Ready? Let's begin.

First, we will ... ...

Table 2.2 Resume Image Suggestion List Resume Image Suggestion List

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Determine Your Marketable Skills

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Your Guerrilla Resume will highlight your most valuable and attractive skills in such a way that employers are more likely to call you. So, what are your most marketable skills? Complete the following 2 exercises: Exercise 1: What do you do well? What do you do better and more easily than other people? Is it the work you're doing now? Something you studied in school? A hobby? Take out a pad of paper and write down your answers, no matter how unrelated they are to work. The goal is to get your creative juices flowing. What do you do better and more easily than other people? Is it the work you're doing now? Something you studied in school? A hobby? Take out a pad of paper and write down your answers, no matter how unrelated they are to work. The goal is to get your creative juices flowing.

Let's take a fict.i.tious job seeker, Sally, and write down what she does well: public speaking, sales, client service, managing projects, solving computer problems, managing others, speaking French.

Exercise 2: What do you enjoy doing? What skills do you most enjoy using on the job or in school right now? What would you do even if you weren't paid? Write your answers down. What skills do you most enjoy using on the job or in school right now? What would you do even if you weren't paid? Write your answers down.

Here are Sally's answers to this second question: public speaking, bicycling, client service, solving computer problems, baking cookies, managing others, speaking French, serving as a Girl Scout leader, hiking, writing.

Now, you'll see that Sally's answers to question 2 produced a different set of skills from question 1. That's okay, but you will notice several skills that appeared in both lists. That's better than okay-that is exactly what we're after!

When you write down a skill that you enjoy doing (question 2), which you have also written down because you do it well (question 1), highlight highlight it in some way. it in some way.

Let's go back and highlight Sally's skills listed in response to question 2 that were also answers to question 1: public speaking, public speaking, bicycling, bicycling, client service, solving computer problems, client service, solving computer problems, baking cookies, managing others, baking cookies, managing others, speaking French, speaking French, serving as a Girl Scout leader, hiking, writing. serving as a Girl Scout leader, hiking, writing.

For Sally, our fict.i.tious example, the skills she does well and and enjoys doing are: public speaking, client service, solving computer problems, and speaking French. enjoys doing are: public speaking, client service, solving computer problems, and speaking French.

Pretty simple, huh? By answering these 2 questions, Sally now knows more about herself than roughly 90 percent of job seekers who don't know what they do well or what they want to do.

Now, complete this exercise for yourself. Write down your answers to questions 1 and 2, then underline those skills found in both lists. These are skills you do well and enjoy doing. You may come up with 3, 4, 7, or more skills.

You're almost done. Now, choose the 2 or 3 skills you think will be most attractive to the hiring authority reading your resume. These are your most marketable skills. most marketable skills. They will form a skeleton around which you build your entire Guerrilla Resume. They will form a skeleton around which you build your entire Guerrilla Resume.

WARNING.

This is the most important step in the process of writing your Guerrilla Resume. Do not go on without completing this exercise. Stop. Do it now. Write now!

Why? Because once you know what your most marketable skills are, you can highlight your most relevant experience, which will help you find the job that's best for you. It all flows in order, like painting your garage-first the prep work, then the painting.

Okay, now we're ready for the second part of this 2-step process.

Find Achievements That Prove Your Claims

What achievements/accomplishments prove the marketable skills you listed? For each skill, write down at least 3 things you did that you're proud of along with their specific results.

Use facts. Be specific. The more exact the better-figures, dates, percentages, and so on. What have you done to increase productivity, profits, efficiency, sales, and so on? Your achievements can be from paid or volunteer employment, school projects, or even hobbies. As long as they're relevant to the work you want to do, you may include them in your resume.

Here are some more examples to ill.u.s.trate what you should or shouldn't write for achievements.

First, here's what NOT to write. These nonspecific achievements prove nothing: nothing: * Managed numerous projects to success. * Managed numerous projects to success.* Provided sales and customer service to house accounts.* Wrote reports and correspondence for busy executives.

Now, here's what to write. These specific achievements prove prove your skills: your skills: * Managed 100 percent of 27 projects to successful completion in 2006, finishing an average of 10 days early on budgets ranging up to $256,850. Built and led teams of up to 34 staff.* Increased sales $456,000 in 1 year by managing and developing 34 house accounts.* Saved $52,000 after writing 3 employee manuals that standardized operations. Also wrote more than 85 reports for a team of 23 executives, meeting all deadlines.

See the difference?

It may help to interview yourself as a newspaper reporter would, and ask yourself a series of questions (Why, How, When, Who, What) about the things you've done that you're proudest of.

For example, let's say that in your last job you overhauled an Oracle database. For most job seekers, they would stick this phrase in their resume: "Cleaned up Oracle database."

And then ... ... nothing would happen because language like that tells readers nothing at all about your value on the job. The phone won't ring because employers won't be interested. nothing would happen because language like that tells readers nothing at all about your value on the job. The phone won't ring because employers won't be interested.

Instead, ask yourself questions about your achievements, like these: * Why Why were you a.s.signed to clean up the database? were you a.s.signed to clean up the database?* How How did you do it? did you do it?* When When did you do it? did you do it?* Who Who did you do it for? did you do it for?* What What happened as a result of your efforts? happened as a result of your efforts?

Your answers will often lead to surprising results, which will serve as the basis for a very powerful Guerrilla Resume.

Example Answers * * Why Why did I clean up the database? One of our clients was ready to take their business elsewhere because a database we built for them kept failing. did I clean up the database? One of our clients was ready to take their business elsewhere because a database we built for them kept failing.* How How did I do it? By working 12-hour days for 2 weeks straight. did I do it? By working 12-hour days for 2 weeks straight.* When When did I do it? In 2006. did I do it? In 2006.* Who Who did I do it for? Our company's #1 client, which represented $14 million in annual revenue. did I do it for? Our company's #1 client, which represented $14 million in annual revenue.* What What happened as a result of my efforts? The client was happy and stayed with us. happened as a result of my efforts? The client was happy and stayed with us.

Now, here's how you can rewrite the boring statement-Cleaned up Oracle database-to include the specific results of your actions: "Helped retain $14-million account by working 12-hour days for 2 weeks to clean up Oracle database for firm's top client in 2006."

See the difference?

A few sentences like these are all you need in your Guerrilla Resume to make the phone ring with interview requests from employers who are anxious to meet you.

I think you'll agree that this is powerful stuff. It really is easy to uncover specific results in your work history by asking yourself these questions.

Here are 2 shortcuts to help you create a list of achievements for inclusion in your resume.

Shortcut 1

Write down all the money you've saved or generated money you've saved or generated for employers in every job. What have you done to increase overall profits in your current and prior jobs? for employers in every job. What have you done to increase overall profits in your current and prior jobs? Be specific! Be specific!

Do NOT write, "Sold products and met quotas." Write, "Sold $516,750 in 1 year while exceeding all quarterly quotas by an average of 21 percent."

Do NOT write, "Produced substantial savings." Write, "Saved $45,890 in 45 days."