POWER OF TESTIMONIALS


If you watch a little television every now and then (believe it or not, I have an uncle who actually does NOT), chances are, you've seen one of those crazy tv infomercials. You know, the ones trying to sell you stuff like the Ab Roller, ProActiv Skin Care and the monumental moneymaking George Foreman Grill. Well, one thing you might have noticed about these infomercials are the strong customer testimonials sprinkled all throughout.

People saying they've bought the product or service, tried it, loved it, and the great things this product has done for them. We're even sometimes treated with those "before/after" visuals. It's amazing how these testimonials just seem to flow all throughout these infomercials.

Why do you think that is?

Well, one reason is because they're so deeply powerful. What these people say, remember, people who've already bought and used these products and services, can be so strong, and so convincing, that they can increase the sale of a product by millions.

Okay, I'll admit it. I've watched quite a few of those infomercials. At times, I have been on the fence about buying. And then I see these glorious customer testimonials. What the product did for these people. How the product improved their appearance, their situation--this did a lot to influence my buying decision. At times, a good testimonial or two actually made me pick up that phone and call my order in.


USING THIS POWER TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR RESUME


Calling those orders in made me realize the deep power of quotes/testimonials. For a company to "sing their own praises" is one thing--it's expected. But when customers, who really have nothing to gain from doing this, choose to publicly support the product, then that says volumes about how truly satisfied they are with the product/service.

So when placing a testimonial on your own resume, just do this: imagine yourself as the product. Your current or past manager, supervisor, or someone you worked with is the satisfied customer, giving their glowing praises about your work performance. Your potential employer will be the one reading your resume, the one who will possibly be taking a chance on hiring you, like the people who are speaking on your behalf have done. A positive testimonial praising your job performance could possibly convince this employer that you should be interviewed, and hired eventually. Which explains why a quote/testimonial would be such a powerful thing to place on your resume.


WHERE DO I GET THESE QUOTES FROM?


Performance reviews, for one. Letters of recommendation. Thank-you letters. Gathering quotes from these things is like mining for gold. They're gems you can sprinkle onto your resume, and a great way to elevate yourself above your competition.

Here are a couple of sample quotes from my clients' resumes:

Quote #1:"Ms. Daniels is talented, uplifting, and she brightens up the school with her beautiful artwork." (Parent's comments about a preschool teacher).

Quote #2: "She's full of ideas for improving patient care. Janice is efficient and compassionate. She has the ingenuity of a leader, but loves working directly with the patients and their families." (Hospital coordinator's testimonial about a Licensed Vocational Nurse).


Just imagine a recruiter reading over your resume. She's going over your skills, your individual achievements, and really building up an interest in you.
Then come these unexpected bursts of wonderful comments about you from a supervisor, a manager...

And like the infomercial quotes convinced me to call for the product, these quotes on your resume could be the very thing that convinces that recruiter to pick up that phone and call you for an interview.

For Part 2 of this article, go to "What The George Foreman Grill And Your Resume Have In Common--Part 2"


Kit Samuels is a resume writer with 14 years of actual teaching experience. Need free resume writing help today? Download a copy of Kit Samuels' FREE e-book, "7 Resume & Cover Letter Tips That'll Get You More Interviews" ($19.95 value). To get your own free copy, click here: http://www.ksteacherresumes.com/