Special Reports: Dramatically More Effective Than Resumes

Jack Chapman, author of Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 a Minute, developed the concept of the “Special Reports.”

I first became aware of the concept when I attended a workshop Jack gave at the International Career Development Conference in November 2001.

Jack said it typically results in 10 times the response rate of the typical resume and cover letter. This is consistent with the experiences of my clients and students.

A “Special Report” is a kind of white paper based on problems that are generic to an industry. In other words, 80% or more of the organizations in the industry will have these same problems.

Whatever your industry or profession, you probably have some insight about how to make things run smoother, better, easier, more profitably, etc. A Special Report shares that insight and experience with potential employers and brands you as an expert—not just another job seeker.

A well-crafted Special Report has much more impact on potential employers than the typical resumé because it contains colorful graphics, such as bar graphs and focuses on these four areas:

• It emphasizes your potential contributions
• It positions you as an expert
• It’s an interesting and colorful format and is more likely to be read than a resumé
• It has substantive value giving it much more self life than a resumé

For more information on Special Reports, contact Mark James at Hire Consulting Services.