Rannou & Associates is a search and consulting firm dedicated to finding qualified sales, technical, production and management professionals for our clients in the corrugated packaging industry.
Corrugated packaging is, and has been, our specialty since 1981. Our diverse client base is comprised of independent and integrated firms, and we service the needs of corrugator plants and sheet plants.
F.A.B. Presentation
Your Feature – Accomplishment – Benefit Presentation
When we present your background and experience to an employer, we want to show how your employment will benefit both the company and the hiring manager as an individual. We want to demonstrate how you can help improve profits, reduce costs, and just make things run better. Your resume may cover some of these issues, however the standard resume usually just addresses what you did and when. Because of this, your resume alone may not be the most effective means of conveying your strengths to a prospective employer.
We utilize the “Feature—Accomplishment—Benefit” Presentation, FAB for short, in presenting your background and experience to a client employer. Features are listed in the left column, Accomplishments in the center, and Benefits in the right column. The FAB does several important things. It shows specifically what you can do for the employer: how you will benefit him or her and the company. It details what you have accomplished in your current and previous positions. Finally, it highlights your unique experiences, talents, and abilities. This will assist us, and you, in making a powerful presentation to the client company.
How do you prepare a FAB presentation? Let’s start by defining some terms:
1.FEATURES: Facts about yourself.
2. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Significant measurable results you obtained for your present and past employers.
3. BENEFITS: Projections or educated guesses of what you can do for a new employer based on your accomplishments.
Next, prepare a chronology of your work history. Make sure you have included all of the positions you have held. Don’t forget the promotions! After you have prepared the chronology, list all of the significant accomplishments for each of the positions. Go ahead and list them all. This is not a time to be humble. The accomplishments should be very specific and contain quantitative or measurable data where appropriate and possible. (Examples: “Reduced waste during 1999 by $23,000” or “Increased sales volume for the territory by $2.2million over a two year period.”)
After your lists of Features and Accomplishments have been completed, review them thoroughly. Now identify what you can do for a new employer. How can these accomplishments be applied in another setting; how can you benefit a new employer? What are the most compelling reasons for a new employer to want to hire you over some other candidate? Put these answers in the Benefit column.
When you have completed your FAB presentation, go over it. Review it carefully. Have you forgotten anything? Where can you include additional quantitative measures? Numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, etc. all can bolster your information!
Finally, when you go to your interviews, take your FAB sheet with you. Use this information in answering questions—especially stressing how you can benefit the new company.
Resume Format
NAME
Address
Phone
OBJECTIVE
(in most cases this can be optional, unless you are applying for a position in an industry other than corrugated–actually making a career change–as opposed to a job position change.)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
X date to Present
Company Name and Location (city & state)
Most Recent Job Title
(Here you can put whatever narrative to explain your career progression. Keep it concise and to the point. Be sure to include any particular achievements or accomplishments, either in narrative form or listed as “bullets.”)
Y date to X date
Company Name and Location… etc.
(If this previous employment has been in other industries or “entry level” type positions, rather than put company name(s) and job titles, just do a brief narrative to summarize the work done.)
(Special Note: If you were in the military, you may wish to include a separate heading here: “Military Experience” and include pertinent information such as dates, rank achieved, special training, military occupation, achievements, citations, awards, etc.)
QUALIFICATIONS
(This whole section is optional also. However, you can list any particular skills, knowledge, abilities, or equipment proficiencies not listed or indicated in the Employment History that you feel are important or relevant.)
EDUCATION
List schools from which you graduated (high school and above, if applicable), degrees obtained (if applicable), year(s) graduated.
List any job and/or industry related courses that you successfully completed, especially those directly related to the position(s) you may be interviewing for.
Interview Preparation
1. Confirm time, date, location and interviewer’s name.
2. Review your resume and have answers ready for questions pertaining to it. Be ready to comment on your achievements and successes. If possible, detail specific data and statistics, i.e., revenue generated or saved, new programs/procedures instituted, downtime or waste reduced, etc.
3. Take an 8 ½ x 11 pad with prepared questions. The questions can guide the interview, and you won’t forget important questions if they are written down.
4. Some Questions you should ask:
A. What are the objectives for this position/What things are priorities for this position?
The first two or three things mentioned in response to this question are the interviewer’s “hot buttons.” You’ll see if what the company wants done for this position compliments what you want to do.
B. What are the qualifications for this position?
Again, the first two or three items mentioned by the interviewer are “hot buttons” for the position. You should respond to the interviewer’s questions about your background with these items in mind.
C. Tell me about this plant in particular, and then about the company as a whole. Where has it come from, where does it stand in today’s corrugated marketplace, and where is it going in the future?
D. I know I will continue to be a good performer. As such, what are my avenues for growth with your company?
You will have other questions to add but let these be a catalyst for others. Keep the questions related to the job, the plant, the customer base, product mix, etc. It is best to hold questions about compensation, benefits, vacation, and the like for a second interview or at least until the interviewer initiates the subject.
5. If interested in the position, express that interest. Be enthusiastic and interested; exhibit enthusiasm and interest.
6. The objective of the first interview is to receive either a job offer or an invitation to a second interview.
7. CLOSE for a job offer or the next interview. Some examples:
A. I’m very interested in this position and the company, and I’m asking for the order.
B. I feel very good about our meeting. I am excited about what we have discussed, and I know I can do a good job for you. What are your feelings about our meeting? What is your level of interest in me?
C. If another interview is required, I can be available Monday or Wednesday; which is better for you?
8. After your interview, send a Thank You note.