Career Management and Job Search for Top Talent Blog

We promote the need to sell during the hiring process. In fact, we have a webinar titled "Traditional Resumes are Worthless." We suggest instead a "Compelling Marketing Brochure." This brochure is really just a way of stressing the need to develop a resume that addresses the needs of the hiring manager.

There is a major warning with using a Compelling Marketing Brochure, you can't cross the line between professional and appearing desperate. Many candidates don't know where that line is. An excellent example of this is based on a recent article on Yahoo Hotjobs titled "Wacky Job-Seeker Stunts; Too Much Creativity Can Thwart Success.

There are many examples in this article of wachy things candidates do to get noticed, from sending flowers to attaching scratch and sniff stickers to a resume. The consensus of all those quoted in the article is this will generally diminish the candidates changes of getting an interview. Most hiring managers, even those in sales, marketing, the advertising and PR industry don't like these gimmicks. In fact, few take the candidate serious when they do these wacky things. They come across as desperate.

As recruiters we completely support this. Wacky resumes generally get a laugh and then go in the shredder. We aren't looking for a wacky candidate unless that is in the job description.  We want professionals who let their accomplishments speak for them.

You don't need to be wacky to get  noticed. Create a professional resume that sells and addresses the direct needs of the hiring manager. You do that you won't need to go over the line to wacky.

And your resume or Compelling Marketing Brochure will get noticed.

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