The Made-to-Order Resumé

In a Marin Professionals workshop, Kim Wise described a resumé-writing approach recommended by Donald Asher in his book, Overnight Resumé: Start not with what you've done, but with the prospective employer's question, "What can this candidate do for me?"

Working backwards from the question, answer it in the form of a job description. Then plug in your Problem-Action-Result-Skill (PARS) or Opportunity-Action-Result-Skill (OARS) under each qualification listed.

You will have the basis for a resumé and interview answers written exactly to the part you wish to play in the employer's company.

Job seekers, struggling to put into words what they can do, often dig deeply into their employment experience and come up with a pile of skill nuggets that may be only so much fool's gold to a targeted employer -- being wonderful, but not fitted to the particular employer's needs.

Starting with the job description enables job seekers to base their communications squarely on the business needs of the particular employer, ensuring a perfect fit between job seeker and job.