Documents for the Winning Job Search

Transcription

1

2 Table of Content Documents for the Winning Job Search Resumes Brag Books 30/60/90 Day Sales Plan References Letters of Recommendation Cover Letters Thank You Notes Technology Sheet What Do I Bring to the Interview? Additional Tips, Ideas, and Suggestions

3 Resumes What should be included in a great resume? Clear contact information: Be sure to include your actual address along with your name, phone number, and in this section. Don t make it hard to figure out where you are. A clear objective: Resumes seem like a basic document that anyone can put together everyone has a job history, right? In reality, a good resume requires an investment of time, effort and skill. It s your marketing document. Your resume is your first chance to make a winning impression on an employer or recruiter, which means that it can be the most critical aspect of your job search. In most cases, a well-written resume is what s going to get you to the interview. A resume objective says what it is that you re looking for, and the rest of the resume is supporting evidence for why you should get it. So--what do you want? Be specific everyone wants a great job in a growth position. What kind of job do you want, what kind of company do you want to work for, and where do you want to work? Candidates often believe that the resume will make it clear, but it s important to make this easy to understand up front. Job experience and accomplishments: In reverse chronological order, list your relevant job experience. What have you done that will make you a great fit for THIS job? If you can back it up with numbers, absolutely do it (sales rankings, merit increases, or sales revenue, i.e., I increased sales by 30% ). Don t include your education and GPA if you ve had more than a few years of experience. 1

4 If you ve been promoted at your previous company, make that clear rather than appear as if you re a job-hopper. Also, if you ve been laid off, make that clear, too, rather than trying to hide it. It shows that it wasn t just a problem for you. Activities and Awards: Some will advise you to put something interesting about yourself so that you stand out, but you ll be better served if you tailor those things to activities that directly relate to the job (for example, you belong to an industry-specific group, you spoke at ABC Conference, you won award for job performance). Hobbies can be knock out factors unless they directly relate to the job. Keep the whole resume to 1-2 pages in length. Throughout your resume, use keywords that will help Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) find you. All of this needs to be organized clearly (using bullet points helps) and spell-checked. Check it, double-check it, and get a few friends to look at it. If they say it s perfect, ask them for 3 things they would change if it was theirs. For more tips, specific examples, ideas for how to include keywords, as well as a sample to show you how an outstanding resume should look, here s a product for you: How to Get Into Medical Sales - system. Created by a sales recruiter, it provides over an hour of audio coaching and written samples of every document you need in your job search. It s a step-by-step plan to get the sales job you want. Brag Book Brag Book Brag books can be very persuasive in an interview process (if you use them right). The fact that you ve taken the time to put one together is an attention-getter, and the things you highlight in it are the proof that you are someone they want to hire, but how you present it is another way to showcase the skills that will make you successful in sales. A brag book is a folder/ binder that you can use during your interview process to clarify your skill sets and set you apart from the competition. It can include letters of recommendation, attaboy notes (or any notes commenting on what a good job you ve done), staff ranking, annual reviews (if you include some, include them all), rewards letters, your resume, types of equipment you ve used or marketed, certifications or 2

5 other educational courses, any financial or PowerPoint presentations, copies of articles you ve written, brochures you ve helped develop, and a college transcript (though ONLY if you re just getting out). The brag book demonstrates initiative, professionalism, organization, your understanding of sales and marketing, and sets you apart from your competition it s the difference between good and great. Present your brag book like you would a product brochure. (You re selling yourself and your skills, after all.) Have it segmented and easy for you to find information, so that you can deliver it in a controlled, confident, organized manner. Hiring managers will look at how you do that. It s their indication for how you ll use product brochures, PowerPoint presentations, or other media with your future customers. Lots of sales reps don t use these kinds of tools well, so if you can, you ll stand out. It s up to you to determine when the time is right in your interview for your brag book. (A good cue might be when you hear Tell me a little more about yourself. ) You need to take control of the interview, so that the manager can see how you ll take control of the sales process. 30/60/90 Day Sales Plan The secret weapon in your document arsenal is your 30/60/90-day sales plan. Not many people know about these recruiters don t ask for them, and resume writers don t write them but they are a sure-fire way to impress a hiring manager and position yourself at the head of the crowd. A day plan is an outline for what you will do when you start the job. Essentially, you spell out for your future employer, in as little or as much detail as necessary, how you will spend your time. To do that, you have to do some research on the company so that you know what you re talking about a search on Google, LinkedIn, or the company s own website can provide you with the information you need. It s a tangible, significant way to show that you ve done your homework on the company. To do one correctly you have to take the time to think out the position and its goals as well as the company s goals. This goal-setting exercise alone will set you apart from other jobseekers. 3

6 The basics: The first 30 days of your plan is usually focused on training learning the company systems, products, and customers. The next 30 days (the 60-day part) are focused on more field time, less training, more customer introduction, and reviews of customer satisfaction. The last 30 days (the 90-day part) are the getting settled part. You ve had the training, you ve met the customers, and now you can focus on sales! The more specific you can be in the details, the better off you are. (That s why you research the company, not just the position!) This kind of analysis of the position not only sets you apart from other job seekers it also makes you a better performer on the job. It means you ve put some thought into what it takes to be successful. Once you ve written down your goals, they become much easier to attain day sales plans don t have to be elaborate just having it written down at all will get you noticed, but a well-done and well-presented plan showcases great presentation skills. It shows the hiring manager your initiative, your interest, your knowledge, and demonstrates how you will take ownership of your new position. It shows exactly how you can hit the ground running, making you a low-risk, highly-desirable candidate. You can download three different examples of a 30/60/90-day sales plan that will show you exactly how to put a plan together. If you need more, you can also download a step-by-step worksheet it s a template designed by a nationally-recognized leader in sales recruiting to walk you through the process of creating a sales plan that will impress any hiring manager. You can get specific examples as well as a template, and 30 minutes of custom audio coaching from Peggy McKee (the medical sales recruiter). 4

7 References Don t put your references on your resume. You don t even need to put available upon request. We know. What you do need to focus on: Know what your references will say about you. You need to be in control of the information that will be provided to your future employer. It s not acceptable to wonder if they ll give you a good reference. Your job search is too important. Make sure your references are people who will count that means no college roommates or people who barely remember you. Co-workers and even customers/clients are good, but the best references are past managers. Not necessarily the one you re just now leaving, but previous ones. Hopefully, when you left those jobs, you asked if you could use them for a reference should it become necessary, and told them that you would be happy to help them in any way you were able. Keep in touch with all your references. A quick to touch base every 6 months or so is the easiest way do it. When you are applying for a job, call your references to give them a heads up. Don t let them be caught off guard. You can use this opportunity to coach them on what to say for the best impact. The qualities that will make the best impression will vary slightly depending on which company and which particular job you re applying for, so take the time to prep your references. Letters of Recommendation As a general rule, letters of recommendation aren t your best option. They re a little too easy to fabricate. However, in a situation where a hiring manager s on the fence, a well-written, extremely specific letter can only help you. 5

8 Cover Letters Thank You Notes Your goal with cover letters is just to get the interview, not to get the job. Everyone is interested in the job, hard-working, intelligent, and enthusiastic, so you need to focus on how to be authentic, specific, and interesting. Be professional. You re just opening the conversation. Make them want to meet you. Everybody knows that you ve got to send a thank you note after a job interview, yet it s very surprising how many people don t. They really do make you stand out from the crowd, and also give you another opportunity to point out a key item or two in your favor. But do them quickly. thank you notes are entirely appropriate. Speed is a major advantage here, because hiring decisions can happen while the post office still has your snail mail. (Didn t get the address? Google the interviewer: *@thecompanyname.com. It will get you the address of everyone who works there.) Thank you notes should always be substantial. Thank them for the opportunity, answer any objections they raised, or bring up something that you feel wasn t emphasized enough. This is your opportunity to ask for something, too anything from a follow up to an introduction to someone you discussed in the interview. Just remember to put your best foot forward. Don t be casual no slang allowed. This is another opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. 6

9 Technology Sheet A technology sheet doesn t work for everyone, but when it does, it s a powerful way to separate yourself from the pack. This should be the last page of your resume. It s where you put experience that doesn t really fit in the normal chronological list. For medical sales, it s where you would list specific laboratory experience or exposure to equipment or assays, or you can put a list of clients you ve sold to in that field. This is a great place to include industry-specific keywords that will make your resume show up on Applicant Tracking Systems. What Do I Bring to the Interview? Additional Tips, Ideas, and Suggestions Here are some eight great suggestions we ve collected from job seekers, successful candidates, and recruiters (in their words) for what to bring to the interview (a portfolio is the same concept as a brag book): #1 It definitely depends on the industry, country, who is interviewing and the candidate s self-confidence. A portfolio for anybody who works either as any kind of designer, model or artist; working examples, demos, prototypes are excellent tools for software developers to demonstrate their own work. #2 I ll recommend people to bring their laptops and be prepared with a sales speech. It worked for a co-worker of mine here in Canada (Software developer entry position). 7

10 #3 Work samples. Real, quantifiable, qualifiable, verifiable work samples. #4 I would recommend that the person bring a portfolio of items that they have worked on directly and are proud of. This is applicable to any profession (accounting, product management, marketing). I would get them to pick up a letter size portfolio book from any business store where each page is in plastic, making it easy to read and durable. Include items that will help visualize the stories you want to tell (e.g., network diagrams, flow charts, excel sheets, user stories). You can also include pages on methodologies you commonly use in case the person is not familiar with them. For example: Stage-Gate Lifecycle, Six Sigma or the QFD House of Quality. #5 I bring extra copies of my resume. I bring a number of personal business cards and am prepared to collect business cards so I can write thankyou notes when I get home. I have a separate resume page detailing my publications history. I bring that out only if it s needed. I have a portfolio and copies of brochures, clips, or other publications. I have a sheet containing the name, address, and other contact information for references. I have contacted these people in advance. I present it only if I am asked for it. #6 I usually have a marked-up set of pages from the company s website. #7 A portfolio containing examples of all your work. It s always more effective when you can make the claims on your resume more concrete. For example, if you re interviewing for an admin job that requires skills in Excel. Bring a sample of a spreadsheet, expense report or document you ve created. If you re a writer, bring copies of your work that you can distribute. Even if you just claim good written communication skills on your resume, bring a copy of a report you ve written. Tangible is concrete. What distinguishes you from other candidates is the work you ve done, and your accomplishments. So bring letters of recommendation as well in addition to extra copies of your resume, cover letter, and references. 8

11 #8 I just conducted interviews recently, and the most memorable candidates were those who had a nicely organized portfolio with samples of their work that backed up every claim on their resume. A word of caution, don t just bring something because you have it, make sure it s something that you can start a conversation with. #9 A competitive analysis (if warranted) generally makes a positive impression. Best of Luck in your Job Search! Peggy McKee Snr. Recruiter at PHC Consulting the nation s leading sales recruiter for medical and healthcare products/services arena. recruiting site job seeker tools site 9