuticals. He does not yet lead employees directly. His consolation: someone who has already done all of this would not necessarily look for this lateral change.
3: Where are the headlights going: What does the audience want to see
It pays to put yourself in the shoes of an HR, recruiting, or hiring manager now. If you were in their place, what skills would you be aiming for? Now the whole point is: You should be familiar with the buzzwords these people are looking for on your resume. There is typically a checklist here that should help to quickly filter the right candidates.
Our example case: The potential target company for case Pharma Industrie will screen the résumé for pharmaceutical plant engineering specific keywords. The target company for leadership will search the résumé for any evidence of direct or lateral leadership experience.
4: Back yourself in the light: The spots are on!
Customize your show, say your CV, to suit your audience! This is the only way to get applause. Studies show that a maximum of 30 seconds is invested in evaluating an application. This time is invested by an external recruiter, by software, or by an HR person. Most of these positions do not provide any transfer of content when reading the CV. Typical terms from other industries are not transferred to the current company environment. Either the buzzwords you are looking for are in the CV or the decision is Rejection!
For our example, this means: The best thing for an engineer to apply is with two different CVs. The relevant buzzwords for the different target groups are then on page 1, in the dominant center of the sheet in the current work experience. NOT in the cover letter, NOT on page 4 in the résumé and he should NOT assume that these will be looked for in the certificates.
5: Performance in the spotlight: the performance is running
If you now have a valid admission ticket and your application arouses interest: You must now be able to fill the buzzwords with content at the latest. During the first telephone interview, it quickly becomes clear that you have only threshed a few phrases and operated with copy-paste. You don’t really know what you’re talking about.
Our engineer must therefore provide content on the subject of Plant construction pharmaceuticals or have handy examples of his management experience, his management style, or his management success ready
If that is not the case, it’s OUT and back to point 1: You have set your goals too high, overestimated your abilities, or don’t know your audience enough. Try again.