Quick Tip – Your Resume Won't Sell You
🚀 Don’t make these mistakes – Issue #128
Over the past 30+ years, I have seen a lot of resumes. I’ve also witnessed resume styles evolve considerably.
However, I would say that the most significant change has been in the purpose and value of a resume. They used to be a cornerstone component of the job search strategy.
Some people still think they are. Those people are dead wrong.
I remember agonizing over my cover letters and resume when I was in college, hoping that it would get noticed, and I’d receive that phone call to come in for an interview.
The funny thing is, my resume became an afterthought during my professional career after grad school. It was never the reason I got asked to interview or landed a new job.
I still see these mistakes being made:
Thinking that your resume will “open the door” for you.
Believing that your resume will get you a job.
Writing a novel-sized resume to capture all of the details of your work experiences.
Using full sentences to tell the story of your roles.
Writing from the perspective of what you want and think is important.
Focusing on the activities of your jobs, instead of accomplishments.
Being afraid to take a risk, be more personal, and stand out.
Do you want to get a job more quickly and easily than your competitors? Work your network to get warm introductions and find inside champions.
Do you want to become an opportunity magnet so that the best jobs come to you? Define your professional brand, be clear about what you stand for, and create and publish evidence of your talent and expertise. Stop hiding!
Unfortunately, you will be asked for a resume because recruiting and HR systems are years behind the reality of modern hiring practices. It’s still part of the interviewing song and dance.
So, go ahead and update your resume, but make it useful and usable. It should be less than two pages, easy to scan, and contain intriguing information that maps to the job description.
Be clear about who you are and what you stand for. Share key achievements and quantitative wins, when possible.
Do not share the same laundry list of all of your job activities that every other candidate is sharing too. No one cares.
“I designed and developed websites for our clients.” <- You and every other designer.
“I collaborated with coworkers to ship new products.” <- Yeah, no kidding.
“I presented new concepts to the leadership team.” <- So did everyone else.
You should also tighten up your resume by using a “telegraphic writing style.” Try to pack as much information as possible into the smallest number of words. Do not use verbose proper sentences.
Be concise and get to the point. Share your best achievements and wins. You don’t have to tell the entire story of your employment. No hiring manager has time to read all of that.
Resumes are the “what,” not the “how.”
Delete pronouns (e.g., I, me, my, our). Get rid of filler words (e.g., a, an, the). Don’t bother sharing tasks that are obvious for someone in your profession (e.g., “I wrote specifications”).
This isn’t the place to explain how you did your job or the tedious details of your work. Share just enough juicy information to grab the reader’s interest so that they are dying to ask you how you did it later when they interview you.
“Reduced customer support costs by 34%.”
“Drove $35M increase in sales.”
“Improved checkout conversion by 27%.”
Once you are done, you should have a lean, mean, efficient resume. You’ll need it at some point.
Just don’t expect your resume to sell you. That’s your job!
💝 Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Do you know what would make a wonderful gift for someone you love? A significant raise, a promotion, or a fantastic new job!
Do you know how you can help someone get those things? By giving them the gift of this newsletter so that they can take my advice and achieve more in their career! 🎁