When James Moore started his job search a year ago, he sought an executive-level position in banking similar to the job as president and chief executive officer of a community bank he’d just left. His resume positioned him for this target audience with the bold headline, "BANKING EXECUTIVE."

Although community banking is still a viable niche within the consolidating banking industry, Mr. Moore found the job search more difficult than he expected. His applications for other areas in banking, such as retail lending, for which he was well-qualified, also received no response despite his impressive credentials.

Unfortunately, Mr. Moore’s experience is common. His resume lacked a strong positioning statement. Without it, his document failed to communicate why it was on the potential employer’s desk. Mr. Moore’s resume, like so many others, had become a case of "mistaken identity" and was relegated to the bottom of the pile.

In his earlier career as an executive recruiter, Marty Weitzman, president of the New York-based National Resume Writers’ Association, says he reviewed an average of 40 resumes a day. Given the high volume of resumes, candidates who used strong statements to position themselves usually fared best, he says. "I needed to get a quick picture of where a candidate would fit when his resume landed on my desk," says Mr. Weitzman, a principal of Gilbert Career Resumes in New York. "Those resumes with strong positioning statements definitely made it into the ‘good’ pile."

Fran Leib, a recruiter with the search firm Able Careers in Maywood, N.J., agrees. After candidates develop primary targets, she works with them to create secondary positioning statements for opportunities they qualify for but may overlook initially. Says Ms. Leib, "Having the wrong objective can cause the candidate to be rejected out of hand."

The case for clear positioning is critical when distributing your resume through a mass mailing to executive recruiters or electronic resume databases. A search query may result in 15 to 20 matches, so your positioning statement should jump off the page, says Wayne Gonyea, president of Online Solutions in Morrisonville, N.Y., who has developed an Internet resume database.

When recruiting firms search electronic databases, they often print only information at the beginning of your resume they see on the computer monitor, Mr. Gonyea says. This amounts to about a third of your resume’s first page, allowing no room for ambiguity.

Your strategic positioning statement should evolve from your self-assessment and research to narrow your search goals. To achieve the desired impact, its content must be well-defined and touch on what makes you most marketable to certain employer audiences.

When creating a statement that positions you for a particular target, consider incorporating:

• your target field or industry
• desired company size
• position level
• your unique selling points
• position title
• your areas of expertise

For example, designations such as senior level, executive, director and administrator can qualify you for a certain salary range.

Positioning statements take many forms. The most common are:

• traditional objectives,
• targeted headlines and
• summaries of qualifications.

When used correctly, your positioning statement can boost your options and communicate a clear, strategic career focus to the potential employer.

These examples demonstrate how two senior managers effectively use two positioning statements to pursue primary and secondary targets in their job searches.

A branch manager with one of the nation’s largest retailers wanted to use his operations background to transition into the corporate sector. Since his career has been in retailing, he used a targeted headline and summary of qualifications along with a key-word list and selected accomplishments to position himself as a strong operations manager.

Primary Target

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Senior manager with diversified business background offers proven record of streamlining operating procedures. Credited with generating profits for troubled operation...Areas of expertise include:

Customer Service/Forecasting/Inventory Control/Facility Management Budgets/Purchasing/Training

—Selected Accomplishments—

• Increased income from operations to highest in national chain through cost-cutting measures.
• Successful record of advancement from trainee to senior management within one organization.
• Motivated and trained staff of sales associates to achieve highest sales revenue nationwide.

The second version of his resume positions him for an executive job at a national retailer. He uses a similar format but with content more relevant to this objective.

Secondary Target

RETAIL MANAGEMENT

Senior manager offers extensive experience in merchandising a product line, buying and controlling inventory...Skilled in negotiating and making profitable purchasing decisions...Proven record of branch management...Areas of expertise include:

Merchandising/Buying/Forecasting/Inventory Control

Advertising/Customer Service/Sales Training

—Selected Accomplishments—

• Motivated and trained staff of sales associates to achieve highest sales revenue nationwide
• Exceeded corporate standard for unsampled inventory reduction by 3.5%
• Developed new merchandising strategies, using display space effectively to maximize sales

This corporate executive wanted to return to a senior management position with a large corporation after a brief period of self-employment. In the first version of his resume, he uses a traditional objective to emphasize an outstanding management record supported by his entrepreneurial talents. An extensive key-word list highlights his management skills.

Primary target

OBJECTIVE

To join an organization where senior management experience and entrepreneurial talents can maximize business operations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Outstanding record of developing innovative programs and managing turnarounds...Promoted successively during 14 years at Fortune 500 company, reaching position of senior general manager...Areas of expertise include:

The second version aimed at start-up ventures took a bolder approach using targeted headlines in combination with the same key-word list.

Secondary Target

ENTREPRENEUR/SENIOR MANAGER

Offering a record of accomplishment in developing successful start-up operation...Promoted successively during 14 years in Fortune 500 corporation, reaching position of senior general manager.

In both instances, these candidates left no room for "mistaken identity." They had a clear idea of their target audience and highlighted their most relevant background information.

You have more control over your resume presentation than other aspects of your job hunt. With positioning statements, you can give your document greater impact and expand your opportunities by telling readers immediately where you fit in.

-- Ms. Belen is managing director of the Job Search Specialist, a human resources consulting firm in Fair Lawn, N.J.