Your Resume is not About “You,” It’s About “Them.”

     I read so many comments about the lack of response to resume submissions.  In one case I read that the applicant submitted 250 resumes and did not get a single response.  In another case, a person submitted a resume and did not get a response only to discover the hiring organization had the wrong e-mail address.  After providing the correct e-mail address, still no response.  So there must be something wrong with this picture. 
     My thought is that we are now in the “me” generation.  This is “my” resume and it states what “I’ve” done and what “I” can do.  I’m going to throw it out there and see if someone is interested in hiring “me”.  To me, it’s like shooting at a target in pitch blackness and hoping to hit the bull’s eye.  Let’s face it.  The reality is it’s not about “you,” it’s about “them.”  In this economy, businesses never want to make a hiring mistake.  It doesn’t matter if the applicant is a veteran or not, it’s too costly to hire someone, find out it was a mistake, and start all over again.  So where does that leave us? 
     Well, look at it this way.  Businesses have two major issues: they have goals, like increasing the bottom line, they are trying to achieve and problems and challenges that get in the way.  So, when they hire somebody to fill a position, they are looking for someone who can help them achieve their goals or solve their problems.  If the resume is not written to show how the applicant can help, it’s just another shot in the dark that will never get a response.  It just doesn’t right to expect the recruiter to read between the lines to see what the applicant can really do.  That is the applicant’s job.
     So what’s the solution?  I think the solution is very simple.  If you want a job at the ABC Corporation, you should do your homework and study the ABC Corporation in as much depth as possible.  Visit their website.  Study their brochures if available.  Read about them.  If physically possible, visit their offices to see what the atmosphere is like, what the people are like, and how they dress for work.  Talk with people who already work there.  If the company has its own cafeteria, eat lunch there and listen to the conversations around you.  All of this homework is for the purpose of discovering the company’s goals and challenges.  Then write a resume that shows how you can help achieve their goals and resolve issues. 
     A resume written in this fashion may not get you a job, but it stands a strong chance of getting you an interview.  And that’s what you want your resume to do – get you an interview.  Once you get the interview, you demonstrate verbally how you can help the organization reach its goals and solve its problems.  It doesn’t matter if you are applying at the entry level, the executive level, or somewhere in between, this process stands a much better chance of landing you a job.  So what’s the bottom line?  Getting a job should not be a shot in the dark process.  It is shooting in the bright sunlight at a target you can see—showing how you’ll contribute to reaching the goals and objectives of the company and demonstrating that you’re the one who can help solve its problems.