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Marketing Yourself for Success: The Resumé

Whether motivated by a layoff, a desire for career change or upward movement, there are some important elements to remember as you begin your job search.

Think of the job search as show time — you are the center of attraction and everything from your resumé to your personal appearance and behavior during an interview will influence a prospective employer. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is a very true statement.

This is why every element of the package must be as professional and polished as possible.

Let’s begin first by looking at your resumé. In future columns, we’ll discuss some of the other aspects of marketing yourself for success.

Your First Impression

The first impression a prospective employer forms of you is through your resumé and perhaps an accompanying cover letter. Your resumé should paint a picture of your accomplishments and highlight your achievements. Employers get a lot of resumés. You have 30 seconds to capture their attention.

It is important to read and proof your resumé. Mistakes create a bad first impression. Don’t rely on spell check; many mistakes can be missed because the word is not in the proper context although it is correctly spelled.

Remember that most resumés are now transmitted via e-mail and some are scanned by automatic systems, so be sure that the key words describing your skills are included. If you are posting your resumé online, pay particular attention to the format.

A resumé should only be two pages, and hard copy should be laser printed on good quality paper, either white or ivory. There are many online resources to provide help in preparation, but if you are in doubt, invest in a good service to prepare your resumé.

A resumé should contain a brief summary of your qualifications, and your employment history should detail how you carried out your responsibilities and what contributions you made to the company. Avoid repetition, trite phrases and the use of the “I” word.

Include a brief educational summary and forget personal information and hobbies. Age, marital status and personal interests have no bearing on your ability to perform and are unnecessary and illegal information for an employer to have during the initial interview stages.

Cover letters should always be addressed to a person by name and title except in the case of a blind ad. Research the company and include relevant comments in your letter. Beware of the generic “one size fits all” cover letter and again, check your spelling!

Now for a chance to use your resumé skills:

Opportunities in Purchasing

One of the most important functions in the building process is purchasing. Once a design is chosen all the components of a house must be selected and bought. Then subcontractors are chosen to install the items.

In smaller companies the owner or a project manager may do this task. Larger companies often have several levels of staff in a purchasing department. At the top is a purchasing manager or director who oversees the entire purchasing function. There may be several purchasing agents or estimators and a contract administrator.

The duties of a purchasing manager or agent are varied, ranging from budget preparation to bidding out jobs, preparing and negotiating contracts and selecting subcontractors. This position requires knowledge of the construction process, the ability to read blueprints and excellent math, computer abilities and people skills.

Here are some of the activities that might appear on a job description for a professional with purchasing responsibilities:

• In charge of budgeting, purchasing and contracting of new construction
• Prepare preliminary home construction budgeting for new subdivisions
• Conduct meetings with consultants and designers to review architectural and engineering plans
• Responsible for construction material research and selections
• Prepare bidding documents
• Review bids and award contracts
• Prepare final budgets and monthly cost analyses
• Supervise contract administration staff
• Review budgets and update on new releases
• Communicate with field superintendents and project managers for scope of work updates and contractor evaluations

Lee Terry is president of the San Mateo, CA-based Lee Terry & Associates, Inc., an executive recruiting firm specializing in the building industry. Terry is also the immediate past chair of the NAHB Women’s Council. Terry can be reched at 650-570-7913 or via e-mail.

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