Yet, the starting point of your successful job search is NOT your resume. Nor any other part of a traditional approach.
You see, a traditional job search is passive at the very time when employers are looking for someone who can demonstrate they are proactive. It's one of the many changes that's occurred in the 21st Century. Employers today want to meet a candidate who
* Understand the organization.
* Can show how to make a difference.
* Can demonstrate quantifiable contributions.
* Isn't afraid to ask for a job.
* Knows how to cut a deal.
From this you can see that the focal point of a job search must respond to the needs and expectations of the employer. The job seeker needs and their work history are of secondary importance.
The resume has become such an accepted icon that typically it's the very first thing we think of when we're considering a job search. We attach such meaning to resume that we engage in an all-consuming pursuit to get it right.
If we don't know any better, we operate on the belief that resumes get jobs. What's more, we think if we can get out resume in front of enough employers, something has to click. The facts of life are
1. Traditional resumes can work against you because they put you right in the middle of your competition. You become just another number.
2. Resumes are screened, rarely by the person who will be hiring you.
3. An employer initially scans a resume in less that 50 seconds. So 2 or 3 pages crammed with work history and accomplishments probably won't make any difference.
4. A generic resume (one size fit all) can't address the specific needs of the employer.
5. You're turning over your job search to someone else . . . you're letting a screener decide whether a job is right for you.
6. You lose your negotiating leverage because you're letting someone else hold all the cards.
The good news is that there is a better way! Using alternative and non-traditional strategies you can lock up a high-paying job in 14 days (or less).
