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It is your Resume or your Obituary?

Guest post by: Patrick T. Malone

Article Overview: I know you. You are a business friend or associate who has recently found themselves in the job market. I know you are a professional who has an array of competencies than have produced good results in the past and have the desired skills or abilities to produce more excellent results in the future. You should have companies competing for your services except you made one mistake. You sent them your obituary and called it a resume!

It is your Resume or your Obituary?

I know you. You are a business friend or associate who has recently found themselves in the job market. I know you are a professional who has an array of competencies than have produced good results in the past and have the desired skills or abilities to produce more excellent results in the future. You should have companies competing for your services except you made one mistake. You sent them your obituary and called it a resume!

Quite frankly if you sent me most of the resumes that I have seen lately, I wouldn't give it a second look let hire you! And I am your friend or associate. It is truly surprising that so many competent business people are unable to effectively market themselves through a resume that differentiates them from others in the marketplace.

I think a resume should be designed to convey four essential pieces of information:

1. Your contact information. Too many resumes cross my desk with a name on the top of page 1 and all the other pertinent information (complete physical address, home and mobile phone numbers, email address) buried on page 3. By the way, resumes are one page long. Longer that one page they are called obituaries.

2. Your objective. Concisely tell me what you desire and what is in it for me. Don't tell me you are Sales executive with an accomplished career track known throughout the industry for delivering results. Exceptional communicator with a consultant sales style, strong negotiation skills, exceptional problem solving abilities, and a keen client needs assessment aptitude. Nice but it says nothing.

This is much more effective: Performance driven individual seeks senior level Business Development

opportunity with growth company that values innovation, teamwork, and bottom line results that are immediate and sustainable.

3. Your Professional Accomplishments. Saying that you "targeted and launched distribution into major big box and grocery chains" is simply a statement of your activities during some period of time. However "Led the channel development strategy that resulted in key account growth of +12% in 2007, +17% in 2008, and +27% in 2009" demonstrates a track record of accomplishments.

Your current or immediate past employer should have at least three but no more than five significant accomplishments. Your next prior employer one to three and your next employer one. Any employers beyond three should simply list position, company and dates.

And please, don't claim you have no accomplishments. Even a brand new college graduate with little business experience has some accomplishments i.e. "funded my college education entirely through the Hope Scholarship" or "led my sorority's participation in the Relay for Life raising more than $4000."

4. Credentials and references. Educational credentials first, then professional credentials etc finishing with "Business and personal references available on request".

While I believe that these are the support columns to an effective resume, I also recognize that each situation is different and modifications may be required depending on individuals, organizations and circumstances. In any case remember than an obituary is a summary of your life so far. One the other hand a resume should provide the reader with a reason(s) to want to find out more about you.

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Article Tags: competencies, job, resume



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Securing Financing - This is a short article that a friend of mine put together. He's a business banker and it seems that he would be the right person to put the info together. He compiled it for inclusion in a book about opening a pizza shop. There could be some useful info here - In order for a bank to even consider financing for a business loan such as a pizza restaurant, the first step is to have good personal credit. If you have previous credit issues that have lowered your credit scores, make sure you are prepared to either hear, “No”, or “Please explain this (these) credit marks.” If you have not demonstrated the ability to manage your own personal finances then most likely you will not have the opportunity to manage the financing from a bank for a business. When you make the initial contact with a bank, ask to speak to a commercial loan officer. Other types of loan officers include consumer (think car loans) and mortgage (think home purchases and home equity loans). The commercial loan officer will be able to provide a list of things you will need to give him/her in order to consider the restaurant financing. Information required for a new business most likely will include the following: Personal financial statement (Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth) Personal tax returns (two years) Business Plan If leasing property, copy of the lease agreement If purchasing property, copy of the sales contract Personal History / Resume (may not be required but is very helpful) If an existing business, add the following to the list above: Business tax returns (two years) Copy of State Corporation Commission Certificate Copy of Federal Tax Identification Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) Copy of Articles of Incorporation (if corporation) Copy of Operating Agreement (if partnership) One common mistake a new business owner often makes with regard to financing is that one loan will cover all the financing needs. This is typically not the case and can lead to cash flow problems that could result in default on the loan, which is not what the lender or borrower want. In most cases, either two or sometimes three separate loans would be appropriate. For instance, if one is purchasing real estate then a long-term mortgage loan would be appropriate to finance that purchase. However, the pizza restaurant may need to purchase equipment and have cash available monthly to meet payroll and purchase rolling inventory. An equipment loan could take the form of a five or seven year loan with a fixed monthly payment much like a car loan. A line of credit, on which one would pay interest monthly on the outstanding balance, may be prudent for short-term cash flow purposes. All three should be addressed in the business plan and discussed with the commercial loan officer. Chris


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