To get a job you need a job offer. To get the job offer, you need to ace the interview. How do you get the interviews? You network, you send out resumes & job applications, but the interviews just don’t materialize. To differentiate yourself, you have to demonstrate that you’re promising enough for the hiring manager to want to meet you (because you’re a problem solver not a job seeker).
This is where your “work products” come into play. They demonstrate that you went above and beyond by showcasing how you think and your capabilities. These are very brief descriptions of the best options:
Case Studies (1 page): Take a project or challenge that you’ve solved (it should already be listed in your resume) and clearly state the challenge. Then analyze the problem, propose various solutions that you considered, then identify the best solution and provide justification for your selection.
Special Reports (5-8 pages): Begin with a similar challenge as with the Case Study, but this will be more in depth. It will be a more thorough analysis of a problem you’ve encountered and how you solved it. It begins with a benefits oriented title, e.g. “Seven Steps to Reduce Maintenance Downtime”. Then there’s an introduction, followed by the “Seven Steps” (or whatever is in the title) and ending each with something like “Have you requested additional support from your 3rd echelon (or whatever) maintenance team to better train your mechanics?” For more, go to http://bit.ly/1hbVgOV.
Proposals (10-20 pages): This intensive report is focused on a problem experienced by a prospective employer or industry. It begins with a title page, has a table of contents, followed by an executive summary, then a more extensive analysis similar to a Special Report. While you may not have a revolutionary solution that hadn’t been considered before, it will demonstrate that you have the ability to analyze a problem and propose solutions. It will demonstrate to a hiring manager that you took the time and effort, coupled with your analytical capabilities to propose solutions. For additional information, go to http://bit.ly/1c5Eq0O.
You should add appropriate graphs or charts to make these stand out better. All the reports take effort, but they will set you apart from your competition, because no one else will have them. Would you rather spend the time creating a work product that generates more interviews instead of mailing out resumes? If you do, send me an email and I’ll get you more information and some great examples.
This is where your “work products” come into play. They demonstrate that you went above and beyond by showcasing how you think and your capabilities. These are very brief descriptions of the best options:
Case Studies (1 page): Take a project or challenge that you’ve solved (it should already be listed in your resume) and clearly state the challenge. Then analyze the problem, propose various solutions that you considered, then identify the best solution and provide justification for your selection.
Special Reports (5-8 pages): Begin with a similar challenge as with the Case Study, but this will be more in depth. It will be a more thorough analysis of a problem you’ve encountered and how you solved it. It begins with a benefits oriented title, e.g. “Seven Steps to Reduce Maintenance Downtime”. Then there’s an introduction, followed by the “Seven Steps” (or whatever is in the title) and ending each with something like “Have you requested additional support from your 3rd echelon (or whatever) maintenance team to better train your mechanics?” For more, go to http://bit.ly/1hbVgOV.
Proposals (10-20 pages): This intensive report is focused on a problem experienced by a prospective employer or industry. It begins with a title page, has a table of contents, followed by an executive summary, then a more extensive analysis similar to a Special Report. While you may not have a revolutionary solution that hadn’t been considered before, it will demonstrate that you have the ability to analyze a problem and propose solutions. It will demonstrate to a hiring manager that you took the time and effort, coupled with your analytical capabilities to propose solutions. For additional information, go to http://bit.ly/1c5Eq0O.
You should add appropriate graphs or charts to make these stand out better. All the reports take effort, but they will set you apart from your competition, because no one else will have them. Would you rather spend the time creating a work product that generates more interviews instead of mailing out resumes? If you do, send me an email and I’ll get you more information and some great examples.
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