the “best you”in terms of the P.E.A.K.S. you have that are desired
by employers.- Select from your master resume the things from your “Work Expe-
rience,”“Education,” and “Additional Information” sections that
will give a picture of you that (a) is sufficiently complete and (b)
presents your most relevant P.E.A.K.S. - Decide on an overall plan and layout for organizing the above ma-
terial for your resume. - Use P.E.A.K.S. subheadings to demonstrate that you have desired
P.E.A.K.S. - Edit for language, length, and visual presentation.
- Get feedback on your resume prior to distributing it.
- Choose references who can verify your key P.E.A.K.S. And brief
them on the P.E.A.K.S. employers are seeking in candidates.
10.Prepare cover letters that refer to key P.E.A.K.S.
Each of these steps is discussed in the paragraphs below.Step 1: Describing the Opportunity You Are Pursuing
in Realistic Terms
The more accurately you are able to describe the real responsibilities,
activities, and goals associated with a job or promotion, the easier it
will be to identify the things that should be included in your targeted
resume.
You can, and in fact should, use the same statement or notes you
used for targeting your portfolio to target your resume.
You don’t have to write a long essay on a job to prepare a targeted
resume. A short paragraph will do, so long as you are catching the
essence of what the job really requires. In fact, you don’t have to write
anything at all, though keeping some notes is helpful. The important
point is that you understand what the incumbent of the job has to be
able to do to be considered successful.Use Can-Do Portfolio research methods.To generate an accurate
description of the opportunity you are pursuing, you can use the same
research methods that are used for targeting a Can-Do Portfolio:Look for a job description.
Get a realistic picture of the job.
Play detective.
Do informational interviews.
Do as much research as you can.You can find further descriptions and explanations of the above
techniques in Chapter 3.Chapter 5: Creating Resumes That Work with Your Portfolio 71