Finding a Job: How to Be a Perfect Match

We all know the resume is your calling card, and its job is to get you noticed. Since February is associated with perfect matches, use some of that synchronicity to get you noticed despite the tight job market. Focus on improving your interactions with everyone you meet during your job search to make you irresistible to hiring managers. Concentrate your efforts on key opportunities to make the most of this short month and land that big interview, ending your affair with the job search for good!

Whether you are applying by posting your resume, sending emails, or dropping off an application at a brick-and-mortar location, the basic laws of attraction in human interactions still apply. Have your resume send the right message to the hiring manager by using the tips below.

Once the hiring manager looks at your resume, you want the search to be over.

To make that happen, first take a few minutes to carefully review the job posting. You must make certain that your qualifications, skills, and experiences match the job description perfectly in order to attract the attention of the hiring manager.

Make the review a question-and-answer session and be completely clear about how your resume solves the problems of the open position. Match the company’s needs with your skills by demonstrating your recent achievements in your resume. Target your strengths by creating a thoughtful list of core competencies that match the requirements of the open position.

If your resume does its job as matchmaker, the hiring manager won’t be able to wait to talk to you!

Although your resume is not a valentine, you want the message to be just as strong.

Valentine’s cards have messages that are usually straightforward, leaving no question in the reader’s mind. Make the message from your resume equally as clear. It should say “hire me” and support that invitation with all the right qualifications and experiences for the open position. Emphasize your most recent experience and cut out the excess from early in your career. Align your strengths with the needs of the company to show that you are the right candidate.

Build multiple layers into your job search. Rather than simply submitting your resume, expand your reach by using social media and networking sites to your advantage. Display your strengths and capabilities by joining industry groups on LinkedIn or special interest divisions in your professional organizations. Don’t forget local and regional groups as well. These types of activities are often reported on the websites of local newspapers, so you can make contact even if you don’t live in a community that has industries of interest to you.

Making just a few strategic changes to your resume can present you as an irresistible candidate to potential employers. By highlighting all the right qualifications and skills, your resume will become “must read” material for the hiring manager. Use your resume to demonstrate that you are the perfect match for potential employers and get called for an interview!

If you need help with your resume, upload it for a free resume review by the country’s leading resume writing firm! Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 175,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are Certified Professional Resume Writers.

Then, once you perfect your resume and start the job search process, Salary.com can be of service.

The first thing you should do is research, so you're able to come to the table armed with the knowledge of what your job is worth. Use our free Salary Wizard below to find out what's a fair salary for your position. You can enter your location, education level, years of experience and more to find out an appropriate salary range before you negotiate.

Good luck.