Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Not Just a Number

Employers may sift through potential resume and applications in a mechanical fashion, but remember that employers are human beings, they want to hire someone they can work with on a day to day basis. Managers hiring for their department will have to see their new employees on a daily basis, so managers look for insight on who you are on a deeper level, beyond just your technical skills. In your resume reveal a little bit about your personality, so that employers can get a better picture of who you are, as a human being.

Do not reveal too much about your personal life or frivolous information, remember, you’re not going on a date. But rather, tell employers about what drives you in your professional life. Do you get a rush of energy when you can finally help a student understand how to do a math problem ? Do you jump with joy as a credit counselor when you can see the stress melt away from a debt stricken client ? These types of extra information provides a more complete picture of who you are as a person. How much information and what kind of information you reveal will depend on the industry you are trying to enter and other factors. Use your personal judgement about how much and what to reveal to employers. 

 Remember, employers hire humans, not machines. Think about the hiring process from your employers perspective, they have to deal with you on a daily basis, eight hours a day, five days a week. Employers will be looking for someone that they can connect and work with, on a personnel level. A great place to put personal information, is in the cover letter. 

Cover letters are designed to be less rigid and restricting then a resume, so use this opportunity to paint a more complete image of who you are. If an employer can appreciate you on a human level, half the battle will be won. They will “like” you, and maybe even be willing to over look the fact that your technical background may not be as strong as other applicants.

Humans are ruled by emotions more often than not, so work this to your advantage. Paint an image of a person people want to work with on a personal level. 

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