Archive for February, 2010

They say there’s a first time for everything. Taken literally, that would mean that there is a chance that one of these days you are going to stretch your arms out, the wind will pick you up and you’ll reach a cruising altitude, really flying! You can dream. But, when the dreaming is done, the work has just begun. Although flying can be an analogy of the success you may achieve in the corporate world (or as a blue collar worker, if you so chose), let’s come back down to earth for a spell and discuss why “firsts” are important.

Remember when you were a child — think way back — when everything was fresh, and each dawn was the hatching of a new experience, and excitement over the simplest things would abound? Admit it; you were mesmerized by all the “firsts” — completely impressionable!!! Much of who you are today is a smorgasbord of all the ingredients from that which happened to you and around you as a child. All of those “first” experiences combined to paint your worldview, for good or for ill.

Sooner than you thought would happen, you realized you had a family to support, a mortgage to pay, insurance premiums, mouths to feed, etc. And whether it’s your first prospective job or you’re far into your adult working life, you will likely be finding yourself doing this one thing over and over again — for the first time: trying to impress someone you’ve never met before through the medium of the printed word on paper.

You have an amazing grasp on the obvious, even if it is on delay. Sooner or later, you came to the realization that everybody has a resume, and although they can vary a bit from person to person in the areas of education, work experience, skills, and even the format of the document itself, by and large resumes are dull and boring and do very little to attract the kind of personalized attention you need to set you apart from the rest of the dozens of applicants all competing for the same opening.

Now, follow me here — back to childhood again — your own child’s childhood this time (or if you don’t have one, make due by pretending): how are you going to explain it when the little one asks for the first time how the TV works or how an airplane stays up in the sky without falling? Are you going to be technical and dogmatic in your explanation, or are you going to be animated and imaginative, urging and inspiring the youngster?

The difference between a callback and no callback has very little to do with qualifications on a resume (that comes later), and everything to do with “firsts”. Resumes are like eating meat before you are weaned from the bottle. They’re a little hard to digest without careful and proper preparation. Why are so many resumes overlooked or simply passed by? They are too technical, dogmatic, and uninspiring. You have a serious leg up when you remember the human touch; introductions are critical.

Just like you experienced so many exhilarating “firsts” when you were growing up, you need to realize there is A) An order to the way in which we as humans are open to receiving information, and B) That when that information is received in a unique and exciting manner, it stimulates a lasting impression from which to build upon. That is why a resume cover letter is so important in the hiring process. To think that some overlook or disregard this step altogether is mind-boggling. Keep A and B in mind when submitting any resume for review. Spice up your resume cover letter, remembering the human element and that you are more than just your resume. You are full of vibrant life; an extremely valuable component of any employer’s staffing needs. Of course, you need to be relevant, but tailor your introduction (resume cover letter), your first contact with a prospective employer, in a fashion that would — while helping the employer realize your strengths and aptitude for the job — also seem like you were explaining something extremely captivating for the first time ever, to anyone!

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