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Resume writing and cover
letter samples for business executive job searches in Canada or the USA
Once you've decided on the career move you want
to make, the last step in getting prepared is to
learn the craft of resume writing and to create
outstanding resume cover letters. Today, no executive
should look for a new position without having several
resumes.
Unfortunately, when we look for a job, we are reduced
to how we look on paper. Yet, 95 percent of resume
writing is awful, and most resume cover letters are
worse. They are average in appearance, disclose too
many liabilities, are uninteresting, and are rarely
about the benefits people can bring a new employer.
Since the early 1990s, the immense growth in the use
of personal computers, fax machines, the Internet
and e-mail has resulted in firms receiving 20 to 50
times more resumes and resume cover letters than in
the past. Staffing Industry sources have indicated
that as many as 30,000,000 resumes and 5,000 resume
cover letters are being circulated across North America
each month. As a result, many employers and recruiters
have embraced resume-screening software and have also
shifted to new selection procedures.
Working with clients from Victoria BC Canada to Miami Florida USA, the Strategic Alliance writing team has
developed a much more effective approach, one which
utilizes several styles of resume writing and precise
resume cover letters which are carefully targeted
for different applications. This affords our clients
a significant competitive edge.
Our copywriting itself is governed by seven key criteria. If you currently have a single resume, you can evaluate it by the same rules.
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The Game Rules Have Changed
Now You Need "Solution" Resumes |
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With resumes playing such a critical role for our clients, we've invested countless hours in testing different ideas. We have learned that an "A" resume is not just two times more effective than a "B" resume - it's more like 100 times more effective.
We know of candidates who have mailed out over 1,000
resumes that a mailing service prepared and get nothing
in return. On the other hand, a strategic placement
of 100 of our resumes, highly targeted by industry and
all sent in one day, can produce significant activity
and several very attractive offers.
The resumes we write are geared toward reducing interviewing pressure, by pre-selling our clients as much as possible. The ideal reaction on the receiving end should be, "Paul, I've been looking forward to seeing you. I have the feeling you can really help."
Our resume writing makes your resume a solutions to
each client's situation, materials that bridge all
of our client's experiences, to help sell them for
precisely what they now seek. This is the role of
high-level professional copywriting. Personal and
powerful, the style, tone and every word of what we
do is carefully crafted, as the materials we create
are ultimately vital to the success of our clients.
You Need Three Resumes and Plenty of Resume Cover Letters
--- We Can Prepare Them For You
1) Your Universal Resume and Cover Letter
The most essential resume that anyone needs is what we call a Universal Resume - a unique one-page document that will be your introductory resume in most job search situations. Most people mistakenly believe that they need to tell their whole story in their initial resume. The reality is that you get better results when your initial resume is interesting, with a feeling of action - but short! The whole purpose is simply to get the phone ringing.
Our universal resumes are suitable for key word scanning, with short paragraphs, and as easy-to-read and compelling as possible. From a content standpoint, we start with a clear job title positioning statement which reflects the real job titles that employers are seeking to fill, and for which you want to be considered.
2) Your Electronic Resume and Cover Letter
You need a different type of resume to compete online. Few people understand the issues when they e-mail or post their resume online, and it is surprising how few devote any thought to the way their resumes appear at the receiving end of an e-mail transmission. The electronic resumes we create are short, and the style and format maximize visual and key word search effectiveness. When you are online, less is more. All you want is a response.
Because much of job hunting is a game of numbers and timing, you also need a resume which makes it easy for you to respond quickly to certain situations. With the information capability of our private web site at your fingertips, using this style of resume makes it easier to get a lot of resumes into serious play.
3) Your Quick-Response Resume and Cover Letter
This resume positions the text on the right-hand side of the page so that you can write handwritten notes and dispatch a resume without a cover letter. Our clients consistently tell us that executives have responded particularly well to their written notes that were a reaction to something that appeared in the media.
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Some executives also request other resume materials
1) An Interview Resume and Cover Letter
An Interview Resume is designed to be a persuasive
summary of your experiences - one which intentionally
reveals more about you. It is for leaving behind at
interviews, once you have made a strong impression
- and when it is clear that employers want to know
more about what you can contribute. Crafting something
superior takes at least a full day of our professional time, but we have found that this resume can
be very effective as a selling document when used
in this manner.
2) The CEO Biography - for Senior Executives Seeking Packages Over $200,000
The CEO bio is an extremely powerful document. It is recommended only for those who expect to be hired by the president or CEO directly, by someone reporting to the president or to a Board of Directors. Over the years, we have seen many situations where a potential VP, Senior VP, or Executive VP fully expected an offer from a president... but subsequently saw interest drift away.
The reason is that decision makers often "pass-on" a
resume to the top executive, or to Board members, to
get consensus on a selection. The ultimate offer becomes
dependent on the resume presentation, since interviewing
all top candidates might be impossible. Your CEO bio
can be your competitive edge in these final stages.
Our CEO biographies are most effective when prepared in narrative style, at a length of three, four or five pages, and when written from a third-party perspective. Typically a long story that is rich in detail, a CEO bio can also help speed things along, and sometimes negates the need for further checking on the part of the employer.
Creating this type of document takes our most senior staff members at least two days from start to finish. This includes multiple drafts, review by other staff and final edits.
This type of document is highly favored by top-tier recruiters because it makes their job easier when submitting final candidates whom they want to present at their best. CEOs prefer it because it can help sell someone they like to their Board members. |
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Resume Cover Letters
We'll Help You Get On The Shortlist
We typically supply our clients with an excellent sample
letter package, including some of the most productive
letters that have proven successful for our previous
clients. A number of samples, very easy to copy or adapt,
are included for each of the 13 applications they may
encounter; however, some senior executives prefer to
have us professionally draft their letters... anticipating
the full range of situations they may encounter. Supplied
on diskette, having your letters prepared in advance
makes job hunting far more convenient. The portfolio
we typically create includes letters for the following
occasions.
(1) For responding to openings
(2) For contacting recruiters
(3) For contacting venture capitalists
(4) For responding to spot opportunities
(5) For direct mail contact with employers
(6) For sponsored direct mail to employers
(7) For contacting directors of associations
(8) For networking associates and friends
(9) For networking alumni from your university
(10) For networking influential people
(11) For setting up potential references
(12) For following-up your interviews
(13) For following-up something ideal after several tries.
Our staff will present a recommended action plan involving
7 different ways for getting the right interviews.
For more details about how the Strategic Alliance
team can help you find the perfect position in your
marketplace, you may call us at 250-886-4411 or drop
us an email today at
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