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What’s most important in your job search arsenal


➔ A good headline in a newspaper can stop us in our tracks. It can pique our interest to the point where we have to know the rest of the story.


If that’s true (and it is) why would your job-search tools be any different. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about your resume, a cover letter, “cold-call” email, or your LinkedIn profile. An attention-getting, intriguing headline can start you on a journey that will many times end in success.


What makes it work?


Not all headlines are created equal. If yours is dull, boring and unimaginative, it will impress no one.


Good headline writing can be considered an art in itself. Many journalism schools have coursework specifically designed to teach budding editors and reporters how to write a good, solid headline.


Let’s not forget the purpose of the headline: it’s to entice you to read (or listen) to the rest of the story. So too, with your resume or cover letter. If you can’t grab readers with your headline, they will never read on to your accomplishments, etc.


Just like the theory that claims that your resume should be re-crafted so as to be perfectly suited for each specific job for which you are applying, it follows that your headline should do just the same. The real challenge with the headline is that it should be concise and to the point.


This is especially true for ATS resumes. The trick here is that your resume should include at least one of the job description’s keywords – without being guilty of keyword stuffing.


The website thebalancecareers.com has offered some samples of what it considers to be successful resume headlines:


Goal-Oriented Senior Accountant with Five Years of Accounting Experience.


Successful Manager of Dozens of Online Marketing Campaigns


What will make your headline unique? Most likely the same thing that makes you unique.

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