As careers and career search tools continue to evolve so too must resumes. The branding paragraph is an example of said revolution. Located at the top of the resume below the name and contact information, branding paragraphs replaced summary statements that in turn replaced 1990s-era objective statements.
To craft a compelling branding paragraph, it is key to understand its importance. A targeted branding paragraph must accomplish two goals upon completion:
- The reader immediately connects that the candidate appears IDEALLY suited for the role for which they are applying.
- The reader has no doubt the verbiage in the branding paragraph is unique to the reader.
The five steps below will ensure you craft a unique branding paragraph that helps the reader see you are a perfect fit:
STEP 1: REVIEW
Locate two or three job postings similar in terms of responsibilities. Comb over the postings to uncover and highlight job-specific skills and strategic goals associated with each position.
STEP 2: COMPARE
Identify the skills and goals common amongst the postings. These commonalities will form the foundation of your branding paragraph.
Let’s use as an example a Supply Chain Executive candidate. Amongst the four or five common goals and skills, postings for supply chain leaders usually ask for applicants who can negotiate contracts, manage vendors and work with suppliers overseas.
The foundational phrase might read “Negotiated account savings through new vendor relationships and global vendor management.”
STEP 3: RANK
No doubt there will be 10-15 commonalities across job postings. Identify through careful review those key to a company’s success, and rank the top three or four in order of importance to the company’s bottom line.
STEP 4: CUSTOMIZE
Build upon the foundation and Top 4 rankings you have outlined using job postings by weaving in details unique to your history and experience.
Using the same Supply Chain Executive example, the customized phrasing would then read “Negotiated up to 30% savings on new and renewed vendor contracts with suppliers in Asia and Europe that reduced margins between .25 and .5%.”
Suddenly the phrase transforms from diluted and applicable to many into a sentence clearly unique to you. Furthermore, it offers concrete insight into your accomplishments before ever digging into the rest of the resume.
STEP 5: REPEAT AND VOILA!
Repeat Step 4 for your other top ranked skills, and you’ve got yourself a standout and interview-worthy branding paragraph!