My eyes and ears are always open to business wisdom that I can use for myself, my clients and for this newsletter. In a casual conversation over the holiday weekend with an old friend I got my nugget of wisdom for you.Dan Weiller has many years of experience in politics and government and we were talking about the value of direct mail for a local political campaign (yes snail mail still works for local politics, as well as good old-fashioned door-knocking) We were talking about copy for a postcard and Dan said:
"You've got to make sure they get the message in the time it takes to go from the mailbox to the recycling bin." I think this piece of wisdom has many different applications.
Job-hunters have heard me talk about this as the 'PURPLE MAGIC MARKER RULE." Your message needs to be clear and easily understood by the person reviewing your resume---what will they write in purple magic marker across the top of your printed resume so they remember you from that giant pile of applicants?
It is more than just an elevator pitch---it is distilling who you are and what you do down to the very essence so it can be easily understood by anyone in a very short snapshot. This can be really hard. Sometimes you need an outside perspective to help you get clear on what is important, special and different about you and develop compelling language to explain it. Recently I needed to update my resume and found it difficult to do this for myself. I sent it to some trusted colleagues for feedback and perspective. Yes, even the coach sometimes needs coaching!
| 
