You've probably rewritten your resume at least once in the past few years. And you looked for examples to make sure you were following the latest advice.
Advice like drop the objective, use a summary or position statement instead. And never use a functional resume; always use a chronological resume. Unless you have not-optimal circumstances, then use a functional resume.
Related: Improve Your Resume Results With These 5 P's Of Resume Writing
Perhaps you've removed the “hard working, team player, results-driven, people person" description that you've learned can cause a hiring manager to quickly move on.
Here's the weird thing – chances are you're still using the one phrase that you should NEVER use on your resume. You're not alone. It seems 9 out of 10 resumes still use it.
What is it?
“Responsibilities include . . ."
Or a variation such as “Responsible for" or “Duties include."
Why You Shouldn't
It seems like a harmless way to list what you did in a given position, so what's the big deal?
Two reasons…
1.) You want to show what you actually DID, as in ACCOMPLISHED, in that position, not just what that position required.
Responsibilities are the baseline of what you were "supposed to" do in your job. A teenager might be "responsible" for keeping his bedroom clean, but does that mean he actually did it? Of course not.
And, in fact, the "responsibility" of cleaning his room is the same responsibility that nearly every teenager has. Writing that he is "responsible for keeping his room clean" only establishes that he has the same baseline qualifications as his peers. It does nothing to differentiate him.
2.) You are in a competitive job market. An average of 75 to 200 resumes are submitted for corporate job openings, and of those, less than 5% of applicants are considered for the next step in the process.
Your resume has to stand out, and if you're just providing boring job descriptions, it won't.
What To Include Instead
You need to list your ACCOMPLISHMENTS to show the value you provided in your last position, and the value you can bring to a new employer.
Use active language to describe what you accomplished.
Instead of just listing a particular skill or trait (e.g. customer relationship building, excellent team builder), provide examples of past achievements that demonstrate the value and benefits you produced as a result of applying that skill.
Create power statements that show your action and result.
Use numbers whenever possible.
Examples:
“Increased customer satisfaction 25% as direct result of developing and implementing new, more efficient customer service process."
“Improved employee retention 20% in just 6 months by developing training that enhanced teamwork and strengthened skills of employees."
The Bottom Line?
We are way beyond the fill-in-the-blank resume era. The simple resumes you learned to create in college, or early in your career, aren't enough to compete in today's job market.
Your resume has to stand out by giving the hiring manager a clear, if brief, view of what they're looking for to fill the position.
Are you confident that your resume is achieving this bottom line? You don't have to do it alone! Schedule a resume review with me. We'll meet one-on-one by phone, I'll assess your resume and recommend improvements that will make an immediate positive difference.
Michelle Dumas founded Distinctive Career Services, LLC (formerly Distinctive Documents) in 1996, one of the Internet's longest-standing resume writing, personal branding, and career marketing firms. As one of only a handful of multiple certified professional resume writers, including the prestigious NCRW, CPRW, CPBS, CEIP, and JCTC credentials, Michelle is widely respected as an authority in the resume writing and employment services industries.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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