By Khalilah Starks

At some point, we’ve all looked for employment.   And, with resume submission after resume submission, there’s nothing more frustrating than silence – the absence of a ringing phone with an employer on the other end.  With the current economic climate being so challenging, competition is fierce.  But, not impossible to beat.  So, if you’re not getting the phone calls, then you may be succumbing to a major resume flaw – lack of focus or relevance.

A smart job seeker tailors their resume to each position that he or she is applying for.  It’s all about creating a fit between you and the position that you are seeking.   If a recruiter can’t see the connection between your resume and the job, you won’t get the phone call.  And, by the way, a recruiter looks at a resume for about 30 seconds before deciding to toss it in the “no thank you” pile.  So, the recruiter must get the connection very quickly.  If the recruiter has to ask, “Why are they applying for this position?”, don’t hold your breath waiting for the phone to ring.  If you’re applying to a sales position, your resume should focus on your sales experience and expertise.  If the position calls for excellent communication and persuasion skills, your resume should lists experiences where you have utilized your communication and persuasion skills.

So, what if your experience is not exactly related to the position that you are applying for?  Well, it’s your job to strategically play up your relevant experiences, including volunteer work.  If most of your professional experience is in project management and you’re applying for a sales position, you need to downplay or simply remove the irrelevant skills and experience.  An important skill for project managers is managing resources such as people, equipment, and material – with the exception of managing people, this skill can be irrelevant to a sales position.  So, little space on your resume should be dedicated to it.  Instead, focus on the skills and experiences within your project management career that are more relevant to a career in sales.  Determine what experiences you’ve had that will exhibit your excellent communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills – all of which are important for a sales career.  Those are the experiences that should be focused on.  While I’m sure that you’ve made significant contributions in the world of project management, a recruiter could care less if it doesn’t show that you can sell.  In some instances, your resume will be shorter, which is perfectly fine.  Because, a short, focused resume is more impactful than a long, irrelevant one and will surely get that phone ringing.