Reviewing Resumes: Yours & Theirs!

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?” - Benjamin Franklin, American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. (1706-1790)

Resumes are the predominant American way of stating/sharing work experience as well as someone's potential based on roles held coupled with accomplishments.

In order to ensure you are represented well, and positioned for a speaking engagement or a new opportunity (if you are looking or others are looking at you), consider updating your resume quarterly with quantifiable results. Even if you love where you are, it is a great tool for bringing up talking points during informal reviews or when you are seeking a promotion.

Likewise, as a leader, you either hired or inherited people who were hired at your company/firm. So, dig those resumes out from HR and take a look at each of your team members’ resume once a quarter as well. Every person has talents that are not being utilized, and experiences that may assist with things other than their primary role. Use the resume as a tool for bringing up talking points during informal reviews or when you are interested in learning what goals your staff member has.

Since most everyone has a resume, let’s get them updated, or at least dusted off, to ensure we are not hiding the many talents each of us has!

5 Web-Catchy Ways

“Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.”

- Ivern Ball, Dadaist Poet

With so many people (students, your team, your clients, your competitors, your customers, your prospects, and your partners) getting information from websites, blogs and other on-line resources, ensure you are writing for web-catchiness by following the three ways to "catch" a reader on the web:

1. Hook Them
Give the "surfer" a reason to become a "reader". Use titles that grab their attention with less than 6 words in the title. Make them catchy (full pun intended here!).

2. Keep Them
Write tight, keep things brief, informative, bulleted and applicable. Cover the topic, reinforce, show application, and be done. Take out words. Use a photo or quotation to drive home a point. Make people want to finish what your "hook" started!

3. Direct Them
You have them there, and they are reading, so ensure you have hyperlinks, an underlined or highlighted word, phrase or web address, so the reader can quickly get more by clicking on the link to your website, another article, etc. Otherwise, if someone doesn't want more, they can skip that link, and it does not seem like so much verbiage to skim.

4. Love Them
Make the time and share the opportunity to recognize students, your team, your clients, your customers, your prospects, and your partners and any other things that are important to your readers. People love to be appreciated, read about themselves and/or things that are important to them.

5. Leave Them
Be done and leave them wanting more! Give a closing comment, challenge, or preview of what is next. Leave them satisfied with what you shared, and interested enough to come back!

Your challenge is to implement this or share it with someone else who manages your web presence and verbiage, and track the results. Be bold, and be available...after all these 5 Web-Catchy Ways may change how someone views you and/or your company, and make these efforts worth the catch!