06Jun

Say you have started working on your resume. You know the basics of what to include, but you want to stand out! There are plenty of ways to stand out among a competitive list of applicants, but you do not want to stand out for the wrong reasons and miss a fantastic job opportunity.  

Recently on the Green Key Resources blog, we outlined what you should include on your resume and the best ways to highlight your skills so you can match the job of your dreams. Before you hit apply, be sure to review your resume and remove these 6 things from your resume. 

1 – Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors 

Double or triple-check your resume for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Read it aloud and have another person read it for mistakes. Utilize spell-check and review grammar rules for resume writing to ensure your resume is on point. You do not want to lose a shot at an interview because of a simple mistake. 

2 – Inaccuracies about your experience or skills 

Never lie on your resume. False claims on your resume would be humiliating if discovered and may lead to termination or a lawsuit. Make sure you can back up all of the skills, experience, and projects you include on your resume. 

3 – Irrelevant hobbies, interests, and experience 

Make sure your resume only contains the most relevant information that a recruiter or hiring manager should know about you when considering you for a position.  

Consider removing: 

  • Old jobs 
    • Work experience that is older than 10-15 years can be left off your resume to make room for more current and relevant experience. 
  • High school information 
    • If you have a degree above a high school diploma or GED, you do not need to include your high school education on your resume. 
  • Non-related job experience 
    • Unless you are switching careers or you are at the start of your career and want to show general working experience, leave off the work experience that does not directly relate to the job to which you are applying.  
  • Hobbies and interests 
    • Your interview is the time recruiters and hiring managers can get to know you on a more personal level, so you do not need to include personal details that would be good topics of conversation during your interview. 
  • Internships 
    • If you have been in the corporate world long enough to have sufficient professional experience, you can leave off even relevant internships to make space for more impactful work experience.  

Remember: your resume is important real estate. All the content of your resume should inform the reader of why you are a viable candidate for that role. Only the most relevant information should be on it. 

4 – A professional headshot 

Your photo reveals a lot about you – your nationality, gender, age, among other things that could inadvertently lead to discrimination. In fact, anti-discrimination laws prevent most states from requiring a photo on resumes or applications.  

Outside of the United States, it is standard practice to include a professional photo on your resume. In the US, however, this is not a typical practice, nor is it required. It is better to leave a photo off your resume. Let your qualifications and experience be the focus. 

5 – Long paragraphs or large blocks of text 

Your resume should give a quick, accurate picture of your experience and skills. Avoid cluttering your resume with unnecessary information and large blocks of text that might make it difficult for employers to find the most relevant elements of your experience and background.  

A resume should be easy to read. If a hiring manager or recruiter cannot quickly skim your resume and get the information they need; you may be out of the running for a role. Use bullet points and create precise, action-focused sentences that highlight your skills and the results of your work. A simplified and tailored resume is an impactful resume. 

6 – Flowery language and company-specific jargon 

When creating your resume, avoid using flowery language. Words like “really” and “excellent” do not add much substance to your resume. When possible, use data to illustrate your point. Remove low-impact adjectives and adverbs so you can utilize the real estate on your resume for a skill or experience that will have more impact.  

Review your resume to ensure you have not included any company-specific jargon, abbreviations, or acronyms that someone outside of the company would not understand. 

Including industry-specific jargon on your resume is acceptable, especially if you are applying for a job within the same industry. In fact, utilizing industry jargon can often show your understanding of the industry. Additionally, these industry keywords are often used by keyword matching programs in resume parsers that many recruiting firms and large corporations use to find candidates that match their job openings. 

Conclusion 

The main thing to understand about your resume is that it should be an accurate representation of your skills and experience that is easy to digest in a short amount of time. If you’re looking for more career and job search guidance, be sure to reach out to our recruiting teams on our website or on LinkedIn

Now that you’ve got a great resume, check out the list of Green Key Resources’ jobs we’re hiring for now and submit your new resume to apply! 

Feb 26, 2024

The Essence of Marketing Strategy: Driving Business Success

In the intricate world of business, a marketing strategy serves as the cornerstone upon which companies build their path to success. But what exactly is the marketing strategy, what are the different types of marketing strategies, and how does it work? In this article we’ll explore these questions and delve into the essence of effective marketing strategies.

What is Marketing Strategy?

According to Investopedia.com, “A marketing strategy refers to a business’s overall game plan to facilitate the buying and selling of its products or services. A marketing strategy determines how to reach prospective consumers and turn them into customers. It contains the company’s value proposition, key brand messaging, data on target customer demographics, and other high-level elements. A thorough marketing strategy covers the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion.”

Types of Marketing Strategy

Types of marketing strategies include:

  • Social Media Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Pay Per Click (PPC)
  • Email Marketing
  • Content Marketing

How Does it Work?

A marketing strategy functions as a road map that guides all marketing activities and initiatives. It begins with a thorough understanding of the target market – their needs, preferences, and pain points. Based on this understanding, the strategy defines the positioning of the company’s offerings and determines the most effective channels and messages to reach the target audience.

Key components of a marketing strategy include:

Market Segmentation: Identifying and segmenting the target market based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior.

Value proposition: Articulating the unique value that the company offers to its customers and differentiating itself from competitors.

Channel selection: Choosing the most appropriate marketing channels to reach the target audience, such as social media, e-mail marketing, content marketing, or traditional advertising.

Messaging and Creative: Crafting compelling messages and creative assets that resonate with their target audience and communicate the value proposition effectively.

Measurement and Analysis: Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of marketing efforts and continuously analyzing data to optimize performance.

In conclusion, understanding marketing strategies, its types, and how it works are vital for business success, enabling companies to drive growth and engagement effectively.  

Feb 27, 2024

The Essence of Marketing Strategy: Driving Business Success (Part II)

With a grasp of the fundamental concept of Marketing Strategy, let’s explore its advantages in more detail and uncover the steps to effectively craft one.

Benefits of Marketing Strategies

  • Clear Direction: A well-defined marketing strategy provides a clear roadmap for achieving business objectives. It aligns marketing efforts with overall goals, ensuring that every action contributes to the company’s success.
  • Customer Engagement and Loyalty: A strategic approach to marketing fosters deeper connections with customers. By understanding their needs and preferences, companies can tailor messages and experiences that resonate with their audience, leading to increased engagement and loyalty.

Marketing Stratego also highlights a few benefits including:

  • “Increased Brand Awareness: A strong marketing strategy helps increase brand awareness by promoting the business’s products or services to the target audience. This, in turn, leads to more recognition and recall of the brand, which ultimately leads to more sales and customer loyalty.”
  • “Increased Sales and Revenue: A well-designed marketing strategy leads to increased sales and revenue by attracting more customers to the business and increasing their willingness to purchase. This can be achieved through effective targeting, promotions, and other marketing efforts.”
  • “Better Customer Targeting: A good marketing strategy helps businesses understand their target audience and create campaigns that are relevant to them. This leads to more effective and efficient marketing, as businesses are able to reach their target customers more effectively and achieve better results.”
  • “Competitive Advantage: A strong marketing strategy can give a business a competitive advantage by differentiating it from its competitors. By creating unique and effective campaigns, businesses can stand out in their market and attract more customers.”
  • ‘Improved Lead Generation: A good marketing strategy helps businesses generate more leads by promoting the business’s products or services to the target audience. This leads to more opportunities for businesses to convert those leads into customers and increase their revenue.”
  • “Improved Brand Image and Reputation: A well-designed marketing strategy helps improve a business’s brand image and reputation by creating positive associations with the brand. This, in turn, leads to increased customer loyalty, as customers are more likely to do business with a brand they view positively.”
  • “Increased Market Share: A strong marketing strategy helps businesses increase their market share by attracting more customers and retaining existing ones. This, in turn, leads to increased revenue and growth for the business.”
  • “More Effective Use of Resources: A good marketing strategy helps businesses make the most of their marketing budget and resources. By identifying the most effective channels and campaigns, businesses can maximize their return on investment and achieve better results.”
  • “Better Return on Investment (ROI): A well-designed marketing strategy helps businesses achieve a better return on investment by increasing sales and revenue and maximizing the use of resources. This, in turn, leads to increased profitability and growth for the business.”

Now that we’ve highlighted the benefits of a marketing strategy, lets’ explore the process of creating an effective one.

According to Hubspot.com, here are the eight steps a company should take during the marketing strategy process:

  • Conduct market research: “…you need to gather useful data for making informed decisions. Market research is like playing detective, but instead of solving crimes, you’re uncovering juicy details about your customers. Market research will help your businesses make data-driven decisions for your marketing strategy. It also makes it easier to understand your target market, find gaps, and make the most of your resources.”
  • Define your goals: What do you want to achieve through your marketing efforts? Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or diversifying your customer base, well-defined goals will guide your marketing strategy.”
  • Identify your target audience and create buyer personas: To create an effective marketing strategy, you need to understand who your ideal customers are. Take a look at your market research to understand your target audience and market landscape. Accurate customer data is especially important for this step…”
  • Conduct competitive analysis: To begin your competitive analysis, start with your top competitors. Reviewing their websites, content, ads, and pricing can help you understand how to differentiate your brand. It’s also a useful way to find opportunities for growth.”
  • Develop key messaging: Craft compelling massages and creative assets that effectively communicate your value proposition and resonate with your audience. Ensure consistency in messaging across all channels to build brand recognition and trust.
  • Choose your marketing channels: You know what you have to say, now decide on the best marketing channels for your message. Your top goal for this stage of your strategy is to align your channel choices with your target persona’s media consumption habits. Start with media channels you’re already using. Then, consider a mix of traditional and digital channels such as social media, TV, email marketing, podcast ads, SEO, content marketing, and influencer partnerships. To streamline this process, think of your assets in three categories — paid, owned, and earned media.”
  • Create, track, and analyze KPIs: At this stage, you’ll shift from marketing detective to numbers nerd. With a little planning and prep, your analytics can unveil the mysteries of marketing performance and unlock super insights. Review your strategy and choose measurable KPIs to track the effectiveness of your strategy. Create a system that works for your team to collect and measure your data.”
  • Present your marketing strategy: A finished marketing strategy will pull together the sections and components above. It may also include: Executive Summary, Brand Identity, and a Marketing Plan and Tactics”