Competency #15: I Can Write Effective Resumes and Cover/Thank You Letters

If you’ve been active on the Internet, chances are employers can find information about you even if you don’t have a formal resume. The resume’s traditional purpose was to get invited in for an interview. That is still true, but there’s also a new purpose, too: to summarize in one specific place what you most want potential employers to see about you. Lots of people believe their resume should simply be a complete list of every job they’ve ever done, with dates included. An effective resume is one that gets you noticed, and concisely presents you as extremely qualified for each position.  Employers can always look you up on social media to get a more complete picture of you.

This competency should simply be written: I can write effectively- the focus on the words “write”, and “effective”. What does this mean? Do you consider yourself a good writer?  If so, that’s great- it’s easy to learn formats. If not, that’s OK--someone other than you can do the writing.  The most important part of this competency is this:  do you know yourself well enough to tell me how effective you are- what makes you stand out– in other words, your value proposition?

Therefore, separate the writing from your value for each position, because you’re going to need to have a resume customized to fit each of them. That’s putting the effective in this skill set. With application software at every employer’s fingertips, you’ll need to have keywords from the posting in your resume, or it will be overlooked.

You must discipline yourself to think (hard!) about your motivated skills and abilities (the ones you enjoy using with demonstrated competency), your personality style, your work values, and the jobs you are seeking before you (or someone else) shape this information into a resume, executive profile, cover letter, e-note, brand statement, thank you message. The rest is not difficult, especially if you’re a good writer(research formats, styles, tips on the Internet) or can seek out a professional career counselor/coach/resume writer.