“THE CUSTOMER IS always right” is probably the first business lesson we ever learn. The customer has the money to buy the product you want to sell and that customer knows exactly what he wants; when you accurately tailor your product to your customer’s needs, you’ll experience a much shorter and more successful sales cycle. This chapter is about how to effectively customize your resume to your customers’ needs.
Your resume is the primary marketing device for every job and career change (probably between twelve and twenty changes) throughout your career. In addition, it plays a role in subsequent internal promotions. In short, it is absolutely vital in determining your professional success. Yet when it comes to creating a resume, the most financially valuable document any of us will ever own, no one ever seems to think about what the customer wants to buy! Instead, we just want to get it done as quickly as possible and with as little thought and effort as possible.
Your current resume is probably a simple recitation of all you have done: It lists everything that you think is important. I bet this resume just isn’t working. That’s because a simple recitation of all your accomplishments and activities results in a hodgepodge of what you think is important, not what your customers know is important. When you build a resume that tries to be all things to all people, you are creating the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Have you ever looked at a Swiss Army knife? It’s got knife blades, bottle openers, screwdrivers … it does practically everything. But companies aren’t hiring human Swiss Army knives; they are hiring human lasers, with exceptional skills focused in a specific area. You need a resume that speaks to the priorities of your customers, because they won’t make the time to struggle through an unfocused resume to see if you might have what they want. Why should they, when enough people have taken the time to learn what’s needed?
With just a few years’ experience in the professional world, most people reach a point where they have experience that qualifies them for more than one job; still, this is not an argument for having a general resume as your primary marketing document. Right now, there are probably two or more jobs you can do, but with the way recruitment works today, you have no choice but to go with a resume that focuses on a single target job. So your first task is to look at all the jobs you can do (they are probably all closely related in some way) and choose which one will represent the prime thrust of your job search.
After your primary resume is completed, it is fairly easy to create a resume for any additional job you want to pursue. I’ll explain exactly how you do this later in the book, but to set your mind at ease, that second job-targeted resume will have a number of things in common with the job you described in your primary resume. This means that you’ll already have a template to start with, plus the dates, layout, chronology, contact information, and possibly even the list of employers you’re going to contact. I’ll show you a methodology that helps you quickly refashion and edit your primary resume into a resume for that second or third target job.
But you don’t get any of those good things until you build a primary resume, so before going further, you need to think through your options and decide on the job title that your primary resume will target.
You can make this decision on many unique criteria, but assuming your main goal is to get back to work, or out of the hellhole you work in today, your best bet is to go with the job you can nail. This is the job that you can make the most convincing case for on paper, the strongest argument for in person, and the job where, when you hit the ground running, you won’t trip over your shoelaces. Once you’ve decided, you build a primary resume around this target job.
The most productive resumes start with a clear focus on the target job and its responsibilities from the point of view of the recruitment process and the selection committee. In other words, the customer comes first, so let’s get inside the customer’s head.
There’s a practical and easy way to get inside the employer’s head. It’s called a Target Job Deconstruction (TJD). It’s a way to get a tight focus on what your customers are buying and what will sell before you even start writing your resume. Take half a day to do a TJD and your investment will yield:
• A template for the story your resume must tell to be successful
• An objective standard against which you can measure your resume’s likely performance
• A complete understanding of where the focus will be during interviews
• A very good idea of the interview questions that will be heading your way and why
• Relevant examples with which to illustrate your answers
• A behavioral profile for getting hired and promoted, and therefore … greater professional success throughout your career
• A behavioral profile for not getting hired and for ongoing professional failure
Collect 6–10 job postings of a single job you can do and would enjoy. Save the postings in a folder and also print them out. If you are interested in more than one job, you must prioritize them. The most productive resumes focus on a single job. I’ll show you a very fast and effective editing technique a little later in the chapter to develop a custom resume for each job (and also a place to use that Swiss Army knife resume that currently isn’t working).
Not sure where to start? Try these job aggregators (or spiders, robots, or bots) that run around thousands of job sites looking for jobs with your chosen keywords:
Create a new document and title it “TJD for [your chosen target job title].”
Start by inserting in your document the subhead: “Target job titles.” Then copy and paste in all the variations from your collection of job descriptions. Looking at the result, you can say, “When employers are hiring people like this, they tend to describe the job title with these words.” From this, you can come up with a suitably generic target job title for your resume, which you will type after your name and contact information. This will help your resume’s database performance and also act as a headline, giving the reader’s eyes an immediate focus.
Add a second subhead titled “Skills/Responsibilities/ Requirements/Deliverables/etc.” Look through the job postings—it might be easier to spread the printouts across your desk. You are looking for a requirement that is common to all of your job postings. Take the most complete description and copy and paste it (with a “6” beside it, signifying it is common to all six of your samples) into your document. Underneath this, add additional words and phrases from the other job postings used to describe this same requirement. Repeat this exercise for any other requirements common to all six of your job postings.
The greater the number of keywords in your resume that are directly relevant to your target job, the higher the ranking your resume will achieve in recruiters’ database searches. And the higher your ranking, the greater the likelihood that your resume will be rescued from the avalanche and passed along to human eyes for further screening. This database search has led directly to the denser resumes that are more common today and the increasing prevalence of Core Competencies sections that capture all relevant keywords in one place. (More about Core Competencies sections later.)
Repeat the exercise for requirements common to five of the jobs, then four, and so on, all the way down to those requirements mentioned in only one job posting.
At their most elemental level, all jobs are the same—all jobs focus on problem identification, prevention, and solution in that particular area of expertise; this is what we all get paid for, no matter what we do for a living.
Go back to your TJD and start with the first requirement. Think about the problems you will typically need to identify, solve, and/or prevent in the course of a normal workday as you deliver on this requirement of the job. List specific examples, big and small, of your successful identification, prevention, and/or solution to the problems. Quantify your results when possible.
Repeat this with each of the TJD’s other requirements by identifying the problems inherent in that particular responsibility. Some examples may appear in your resume as significant professional achievements, while others will provide you with the ammunition to answer all those interview questions. Interviewers are concerned with your practical problem identification and solution abilities, and they want to see them in action. That’s why some questions at job interviews begin, “Tell me about a time when …” So at the same time that you’re working on your resume, you’re also beginning to collect the illustrations you will use in response to those interview questions.
Think of the best person you have ever known doing this job and what made her stand out. Describe her performance, professional behavior, interaction with others, and appearance: “That would be Carole Jenkins, superior communication skills, a fine analytical mind, great professional appearance, and a nice person to work with.” Do this for each and every requirement listed on your TJD, and you are describing the person all employers want to hire. This is your behavioral profile for professional success. Apply what you learn from this exercise to your professional life. It will increase your job security by opening doors to the inner circles that exist in every department and company, and by leading to the plum assignments, raises, and promotions that over time add up to professional success.
Now think of the worst person you have ever known doing this job and what made that person stand out in such a negative way. Describe his performance, professional behaviors, interaction with others, and appearance: “That would be Jack Hartzenberger, morose, critical, passive aggressive, always looked like he slept in his suit, and smelled like it too.” You are describing the person that all employers want to avoid and, incidentally, a behavioral profile for professional suicide.
Once you complete and review your TJD, you will have a clear idea of exactly the way employers think about, prioritize, and express their needs when they hire someone for the job you want.
Now you know the story your resume needs to tell to be maximally productive in the resume databases, which means getting retrieved for human review. You now have the proper focus for a killer resume.
When doing the TJD, you’ll come across some skills that you possess or even excel at: “Wow, all six of these job postings require competency in Microsoft Excel, and I’m the office Excel guru!” But there will be other skills that you don’t have, or that need polishing: “Wow, everyone’s looking for Six Sigma and lean management skills and I don’t even know what those words mean.” As a rule of thumb (the separate issues of changing careers aside), you need about 70 percent of a job’s requirements to pursue that job with reasonable hope of landing interviews, especially in a down economy, when competition is more fierce. If you complete the TJD process and realize you don’t make the grade, you have probably saved yourself a good deal of frustration pursuing a job you had no real chance of landing. What you need to do in this instance is pull your title goals back one level. Use this TJD and the missing skills it identifies as a professional development tool: To warrant that next promotion, you’ll need to develop these abilities.
Here is a simple before-and-after example that will illustrate how powerful this process can be. The resume is for a young graduate with a computer science degree looking for her first position in the professional world. When we first spoke, she had been out of school for nearly three months and had had a couple of telephone interviews and one face-to-face interview. Her search was complicated by the fact that she is a foreign national and needed to find a company that would sponsor her. This is not easy at the best of times, but in today’s tough job environment, it is a significant additional challenge. The first resume is the one she was using; the second she created after completing the Target Job Deconstruction process.
123 ABERCORN STREET, APT 12
SAVANNAH, GA 31419
EXAMPLE@EMAIL.COM
(401) 555-3412
Education
• Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA
• MSc. Computer Science (3.5 GPA), December 2007
• University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica
• BSc. Computing & Information Technology, November 2005
• Graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.7 GPA)
Key Skills
• Programming
• Programming Languages: C, C++, Java, VB.Net
• Database Programming: SQL
• Website Design
• Design Languages/Tools: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Dreamweaver
• Problem Solving and Leadership
• Honed an analytical, logical, and determined approach to problem solving and applied this as group leader for my final year (undergraduate) research project.
• Team Player
• Demonstrated the ability to work effectively within a team while developing a Point-of-Sale system over the course of three semesters.
• Communication
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills through reports and presentations while pursuing my degrees, and as Public Relations Officer for the University of Technology’s Association of Student Computer Engineers (UTASCE).
Work Experience
January 2006–December 2007
• Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA
• Graduate Research Assistant, School of Computing
• Developed a haptic application to demonstrate human-computer interaction using Python and H3D API.
• Developed an application to organize text documents using the Self-Organizing Map algorithm and MATLAB.
July–November 2005
• Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica
• Internet Helpdesk Analyst
• Assisted customers with installing and troubleshooting modems and Internet service-related issues via telephone.
July–August 2003
• National Commercial Bank Ja. Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica
• Change Management Team Member
• Generated process diagrams and documentation for systems under development using MS Visio, MS Word, and MS Excel.
Awards/Honors
• President’s Pin for graduating with a GPA above 3.75 November 2005
• Latchman Foundation Award for Academic Excellence & Outstanding Character March 2005
• Nominated School of Computing student of the year March 2005
• Recognized by Jamaica Gleaner as top student in School of Computing & IT February 2005
• Nominated for Derrick Dunn (community service) Award March 2004
• Honor roll/Dean’s List 2002–2005
Languages
• French (fluent), Italian (basic)
Extracurricular Activities
• Singing, acting, chess, reading
• Member of Association for Computing Machinery, AASU student chapter
References
• Available upon request.
123 Abercorn Street, Apt 12
Savannah, GA 31419
example@email.com
(401) 555-3412
Talented, analytical, and dedicated Software Engineer with strong academic background in object-oriented analysis and design, comfort with a variety of technologies, and interest in learning new ones.
• Excellent academic record. Achieved 3.55 GPA (Master’s) and 3.77 GPA (Bachelor’s, Dean’s List for all eight semesters)
• Familiarity with the software development lifecycle, from identifying requirements to design, implementation, integration, and testing.
• Familiarity with agile software development processes.
• Strong technical skills in Java development and Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA/D).
• Strong understanding of multiple programming languages, including C, C++, JavaScript, Visual Basic, and HTML.
• Familiar with CVS version control software.
• Excellent communication skills with an aptitude for building strong working relationships with teammates.
• Proven background leading teams in stressful, deadline-oriented environments.
| Languages: | Java, JavaScript, C, C++, Visual Basic, HTML, SQL, VB.Net, ASP.Net, CSS |
| Software: | Eclipse, NetBeans, JBuilder, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access), MATLAB |
| Databases: | MySQL, Oracle |
| Operating Systems: | Windows (NT/2000/XP Professional) |
| Servers: | Apache Server |
MS in Computer Science, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah GA, December 2007
• Completed a thesis in the area of Computer Security (Digital Forensics: Forensic Analysis of an iPod Shuffle)
BS in Computing & IT, University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica, November 2005
Fluent in English, French, and Italian
Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA 01/2006–12/2007
• Developed a haptic application to demonstrate human-computer interaction using Python and H3D API.
• Developed an application to organize text documents using the Self-Organizing Map algorithm and MATLAB.
| Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica | 07/2005–11/2005 |
Internet Helpdesk Analyst
• Assisted customers with installing and troubleshooting modems and Internet service-related issues via telephone.
| National Commercial Bank Ja. Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica | 07/2003–08/2003 |
Change Management Team Member
• Generated process diagrams and documentation for systems under development using MS Visio, MS Word, and MS Excel.
President’s Pin for graduating with a GPA above 3.75 11/2005
Latchman Foundation Award for Academic Excellence & Outstanding Character 03/2005
Nominated School of Computing student of the year 03/2005
Recognized by Jamaica Gleaner as top student in School of Computing & IT 02/2005
Nominated for Derrick Dunn (community service) Award 03/2004
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Available upon request.
I have taken professionals from entry level through C-suite executives in Fortune 25 companies through this process. They all say a couple of things: It was a pain but it was a logical, sensible thing to do and worth it. They almost all get job offers surprisingly quickly. I can’t guarantee that, of course, but unless you have rocks for brains you have to see the logic in this approach.
Now, what was the result of this resume revamping? She started using the new resume at the beginning of March 2008 and almost immediately got an invitation to interview. She subsequently relocated out of state and started work for that company on April 14; she has been promoted and is still with the company today.
The target job–focused resume opened doors, positioned her professionally, told her what the employer would want to talk about, and was a powerful spokesperson after she left the interview. The end result was a great start to a new career. It all came about because she took the time to understand how her customer—the employer—was thinking about, and expressing the responsibilities of, the job she wanted to do!
Here is another example, starting with the “before” resume. After writing this initial resume, the job hunter did a Target Job Deconstruction. You’ll see two post-TJD drafts: her third and her eighth—and final—draft. The final version generated eight interviews in the second quarter of 2010, and in August I got an e-mail that said in part, “Two offers, twice what I was expecting, and that is without the signing bonus or the stock options. Amazing!!” This is a senior PR professional with a substantial track record, coming back to the workplace after four years largely spent raising children and doing a little PR work when time allowed. The resume process took about three weeks parallel with organizing a job search plan of attack.
Look at each of these three versions of an evolving resume to see how a really stellar resume comes together. The first resume is a best effort without having done a Target Job Deconstruction. The second document is the third version of her resume and begins to reflect the focus that the TJD made possible. Finally, you will see the eighth and final version of the resume, and you already know what that achieved after being coupled with a good job search plan of attack.
| 123 Main Street | (555) 555-5555 |
| Anywhere, VA 22652 | example@yahoo.com |
Public Relations Experience
Nancy Wright has more than thirteen years of public relations experience, primarily focused on high-tech and start-up companies. An Olympic gold medalist in swimming, Wright also spent twelve years serving as a free-lance color commentator for sports/news outlets including NBC and ESPN.
| Wright & Company Public Relations, Founder and Principal | 2003 – present |
Provide the professional work of a large public relations agency along with the personal service available from a smaller company. Develop and execute PR campaigns that meet the specialized needs of each client. Programs and services include corporate and product positioning, ongoing PR strategy and tactics, leadership branding, media training, speaker placement, and ongoing media contact. Clients have included: AirPlay Networks, ReligiousSite.com, PanJet Aviation.
| Three Boys Public Relations, Co-Founder and Principal | 2001 – 2003 |
Established a Silicon Valley PR firm that helped high-tech companies accomplish objectives by managing leadership positioning, strategic branding, and publicity. Clients included:
• ABC Systems – Project work included managing all annual Sales Conference communications for Charles Smith, Group Vice President, U.S. Service Provider group. Helped launch Smith’s new fiscal year strategy, objectives, and goals to his 1,000+ employees.
• NextLink Technologies – Successfully positioned the start-up as an industry leader by leveraging the market’s widespread use of NextLink’s industry-standard GreatD networking software. Rapidly expanded the company’s leadership position by garnering positive coverage in all targeted publications.
| ABC Systems, Marketing Manager | 2000 – 2001 |
Directed internal marketing activities for the iProduct after ABC acquired InfoGame and its technology. Shortly after the acquisition, ABC reorganized InfoGame and later licensed the iProduct trademark to Apple.
| InfoGame Technology Corporation, Public Relations Manager | 1998 – 2000 |
Designed and executed all company and product strategy. Placed hundreds of stories with news and feature media including the Today Show, Regis & Kathie Lee, ABC’s Y2K special hosted by Peter Jennings, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Fast Company. Within eighteen months of launching InfoGame’s PR, the company was acquired by ABC Systems.
| XYZ Public Relations, Account Manager; Senior Account Executive; Account Executive | 1996 – 1998 |
Designed and managed all PR strategy and activities for start-up and unknown software, Internet, and networking companies. Managed teams of up to 10 PR professionals. Promoted annually for delivering results for the following clients:
• InfoGame Technology Corporation – Repositioned InfoGame from fledgling company to a leader in the Internet appliance space. Introduced the new management team, the iProduct and the back-end software. Garnered positive coverage in hundreds of media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. InfoGame was acquired by ABC Systems within 18 months of PR campaign.
• Triiliux Digital Systems – Accelerated Triiliux and its CEO out of obscurity and into a position of undisputed leadership. Successfully positioned CEO as an industry expert with ongoing speaker placement and quotes in all of Triiliux’s top publications. Placed CEO on the magazine cover of the company’s topmost publication. Triiliux was acquired by Intel after the two year PR campaign.
• LinkExchange – Transformed unknown company into a “player” in the Internet advertising arena. Placed hundreds of stories in both business and industry media including the The Wall Street Journal, CNNfn, and AdWeek. LinkExchange was acquired by Microsoft after an eighteen month PR campaign.
• The Internet Mall – Launched this obscure company to the press, landing continual coverage in all top Internet and business publications including The New York Times and Internet World. Within a year of the campaign, the company was acquired by TechWave, now Network commerce.
Other Relevant Experience
| Motivational Speaker/Guest Celebrity | 1989 – present |
Coach audiences at corporations, business forums, schools, and functions how to effectively set and achieve goals, using the road to the Olympics as a model. Travel the country making guest appearances at events, functions, and parades. Past or present clients include: IBM, Hardees, Speedo America, Busch Gardens, Alamo Rent-A-Car, and others.
| Television Color Commentator | 1988 – 2000 |
• Provided expert commentary for swimming events, including the Olympics for NBC.
• Provided half-time interviews and feature packages for the Miami Heat.
• Work included NBC, ESPN, FoxSports, SportsChannel, Turner Sports, SportSouth, and others.
| The College Conference, Associate Commissioner | 1991 – 1993 |
• Managed all aspects of Conference television and marketing packages.
• Increased marketing revenue by 33% in the first year.
| International Swimming Hall of Fame, Assistant Director | 1989 – 1991 |
• Helped drive fundraising efforts for new building.
• Served as one of three spokespeople for the Hall of Fame, delivering speeches at community events.
• Successfully managed and completed all fundraising aspects for the NCAA Wall of Fame.
• Developed community affairs programs.
| Awards and Honors |
• Two Olympic gold medals (1984 Los Angeles, USA), and a silver and bronze (1988 Seoul, Korea).
• Two-time NCAA Champion.
• 26-time NCAA All-American.
• Hall of Fame Inductee: International Swimming Hall of Fame, University of Florida Athletic HOF, Region Swimming HOF, Anywhere High School HOF.
| Education | 1989 |
University of Florida, Bachelor of Science, Journalism 1989
123 Spring Mountain Way, Fort Hood, VA 12345 • example@yahoo.com • Tel: 540.555.1234 Cell: 540.555.2345
Performance Profile/Performance Summary
High tech public relations professional with 11 years’ experience – including seven in Silicon Valley – in a variety of sectors including software, Internet, networking, and consumer electronics. Substantial experience in PR campaigns that lead to company acquisitions. Expertise in all aspects of strategic and tactical communications, from developing and managing PR campaigns, multiple accounts, and results-oriented teams, to writing materials and placing stories. Twenty years’ experience as a motivational speaker and twelve as a free-lance TV color commentator. Two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Core Competencies
High Tech Public Relations • Strategic Communications • Counsel Executives • Manage Teams • Manage Budgets • Multiple Accounts • Multiple Projects • Leadership Positioning • PR Messaging • Client Satisfaction • Media Training • Media Relations • Pitch Media • Craft Stories • Place Stories • PR Tactics • Press Releases • Collateral Materials • Research • Edit • Manage Budgets • Manage Teams • Mentor • Strong Writing Skills • Detail Oriented • Organizational Skills • Motivated • Team Player • New Business
Strategic Public Relations Leadership
Position companies as both industry leaders and sound investments. The following four companies were acquired within two years of commencing the PR campaigns: InfoGear Technologies (acquired by Cisco), Trillium Digital Systems (acquired by Intel), LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft), and The Internet Mall (acquired by TechWave, now Network Commerce).
Executive Communications Manager
Develop executive communications. Created positioning for ****, Group VP, and launched it to his 1,000+ employees at the ABC Sales Conference. Refined ****’s public speaking delivery and style.
Media Coverage
Proactively place stories. Samplings of past placements include: ABC World News Tonight, CNN, The Today Show, Associated Press, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Business Week, Fast Company, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune Magazine, Inc., MSNBC.com, New York Times, Parade, San Jose Mercury News, SJ Business Journal, SF Chronicle, USA Today, Wired, Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, CommsDesign, Computer Reseller News, Computer Retail Week, Computer Shopper, Computer World, CRN, CNET, EE Times, Embedded.com, Internet.com, InformationWeek, Internet Telephony Magazine, Light Reading, Network World, Phone+, PC Magazine, Red Herring, TMCnet, VoIP News, VON and ZDNet, Dataquest, Forrester Research, Frost and Sullivan, Jupiter Communications and Yankee Group.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
| Wright & Associates Public Relations, Anywhere, VA | 2006-present |
Develop and deliver strategic communications that meet the specific needs of each client. Drive all PR strategy and tactics, messaging, media training, media relations, budget management, story creation and placement. Sampling of past or present clients include AirTight Networks (also a former InfoGear, Cisco, NextHop client), JesusCentral.com (eHealthInsurance.com founder), and ProJet Aviation.
| Co-Founder and Principal, Three Boys Public Relations, Redwood City, CA | 2001-2003 |
Silicon Valley PR firm that partnered with high tech clients to meet their corporate objectives. In charge of developing and managing all strategic and tactical aspects of public relations including thought leadership, leadership branding, press materials, stories, media relations, and publicity.
• Cisco Systems – Acting Executive Communications Manager to Carlos Dominguez, VP.
• NextHop Technologies – Company’s first PR counsel. Repositioned obscure company, impaired by trademark dilution, into an industry leader. (Acquired by U4EA Technologies in 2008.)
| Marketing Manager, ABC Network Systems, San Jose, CA | 2000-2001 |
Directed internal, cross-functional marketing activities for the iProduct® after Cisco acquired InfoGear and its technology. Shortly after the acquisition, Cisco dissolved the InfoGear/Managed Appliances Business Unit (MASBU) and later licensed the iProduct trademark to Apple.
| Public Relations Manager, InfoGame Technology Corporation, Redwood City, CA | 1998-2000 |
Company’s first PR counsel. Advised CEO and VP of marketing on all aspects of PR. Developed and implemented ongoing PR campaign, strategies, and tactics.
• Established “iProduct Reviews” program, garnering hundreds of additional positive stories.
• Managed and inspired cross-functional teams of marketing, operations, and customer service.
Account Supervisor, Senior Account Executive, Account Executive, XYZ Advertising & Public Relations (Acquired by FLEISHMAN-HILLARD in 2000), Mountain View, CA 1996-1998
Promoted annually for successful track record of positioning unknown start-up companies into industry leaders. Designed and managed all PR strategy and activities for start-up, software, Internet, and networking companies. Managed teams of up to ten PR professionals.
• Accelerated Trillium and its CEO out of obscurity and into undisputed leadership. Continually landed top speaking placements and media coverage.
• Transformed the unknown LinkExchange into a highly publicized leader in the Internet advertising arena. Placed hundreds of stories in both business and industry media.
• Designed and managed InfoGear Technology’s repositioning from fledgling company to a leader in the Internet appliance space.
• Launched newcomer The Internet Mall, landing continual coverage in all top Internet and business publications.
Motivational Speaker/Guest Celebrity
Representative clients: IBM, Hardees, Speedo America, Busch Gardens, Alamo Rent-A-Car 1989-present
• Coach audiences on how to use the Olympic model to set and achieve goals, and succeed in business and life.
Television Sports Commentator
Swimming analyst for NBC, ESPN, FoxSports, SportsChannel, Turner Sports, and others 1988-2000
• Covered the Barcelona Olympics. Half-time reporter for Miami Heat and Southern Conference games.
Four Olympic swimming medals: two gold, one silver, one bronze
• Southland Corporation’s Olympia Award for academic and athletic leadership.
• Southeastern Conference, NCAA, and USA Swimming Champion.
• Hall of Fame Inductee: International Swimming Hall of Fame, University of Florida, Pacific Northwest Swimming, Washington State Swimming Coaches Assoc., Mercer Island H.S.
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Bachelor of Science in Journalism.
• Minor in Speech.
Nancy Wright
| 123 Main Street | Home (555) 555-5555 |
| Anywhere, VA 22222 | Mobile (555) 333-5555 |
| example@yahoo.com |
Group Manager • Account Director • PR Manager
Performance Profile/Performance Summary
High tech public relations professional with 13 years experience, including nine in Silicon Valley, in the software, Internet, networking, consumer electronics, and wireless industries. Substantial experience in PR and strategic communications campaigns that lead to company acquisitions. Experienced in all aspects of strategic and tactical communications from developing and managing multiple campaigns, accounts, and results-oriented teams to developing and placing stories. Seasoned motivational speaker and freelance TV color commentator. Two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Core Competencies
High Tech Public Relations
Strategic Communications
Executive Communications
PR Messaging & Tactics
Story Telling
Collateral Materials
Leadership Branding
Analyst Relations
Media Relations
Craft & Place Stories
Strong Writing Skills
Media Training
Multiple Projects
Story Placement
Counsel Executives
Strong Editing Skills
New Business Development
Team Management
Budget Management
Account Management
Project Management
Detail Oriented
Acquisition Positioning
Pitch Media
Market Research
Build & Lead Teams
Mentor
Client Satisfaction
Organizational Skills
Thought Leadership
PR Counsel
Social Media
Strategic Public Relations Leadership
Orchestrated PR campaigns that positioned companies as both industry leaders and sound investments. Developed and directed PR campaigns for four companies that were subsequently acquired within two years of the campaigns: InfoGame Technologies (creator of the first iProduct®, acquired by ABC Network), Triiliux Digital Systems (acquired by Intel), LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft), and The Internet Mall (acquired by TechWave). Proven client satisfaction demonstrated in repeat business and account growth: over a span of ten years, contracted by former InfoGame execs to serve as communications counsel for NextLink Technologies, ABC Network Systems, and AirPlay Networks.
Executive Communications Management
Executive Communications Manager for iconic executive and public speaker, ****, Group VP, Service Provider Sales, ABC Network Systems (currently senior VP and technology evangelist for ABC Network). Developed communication messaging, strategy and platform skills for VP, Group VP, and C-level executives.
Media Coverage
ABC World News Tonight, CNN, The Today Show, Associated Press, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Business Times, Business Week, CNN.com, Fast Company, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune Magazine, Inc., MSNBC.com, New York Times, Parade, San Jose Mercury News, SF Chronicle, USA Today, Wired, Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, CommsDesign, Computer Reseller News, Computer Retail Week, Computer Shopper, Computer World, CRN, CNET, EE Times, Embedded Systems Design, Internet.com, InfoWorld, InformationWeek, Internet Telephony, LightReading, Network World, Phone+, PC Magazine, Red Herring, TMCnet, VoIP News, VON and ZDNet, Dataquest, Forrester Research, Frost and Sullivan, Jupiter Communications, Yankee Group.
— Professional Experience —
| Principal | 2003 to Present |
Wright & Associates Public Relations, Anywhere, VA
Develop and deliver strategic communications. Drive all PR strategy and tactics, messaging, media training, media relations, budget management, story creation and placement for technology clients.
• Representative clients include AirPlay Networks (former InfoGame and NextLink client), ReligiousSite.com (founded by eCompany.com founder), and PanJet Aviation.
| Principal | 2001 to 2003 |
Three Boys Public Relations, Redwood City, CA
Developed and implemented all strategic and tactical aspects of public relations for Silicon Valley clients, including thought leadership, leadership branding, story creation and telling, media materials, stories, media relations, and publicity.
• ABC Network Systems —Executive Communications Manager to ****, Group VP at ABC Network, a highly pursued public speaker.
• NextLink Technologies —Company’s first PR counsel. Repositioned obscure company, impaired by trademark dilution, into an industry leader by leveraging market’s widespread knowledge and use of NextLink’s industry-standard GreatD networking software.
| Marketing Manager | 2000 to 2001 |
ABC Network Systems, San Jose, CA
Directed internal, cross-functional marketing for iProduct, following ABC Network acquisition of InfoGame and its technology.
• Shortly after acquisition, ABC Network dissolved InfoGame/Managed Appliances Business Unit (MASBU).
| Public Relations Manager | 1998 to 2000 |
InfoGame Technology Corporation, Redwood City, CA
Advised CEO and VP of marketing on all aspects of PR. Developed and implemented all strategies, tactics, and stories.
• Revamped the start-up’s teetering image, which was ruining iProduct sales. After two press tours, garnered hundreds of additional stories in all top trade and consumer media with the iProduct Reviews program. Catapulted company into a leadership position in the Internet appliance industry, setting it up for acquisition. iProduct is now a household name.
• Managed and inspired cross-functional teams of marketing, operations and customer service to work outside their job responsibilities to deliver excellent service to hundreds of editors beta testing the iProduct 2.0.
| Account Supervisor; Senior Account Executive; Account Executive | 1996 to 1998 |
XYZ Advertising & Public Relations (Acquired by FLEISHMAN-HILLARD in 2000), Mountain View, CA
Promoted annually for successful track record of positioning unknown companies as both industry leaders and solid investments/acquisitions. Designed and managed all PR strategy and activities for start-up, software, Internet, and networking companies. Managed teams of up to ten PR professionals.
• Repositioned, rebranded, relaunched, and reintroduced InfoGame, the iProduct 1.0 and 2.0, positioning them collectively as leading the nascent Internet appliance space.
• Accelerated Triiliux and its CEO out of obscurity and into undisputed leadership through media placement and top speaking engagements.
• Transformed unknown LinkExchange into a highly publicized leader in the Internet advertising arena. Placed hundreds of stories in both business and industry media.
• Launched The Internet Mall, landing continual coverage in all top Internet and business publications.
— Complementary Experience —
| Motivational Speaker/Guest Celebrity | 1989 to Present |
Coach audiences on how to use the Olympic model to set and achieve goals and succeed in business and life. Representative clients: IBM, Hardees, Speedo America, Busch Gardens, Alamo Rent-A-Car.
| Television Sports Commentator | 1987 to 2000 |
Swimming analyst for NBC, ESPN, FoxSports, SportsChannel, Turner Sports, and others. Covered the Olympics. Half-time reporter for Miami Heat and The College Conference.
Awards & Achievements
Winner—Two Olympic swimming gold medals plus one silver and one bronze.
Recipient Southland Corporation’s Olympia Award for academic and athletic leadership.
NCAA, USA, Southeastern Conference swimming champion, and 26-time NCAA All American.
Hall of Fame Inductee: International Swimming Hall of Fame, University of Florida, Pacific Northwest Swimming, Washington State Swimming Coaches Association, Mercer Island High School.
EDUCATION—University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; B.S. in Journalism, Minor in Speech.