Believe it or not, some people are so proficient at their jobs, that they can’t tell you what they do for a living. These people (will become frustrated when simply asked “tell me what they do”). The reason that it is important to verbally communicate your skills and accomplishments is that it helps your supervisor, the HR representative or hiring personnel to see your value. Once the value of your ability is understood, it will make a difference in your salary and bonus structure offer that you may receive. You can also leverage your skills and negotiate greater benefits for yourself based on your skills, experience and expertise as a subject matter expert. How would you feel if you realized that you could have been paid $10,000 or more for your current position, if only you verbally confirmed your total experiences, demonstrated achievements and long-standing industry specific experiences in your field. Here are 3 Ways to Draw Your Industry Specific Terminology on Your Resume:
1. Research Your Job – See the occupational outlook handbook from your cell phone @ http://www.bls.gov/ooh/mobile It’s the best, all-time best way to see the different components of your job and profession including history and future trends. Take some time to learn about your industry from a text-book standard.
2. Look at your job offer letter, employee handbook, company magazine or look in the break room for any related information about your company. Sometimes press releases are posted indicating the level of successes per quarter for your company. Look at the bragging rights that the company is proud to share with the world. Use those most important company ‘industry specific' terms on your resume.
3. Engage in a casual conversation with your team leader, co-workers and supervisor on the most important parts of your job. Gather a comprehension of industry specific software that you use every day. Ask the ‘so what’ question. Discuss what happens if your duties are not completed satisfactory. Discuss the benefits of what happens when the team meets and exceeds its goals. Use this information to determine metrics for your job. For instance, if you worked for Dell computers as a sales person, when you and your co-workers sell 100 computers an hour, what happens for the company? Bonuses? Profit Sharing? How does that affect the other departments such as the warehousing, distribution, shipping and supplying? Use this information to begin to develop a casual conversation about your job, your duties and those areas that you contribute in the company’s success.
Persistent, motivated job seekers who expect to be successful in their job search understand how they make a difference in their jobs and careers. Be certain to apply your new found knowledge on your resumes, in your bios, in your LinkedIn profiles and on your one page websites. When you understand how you make a difference, key gatekeepers will welcome you in for a conversation.
Comments