Management Training Programs are the Golden Ticket
What would you say if someone promised you a successful, long-term career? Would you think it was Willy Wonka and brush it off? That’s a legitimate thought, but if you disregard it, you’d be missing out on an unmistakable opportunity. And fictional chocolate factories aren’t the only companies offering golden tickets.
Established, well-known companies in every industry from food/beverage to plumbing to technology are actively looking for talent. Not for just any job either. These companies are looking for people they can cultivate into the leaders of tomorrow. Literally, they want to pay you to learn how to manage their business and, once you complete the program, odds are they’re going to compensate you even more to put your learnings into practice. And we haven’t even mentioned the best part. Usually, these programs are training participants at an accelerate rate, so your goal of achieving a high level of success becomes a reality before your peers have dropped “junior” from their titles.
Hajoca’s management development program has been training and promoting talent since 1997. We’ve seen it all and compiled this list of dos and don’ts to help you get noticed.
Do…
- Lead with your cognitive skills. Highlight a strong GPA, Dean’s List achievements, academic scholarships received
- Demonstrate maturity. For example, if you paid for school yourself, make note of it.
- Establish your “sticktoitiveness”. Companies make a substantial long term investment in trainees, so they want to know you’re loyal and committed. Underline long term work for one employer, active membership in a club throughout college, or participation in the same activity (e.g. a charity run) for several years.
- Emphasize results. Demonstrate your performance effectiveness with statistics, e.g. “I saved X company $175 a month by switching telecomm vendors” or “I increased sales in the shoe department 3% by promoting matching hand bags”.
- Accentuate your agility. Managers don’t just sit behind a desk. They are hands-on, often working in warehouses, and must be willing to pitch in. Show your willingness by highlighting any physical work you’ve done.
- Sell, sell, sell yourself. All relevant skills, from selling knives or gym memberships (shows sales ability) to preparing financial data (shows an understanding of accounting) to dorm resident assistant or captain of the baseball team (shows leadership) are imperative for sharing.
Don’t…
- Disguise a college degree. Management training programs typically require higher education so neglecting to share it is a major failure. Don’t assume it will rule you out – e.g. a music degree for a business job, or fear of seeming “too young” or “too old” by listing a graduation date, are fine if you’re the right person for the job.
- Forget to change your objective. If your resume says “I want to work for an investment firm and manage a portfolio”, but you’re applying for a job with a beverage distributor, you will not get an interview. Know the job and customize your application accordingly.
- Get verbose and longwinded. If the resume exceeds two pages, it’s too cumbersome to review the whole thing. Use bullet points with action words (verbs). Be honest and concise.
- Ignore the importance of proofreading. So easy to avoid, yet such a common occurrence. Make sure your fonts are the same throughout, verb tenses are consistent and formatting is neat. Otherwise you come across as lacking detail orientation and basic communication skills.
- Disguise issues with fluff. Gaps in employment are OK if you have a good explanation. But thinking a lack of explanation can be overshadowed by a picture of you with your dog is a surefire way for your resume to land on the chopping block.
Opportunity isn’t just knocking; it’s kicking down your door…whether or not your name is Charlie.