8 Great Ways to Make Your Resume Marketable

Our industry still uses resumes!? Believe it or not, yes! Having a solid Linkedin  profile is a nice alternative to a word document for displaying your work experience, skills and even recommendations online.  I suppose it all depends on the person and the company hiring (though most employers will want something tangible on file). Whether you choose to ditch the file or keep the tradition alive, there are a few tips you should heed in order to make your resume marketable.

1.  Figure out what exactly makes you qualified for a position and play it up- For example: If you are applying for an Affiliate Director position which requires management, focus on your skills managing teams in the past, as well as your understanding of the Online Marketing industry from your 4+ years working in it, etc.

2.  Keep your resume short and to the point. Don’t drone on and on about how you’re the greatest affiliate manager in history or include run on sentences which will cause your recruiter or potential employer yawn! Use a bulleted, easy to read format rather than a paragraph style. It will make your strengths stand out.

3.  Make sure you use the same tense when constructing your resume. In other words, Don’t say you “managed a team of affiliate managers at a company in 2005 and call affiliates daily to boost revenues while utilizing optimization skills” Instead, make sure everything flows correctly. You might be a perfectly competent individual, but if it doesn’t come across that way on your resume, you’ll be unfairly judged.

4.  Avoid the use of too much jargon.  It’s true that industry buzzwords  are a very important component of working in Affiliate Marketing. When I got involved in back in 2005, everything sounded like Chinese to me: Firing pixels (what’s that?!) , backing into a CPA (Was anyone hurt?) , the infamous and often confused back-end (umm…) Using some of these words and phrases on a resume is fine, just remember to make sure to also use standard language as well which will translate  into something tangible. Also, make sure any jargon you use will be understood by your potential employer.

5.  Write your resume for the job you want – When employers look at resumes they really want to see a reflection of their company. Do not lie. However, highlight your strengths and skills that match up with what is asked for in the job description.

6.  Do not list non-industry related jobs unless they have skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Believe me, no one cares that you painted houses or worked at Burger King the summer after college graduation!

7.  Name drop – if you have worked with big affiliates or advertisers, these are things to include in your resume.  It will convey to the employer that you are relevant and understand  the industry.

8.  Don’t forget to quantify your actions! For example: You may have managed 300 affiliates and sent them emails with offer details but how does that translate into revenue and profit for the company? As you know, we are a results driven industry and if you can’t quantify your actions with $$$, you will most likely be looked over.