I saw an interesting article the other day. It appears that Saatchi and Saatchi, a well-known and respected ad agency created more than 100 different versions of an online commercial they produced for Toyota. You can read the article at http://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/saatchi-saatchi-and-toyota-know-what-you-like-on-facebook/100538.
Saatchi and Saatchi created the different versions of the ad in order to target different groups of viewers – based on their Facebook likes. That was a lot of work — but Toyota and Saatchi and Saatchi think it will pay off in increased sales for the Rav 4.
The Saatchi and Saatchi personalized approach to ad creation also caused me to think about a bit of career advice I give to members of my career mentoring site – prepare an individual resume for every job in which you’re interested. There is no one perfect resume, but there is a perfect resume for every job.
Research every job in which you are interested. Get a job description if possible. Look for key words that are important to the employer. Review your base resume and look for opportunities to use these key words. This will give you a resume that is uniquely tailored for each opportunity.
The article also got me thinking about advice I give in interview prep workshops. In those workshops, I stress the importance of asking for a list of the people who will be interviewing you and then researching them.
You can learn a lot about a person just by checking out his or her LinkedIn profile. Most folks have a photo on their profile. Viewing photos will personalize the name. You’ll feel some sense of familiarity when you meet them in person.
Also, you will pick up interesting bits of information – where they went to school, their connections, a little about their hobbies and interests. All of these can help you feel more comfortable in an interview. Most people appreciate the fact that you’ve taken the time to learn about them prior to the interview.
Just like the Toyota ads, this targeting approach works. Both machines and humans will respond positively to your resume. You’ll get more invites to interviews.
I suggest that you read the story about the Rav 4 ad. Use its ideas to help you craft a great resume and to prepare for interviews.
Your career mentor,
Bud
PS: I write this blog to help people create the life and career success they want and deserve. Now I’m going one step further. I’ve created a membership site in which I’ve pulled together my best thoughts on success. And, as a reader of this blog, you can become a member for free. Just go to https://budbilanich.com/join to claim your free membership. You’ll be joining a vibrant and growing community of success minded professionals. I hope to see you there.
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