As a medical sales recruiter, I specialize in placing sales and sales management professionals, and I've seen tens of thousands of resumes throughout my career. Since I often sift through them quickly, it takes a great resume to stand out from the crowd and get my attention. And job seekers in health care sales, medical device sales, laboratory sales, and pharmaceutical sales always ask "What can I do to get my resume noticed?" Beyond the basics of an easy-to-read, error-free, well-structured resume, there are qualities that catch my eye and cause me to consider candidates more closely, and I'd like to share them with you. Here are some easy changes you can make to your resume:
1. Highlight your performance. If you're in sales, it's vitally important that you demonstrate that you can ring the cash register. You show the hiring manager why he wants you on the team by highlighting your sales numbers, number of closes, key influencer sales, expense budgets, revenue, profit, growth, sales rankings, goal attainment, and so on. You can list that as numbers, dollar amounts, percentages, or whatever is appropriate. I have seen some eye-catching resumes that incorporate colored graphs to illustrate, but be careful not to overdo it. Use whatever style that best represents your growth.
3 Simple Things You Can Do To Strengthen Your Resume
Job Interview Coaching
Every point-of-contact with a hiring manager (or the HR department) is a make-or-break one. Each one is a “weeding” opportunity for them: your resume, your cover letter, your online presence, your phone interview, and your first interview. They’re looking for a reason to throw your name out and narrow down the field to make their jobs easier.
In response to that, the smart candidate will prepare, refine their job search and interview techniques, and give it all they’ve got. But there’s one other trick you could have up your sleeve: your own personal interview coach.
Why an interview coach?
How does that translate into your job search?
Why Can't I Find A Job?
It’s a tough job searching market out there. “Why Can’t I Find A Job?” will help you to boldly answer some of the most important questions that may help you to get on the right track to finding a job that’s a perfect fit for you! With millions of people currently unemployed, you really need to be prepared.
Here are several questions that you must ask yourself as you go through your job search. Be honest in your answers and don’t be afraid to dig deep below the surface to get at some of the reasons you are currently unable to find a job. Your joblessness may not be your fault. But you should still take an inventory of all of your answers to these questions anyway!
1. Why am I unemployed?
Were you laid off through no fault of your own? Were you fired? Did you walk away from your job due to frustration? Did you walk away from your job due to an unacceptable increase to your responsibilities and work hours? Did your company close its doors and leave you without an income?
Interview Advice: Post Interview Tips
Post-Interview
- You did you best, now remember to let it go.
- Always follow-up an interview with a “Thank You” letter within 24-48 hours.
- Understand that the interview is just part of the job search process and there may be many subsequent meetings.
- Never accept or reject a job until it is offered to you and you have weighed out your options, including their offer package.
- Maintain relations with the company via email or mail every other month. They may need you six months or even a year from now.
- Do not get upset if you do not get the job. Interviewing always gives you good practice and new contacts in the process.
- Do not badger them with phone calls if they have decided to hire another candidate. They get plenty of phone calls from candidates and it can become irritating to get calls all the time from someone they cannot place into a job at the moment.
My Trainees, My Colleagues, My Friends
Our journey together ends here, today. But it does not necessarily mean that we severe our bond. As I have always said, living begins when one starts leaving. Pun intended, but the phrase carries deeper meaning for all of us.
"The 14 Disciples? err...my trainees, I wonder who's Judas the betrayer? :-? "You are no longer my trainees. It’s time for us to leave that state, that relationship. You are now my colleagues. Whether you like it or not. We are co-employees. We now work together. Or we have always been, actually.
"D' Kwaknit Babes, Ms. Tapia, Ms. P., and Ms. Gorio"While you have looked up to me as your immediate superior, your boss, your master, so to speak –thank you –I have always treated you as my colleague. I want you to act like one. Training is over, at least, in so far as the Engineer Trainee Program is concerned.
