Archive | March 2014

What two questions should a resume always answer?

1.  What are your responsibilities?  (What do you do?)

Consumer products is a fact-based industry and very analytical whether you are in sales, supply chain, marketing or (especially) category management.  Therefore, it’s essential to go into detail about what you do: the accounts you manage, the data tools you’ve used, sales volume, number of SKUs etc.  Don’t be afraid to give details – the individuals reviewing your resume are hoping you’ll give them enough information to show you are qualified for their opportunity.

2.  What are your accomplishments and achievements?  (Are you any good at what you do?)

If you are in sales, have you increased sales or the number of items?  If you’re in supply chain, have you made processes more efficient, cut costs or fixed recurring problems?  In category management, have you helped the category grow in sales, and what strategies did you implement to help grow the category?

The bottom line is that resumes should proactively answer questions, not raise questions.

If you leave pertinent information off your resume and leave basic questions unanswered, your resume is far more likely to be set aside… and forgotten.

The War For Talent

More than one third of our workforce will disappear in the next fifteen years as Baby Boomers retire.  This was expected sooner, but the so-called Great Recession wiped out many retirement accounts and has delayed their exit.

The job market is quickly changing to a candidate-driven market rather than company-driven.  Any hiring manager, HR manager or recruiter who has recently worked to fill a category manager position would attest to this fact.

In The War For Talent by Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones and Beth Axelrod, the authors confirm:

“The war for talent is creating a new business reality.”

They also suggest:

Jim_War

From The War For Talent by Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones, Beth Axelrod.  {Click to enlarge graphic}