Attention Getting

My college-age son has worked at a few golf courses for several summers now. This summer, he wanted a different opportunity to work at some of the top golf course in  other parts of the country. The competition is tough, so he needed a killer resume.

This is where having a mother who is both a marketer with a background in HR comes in handy. You see, marketing yourself is no different than marketing a business. You have to be very detailed when selling your attributes and hit the employer’s pain points, the same way you would a customer’s.

For example, in one of his job descriptions he wrote:

Maintained the grounds at a local golf course.

Now, this wasn’t going to cut it. You have to get very specific and sell your expertise so you stand out. Here is what I changed it to:

Meticulously maintained the grounds of a 27-hole, 6,600-yard private golf course full season from early spring to late fall, including mowing greens, fairways, and roughs; changing holes; aerating greens; seeding soil; removing fallen trees; performing string trimming; and plowing sand traps.

In his career summary he had:

I have worked at various golf courses including the prestigious Royal Kensington.

Again, there is no real definition here of the assets he is bringing to the role, one of which is his understanding of the challenges of the job.  I changed to:

A seasoned greenskeeper, I have worked at golf courses since the age of 15, accumulating six seasons of hands-on experience at three different courses including the prestigious Royal Kensington.

Under his skills section he wrote:

Equipment knowledge includes Toro mowers, John Deere Utility Vehicles, and Jacobsen Greens and Tees Triplexes.

Again, detail the specific equipment you know. Employers love this because it means less training. It also means you know your stuff. I changed it to:

Equipment knowledge: Toro Greensmaster Triplex mowers, Toro Groundsmaster Rough 3500 mowers, Toro Workman HDX Utility Vehicles, John Deere Gator Utility Vehicles, Jacobsen Greens and Tees Triplexes, Toro SandPro Bunker Rakes, push mowers, STIHL blowers, debris blowers, string and hedge trimmers, hand rakes.

Needless to say, he was flooded with offers within days of sending out the resume and posting to LinkedIn. Some even countered with a higher hourly rate, and some offered him a manager role. He ended up taking a job with the #1 ranked golf course in the country.

This was similar advice I had given him the previous summer when visited a local golf course to inquire about a job, only to be told they had already filled all their summer positions. I told him to go back to the manager and say: “I know you’ve already hired everyone, but I have done this job for five summers and I know that many of the new guys you hired will quit after the first week because they don’t want to get up at 4:30 a.m. and they can’t handle the physical demands of the job. You can call me then if I’m still available.” The manager’s response: “You can start tomorrow”. That’s how you do it.

If you or someone in your life needs a killer resume, click to see why my Resume Writing Service is one of my best-selling services. I put the same amount of attention and effort into your resume that I put into my son’s, hopefully with the same results!

©2025 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

I know so much gets made of these so-called social media influencers, people who will take thousands of dollars from you for a mere mention of your product. Most people I know who have tried them, saw no increase in sales.

But did you know that you have free influencers for your small business all around you?

For example, I have a client who sells press on nails. Since her retail business is located next door to a busy hotel, I suggested that she gift all of the female front desk agents with her nails, because any female hotel guest checking in would notice the agent’s nails as she typed in her information. If the female hotel guest comments on the nails, the front desk agent simply mentions they are sold at the store beside the hotel. Other than a few free products, this is a pretty effective way to drive traffic to her store.

You can do the same thing with your business. Define who your target market is in terms of gender, age, location, interests, whatever the case may be. Then think about the every day people that your target market comes in contact with on a daily basis.

In my marketing plans I always suggest that if you have a friend or relative running in a big race, like the New York Marathon, give them a shirt to wear that has your company name on it. Think of how many people will see it, especially since it is also televised. Even if you have friends or family going to Disney World, make them a tshirt that has your company name and url on the back.

If you need ideas, just ask me at attentiongetting@gmail.com

©2025 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.