The AAF is excited to announce an alliance with The Creative Group, a staffing service which specializes in placing advertising, marketing and creative web professionals on a project basis.

This new alliance will provide career and management advice to our members. The Creative Group will offer exclusive online content for the AAF as well as host webinars on career-related topics.


Creating a Knock-Out Resume

by The Creative Group

It’s usually flattering when someone hangs on your every word – but for advertising or marketing professionals in search of a job, this kind of scrutiny takes on a whole new meaning. According to a survey by our company, executives spend more than six minutes, on average, screening each resume received. Considering these documents are usually only one or two pages in length, this suggests many are being examined with a fine-toothed comb.

By spending more time assessing application materials up front, companies hope to avoid costly hiring mistakes and narrow the field of candidates before conducting time-consuming, labor-intensive in-person interviews.

What can you do to make sure your resume survives hiring managers’ scrutiny? Here are some tips:

Follow tradition. Three-quarters of hiring managers surveyed by our company said they prefer a chronological resume, with the most recent work history listed first, over those organized by job function and skills. Hiring managers prefer this format because the information is easy to find and review quickly.

Market thyself. Show employers that you are effective at marketing yourself by making your resume easy-to-read and highlighting the most impressive information about you. For example, if you have worked for well-known organizations, you might design the document to showcase the names of previous employers. If, on the other hand, the job titles that you’ve held will make more of an impression, emphasize those.

Make it personal. Rather than creating a blanket resume that you submit to every company or agency that interests you, tailor the document to each opportunity. Research a potential employer so you can emphasize the skills, attributes and experiences that are most relevant to the organization’s unique needs.

Focus on accomplishments. When describing your work history, avoid simply listing your duties. Instead, talk about your successes in each role. Consider the following questions to help you decide which achievements to include:

  • Did you beat a deadline or come in under budget for a particular campaign?
  • Have you developed an innovative idea or solved a sticky business problem?
  • Did you lead a project team?
  • Have you trained others in the advertising or marketing department?
  • Have you earned recognition, such as promotion, award or bonus?
  • Has your work been recognized in industry competitions?
  • Did your campaigns generate new business? Try to quantify results wherever possible.

Use the right words. Many resumes are first evaluated by computer programs that scan the document for keywords from the job ad. You can help your resume make the cut by incorporating these terms – “strong presenter,” “problem solver” or “solutions-oriented,” for example – assuming they accurately describe your skills and experiences.

Clear the clutter. Don’t muddle your message by filling your resume with personal information, such as hobbies and interests that have little or no relevance to your professional pursuits. Also, avoid using buzzwords, industry jargon or acronyms that your reader may not understand. Use a clear font and bullet points to make your resume easy to scan and digest.

Dissect it. Three out of four executives interviewed by our company said just one or two typos in a resume would remove applicants from consideration for a job. Perfection is especially important if you’re applying for a job that requires great attention to detail, such as copywriter or traffic manager. In addition to using spell-check, proofread your document multiple times yourself (and ask a friend to do the same) to make sure it’s error-free.

Take it for a test drive. Before sending out your resume, ask a friend or family member to review your resume and summarize its key points. This will help you make sure the most important information is being conveyed to readers. Finally, keep in mind that while some employers may spend considerable time reviewing the resumes they receive, others will only give your application a quick once-over. A clean, concise and well-crafted document, however, will help catch an employer’s attention and keep their interest.

The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing advertising, marketing, creative and web professionals with a variety of firms. More information, including online job-hunting services, candidate portfolios and The Creative Group’s award-winning career magazine, can be found at www.creativegroup.com.