When looking for a job, one of the key elements in your job search campaign is your resume.  It is one of the most important tools to communicate your skills and background to potential employees.  As a hiring sales manager, I have seen some really bad resumes come my way and I can really tell that the person probably used a free template that they found on the Internet without putting the effort to develop and create a good resume.  I was curious and reached out to a couple of these candidates and asked them how they developed their sales resume and guess what 8 out of the 10 candidates with bad resumes used a free template they found off the Internet and the other two attempted to create it themselves.  A resume seems like a simple 1-2 page document that provides information.  Due to the fact that it is only 1-2 pages and you have to be brief yet, concise enough to convey that you have the talents and skills necessary for the job opportunity.  I have to admit, naturally, we do not know how to create an effective resume and I am guilty as well early in my career, but when I realized that I wasn't getting any calls for interviews, I assessed my strategies and realized that I had to re-create my resume to be much more effective and guess what, I got calls!

LEARN HOW TO WRITE A RESUME... OR HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN!

Now those free resume templates are fine to give you ideas of style, flow and design to start with.  But if you use it without customizing to the job you are going for and quickly slap it together, don't be surprised if your phone is silent for some time.  Remember, the resume is a representative of you and a communication tool that presents who and what you you have offer when you submit to a company.  Don't you think it would be worthwhile to read a book on how to develop a decent resume or hire a professional to help you create one?  Yes, it does take some time to learn and possibly some money to create, but think about the money you are losing out by not getting a job that you want.  I have seen some really good resume templates, but they are very hard to find and again, it might not work in your situation.  Some of the best resume templates are the ones written by certified resume writers that provides a template that actually got somebody a job!  The are a little bit cheaper, but again not customized to your needs.

HAVE YOUR RESUME REVIEWED - BY AN EXPERT!

If you are curious about how effective your resume, is, why don't you have your resume reviewed by an expert.  Yes, your friend or smart neighbor might be smart and excellent at what they do, but unless they write resumes for a living, then you might fall in the trap of having the blind leading the blind and the end result might be still a bad resume.  Now some of you might be saying, what if my resume is good enough?  To me, if I am going for a job, I want to put my best foot forward and not just send good enough in.  How about you?

STILL NOT CONVINCED?

So if you do choose to go the easy route and use those free resume templates that are floating around, be sure to at least customize it to the job you are looking for.  Do a search online and learn tips on writing your own resume that gets results.  The best approach is to pick up a book and learn.  The best option is to hire a professional to help you and the cost is really not that bad, when you realize that you could be losing out on thousands of dollars each month you are not employed or getting a lower paying job because your resume never generated any interests.  For sales reps, I suggest finding an professional resume writer that specializes in sales resumes.  Trust me, it is worth it!  I have progressed my career to earn over $200K a year, and trust me, I didn't use a free template like I did when I went for my first job.  I hired a professional resume writer to review my current resume and work with me to develop a professional cover letter and resume.  Do yourself a favor and if you are not getting any calls for job interviews, take a look at your resume, and take a sniff,  it might be stinky!

USE THE FREE TEMPLATES WITH CAUTION

The only effective way I find using these free resume templates is if you already have a professionally created resume and you want to change up the style or design, then I think if you replace the wording, with the free template's wording, it might be fine.  But again, use with caution because it could be costing you from landing the job you really want.

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The different categories to help you ask and find answers include:  sales resumes, sales interview, sales job search, sales management, salary questions and general questions.  You can sign up using LinkedIn, Facebook and other popular social credentials. To sign up, click here:  Sales Job Search Questions and Answers 

Need help finding a job or how to write and perfect your resume?  We have hand selected some job search books to help you learn and prepare yourself to land the job you are going for.  The categories we have selected include:  resume, cover-letter, interview, online job search and sales career related books.  To take a look at our suggestions click here:  job search books!

 In this podcast you will learn:

• Importance of having a strong resume.
• Common resume mistakes that are deal breakers.
• How HR filters through candidates resumes.
• What happens when you put, "To Be Determined" in your job application for salary requirements.
• Other ways of recruiting candidates other than using their resume.
• What makes a candidate stand out at a networking event.
• New graduate tips at a networking event.
• Does she use LinkedIn or other social media to look for candidates.
• Different ways to promote yourself versus just a resume.
• Importances of references.
• How new grads get referalls without work experience.
• What are some of the things to avoid when searching for a job.

Listen and learn to this informative interview with Julie.

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• career podcast

CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY

Are you only depending on your resume to land your next sales job?  If so, take a look around and see how people around you communicating with one another.  Do you have a Linkedin account, and if so, is it doing you any good?  In today's market, you have to evolve with technology as it has changed the way we find, and land jobs.  One of the blessings of technology changes and improvement is the sheer volume of options you have to choose from.  That is why it is so important to mix some of the old techniques with the new, and to develop a strategic job search strategy that will land you an interview.  If your resume doesn't get in the hands of the hiring sales manager, how would you ever expect to be considered for an interview?

The major shift in technology and the way we communicate is through social media.  Take a look at this cool social networking recruiting infographic that shows you the numbers.  For example, in 2012, companies are expected to  social media to recruit for 80% of job openings.  Recruiters have even changed the way the look for talent, with 98% using Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook.  If you are using the old method of passively sending your resume and waiting for things to happen, you might be waiting for quite some time.  Not only that, you will limit yourself to the available jobs that are posted if you keep using the same old technology.

It is time to evolve and change the mix of how you find, and pursue a sales job opportunity to land an interview and a sales job offer.  Don't ditch the old method all together, but do mix it up and find other ways to get your resume in the hands of the hiring decision maker or get more interviews.

INCREASED COMPETITION

You read about it in the news everyday, layoffs here and layoffs there.  No sector or industry is immune to the effects of change happening.  With many qualified sales professionals looking for jobs, you will be up against many others going after the same jobs that are posted on the job boards.  Give yourself a competitive edge by changing the way you approach your job search and get back in the game of building your network, meeting people face to face and developing it over time.  Technology and all the advances is not the single answer, you will need to reach out and connect with people online as well as in person.  For those sitting at home sending out their resumes, it will sit in a database with hundreds of thousands of others vying for the same job.  Develop a strategy that will get you in front of the decision makers or those connected to the decision maker to help get you an interview or learn about jobs that are not even posted.

Heres and example, I recently spoke to a sales professional who has a very successful career of 9 years.  When he got laid off from his last job, he went 6 months without even getting a call for an interview.  When he asked me for some advice, I simply asked him, how has he been searching for a job and since he hasn't been in the hunt for the past 9 years, he reverted back to the way he landed his last job 9 years ago.  I then coached him to mix things up and to develop a strategic plan to use new technology, social media and face to face networking to help with his chances.  We also worked on getting his resume customized for each sales job he went for, created a brag book, practiced for the phone interview and he landed a job within 3 weeks of the changes.

CUSTOMIZE FOR THE BEST RESULTS!

When you send out your resume for an opening, do you customize it based on the job or do you still use the shotgun approach and hope it hits something?  Now more then ever, you have to focus on quality over quantity and to customize everything, your resume, your cover letters and approach to finding and landing the best sales job on the market.  Believe me, there are many jobs available as companies still need revenue and sales talent is the way to make things happen.  But if you using the wrong approach to a new system, then you will be the one not being considered for the job.

Customize your entire job search strategy and analyze the results.  If you do not have a job currently, then your job is to find a job.  So you must treat it as so.  You now must put some effort in your job search, because many others are figuring it out.

SHARE YOUR STORY

How did you land your last sales job?  Please share by voting on a quick survey and view the results.  Thanks for sharing and good luck with your job search.

Cast Your Vote:  how did you get your last sales job?  Or Contact me so we can do a quick phone or email interview so I can share with others to help them find and land their next sales job.  Click here to contact me.

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