How to Use Resume Sales Analysis in Your Job Search

An early and crucial stage of planning your job search is the analysis of the sales situation. The sales objective of your job search is clear: to convince employment representatives that your credentials more than meet the job and company requirements and that you fit into the company's picture. With this objective in mind, you must gather two types of vital information:

1. job/company requirements and
2. your credentials.

Knowing both types of information allows you to test and demonstrate your personal salability for the job you want. If you can see that your credentials match the job/company requirements, you can feel confident that you possess the basis for an effective sales presentation. But knowing that your credentials equip you to handle the important demands of a job is not enough! You must be able to "communicate'* this knowledge to employers. One of the most effective ways of impressing employers is through personal awareness of your own strengths, of the company's accomplishments, and of your ability to fulfill the key job requirements. Therefore, 'communicate" this matching of personal credentials to job/company requirements in your resume, application letters, interviews, and follow-up letters, and you will be building a solid sales presentation.

All sample resumes and sample letters available in books and on the Internet demonstrate awareness of personal credentials and job requirements. In summary, having knowledge of the job and company, in addition to knowledge of oneself, is essential to selling effectively within the resume and the rest of the campaign. Acquiring such knowledge requires two important tasks:


 

1. job/company analysis and
2. self-analysis.

Job/Company Analysis

The following list contains good advice and valuable sources of job and company information:
 

1. Personal Knowledge of Job and Company: On a sheet of paper, write down what you already know about the requirements of the job you're seeking. In this manner you may find that you already possess considerable knowledge about the job. Do the same regarding a firm you want to work for; write down your knowledge of the company's products, services, growth pattern, plus any other important statistics.
2. Other People's Knowledge of Job and Company: Ask people who hold or have held similar positions for their opinions about the key job requirements. Also, tap the resources of employees of the company if you happen to know any of them.
3. Dictionary of Occupational Titles: At the reference desk of your public, university, or company library, examine the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), published by the Department of Labor. This comprehensive book lists job descriptions and requirements for almost every conceivable job and should be invaluable in helping you understand key job requirements.
4. Classified Ads: Search through several sections of classified job advertising and clip out several different ads regarding your type of work. Then read through the clipped ads and distill those job requirements that continue to reappear. In this way, you can start to construct an accurate picture of the important requirements of your job.
5. Company Annual Report and Promotional Material: Obtain company publications by writing to the companies themselves. Annual reports are also generally available in business sections of libraries. Read through these materials, searching for those qualities that are in demand. Besides searching for employee qualities, learn as much as you can about the activities of the companies. Your knowledge of company operations and achievements can pay off handsomely as you write and talk to company representatives.
6. SRA Occupational Briefs: Published by Science Research Associates, this can be obtained at the reference desk of libraries. It contains briefs de scribing major occupational areas.
7. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this can be obtained at the reference desk of libraries. It provides employment projections for various fields.

If you have taken the time and made a concerted effort to gather job and company information, you should know more about your chosen job and companies than most other job applicants. Yet this type of information is only one half of your sales arsenal for waging your successful campaigns. The other half of your sales analysis will provide you with important information about your own qualifications to perform effectively on the job.

Self-Analysis

Employment representatives seek the answer to a key question: ''What does the applicant have that I need?'' Your resume is a prime opportunity to put your best foot forward and help readers answer this question quickly. By making your resume shine with positive proof of your credentials, you lead employment representatives to say, "This resume has just what have been looking for!"