A guy walks into an advertising agency and says to the designer “I need a brochure to advertise my business. How much will that cost?”

“I would be delighted to have you as a client, but first I have a couple of questions.”

“What does your business do?”

“Don’t know yet,” says the man.

“What buying audience are you targeting?”

“Don’t know that yet either,” says the man.

“What sets your business apart from the competition?”

“Haven’t a clue,” he states as he shakes his head.

“So, let me get this straight: You do not know what you do, you don’t know who you are targeting, and you do not know what sets you apart from the competition, yet you want me to design a brochure to market your business?”

“That is what you guys do here, isn’t it? If I have a great brochure and start sending it out, people will read it, figure out what I have to offer and then give me a call.”

Okay, so maybe the punch line is not as good as the one that follows “A guy walked into a bar...” but this scenario is played out between job seekers and résumé writers every day.

Not understanding that a résumé and a marketing brochure serve the same purpose—telling the prospective buyer “This is who I am...This is what I do...Here is what I can do for you” — many job seekers develop their résumé with the mistaken belief that if they put all their experience down on paper, an employer will read it, figure out what they do and how it will benefit their company, and then schedule an interview.

Strong marketing messages sell solutions. Product- and service-features are great, but how these features help alleviate pain, save time and money, and add value to one’s life or business is the true impetus behind every purchase made.

A résumé without a focus that only lists the job seekers “features” is sure to end up in the circular file. Before you begin writing your résumé, or ask a professional to write it for you, take some critical time to figure out “who you are...what you do...and what you can do for the prospective employer.”