Job hunters take note: we are starting a new year. The further we get into the 21st century, the more antiquated and outmoded the “old rules” from the ’80s and ’90s become! There is no longer such a thing as having “a” resume. Nobody cares about your objectives, because they assume you want the job that they are seeking to fill. They can see stock phrases a mile a way, and can click “delete” even faster than they used to file uninteresting resumes in the old “circular file.”
[See: Famous CEOs and Executives Share Their Best Career Advice.]
In today’s era, your resume should always be a work in progress. It isn’t your autobiography, and it certainly isn’t the place to set down your current or previous job descriptions with statements that begin, “Responsible for …”
Plain and simple, you need to market yourself to potential employers. You do this through personal branding in a well-laid-out, easy-to-read document that demonstrates the value you offer to potential employers. Just as in marketing consumer goods or anything else, your task is to differentiate yourself from your competition by highlighting key distinguishing features that you bring to the table.
While it’s true that lots of people have had similar responsibilities in similar companies, no one has had your particular set of jobs at the same time as you, nor have they obtained the same results that you can boast about. Therefore, your resume comes down to telling your own unique story that features your distinctive challenges, actions and accomplishments.
[See: The 8 Best Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer.]
With this as a background, it is time for you to take a hard look at your resume. Your challenge is to dissect it phrase by phase. Would anyone claim the opposite and be proud of it? If not, consider that what you are saying just might not be advancing your cause in the most effective fashion. Chances are it’s boilerplate gobbledygook that should be jettisoned. Let’s take a look at some examples:
Are you a results-oriented professional? You need to be, but just making the claim and expecting to be understood and believed is pretty lame. Who among your competition will claim themselves to be a “results-oblivious professional”? To give the claim meaning, you’ll need to explain the challenges you faced, give some context and actually cite some specific examples of the results of your particular work.
Do you have a strong work ethic? Many resumes claim that for their author. But think about it for a second. Who in their right mind will list “slacker” among their skills? It’s far better to use that space in a resume’s skills section to highlight something more unique and interesting. And then, show how your work ethic enhances your performance outcomes in your various specific bullet points.
[See: 8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills.]
For example, speak about projects you have finished ahead of schedule and under budget. What have you done to boost the productivity of others? What stories can you tell about showing up to work early, leaving late or coming in on the weekend to make sure that some important deadline was met? How have you instilled your strong work ethic into younger colleagues or new team members?
In your personal branding statement, or in the bullets describing your activities at your various positions, you need to relate your skills to your challenges, actions and accomplishments. Don’t just claim to have them. Instead demonstrate clearly how they have added to your value as an employee.
For example, you might list “management” or “staff supervision” among your skills. Then, later in the document, you should amplify. And remember to lead with descriptive action verbs rather than your skills. A bullet highlighting these areas might look like this:
— Enhanced corporate profits by $X through effectively managing a project to make widgets. Motivated and supervised staff to increase productivity by Y% over targeted goal. Mentored key employees to develop their skills and add further value to the team.
Happy hunting!
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Taking Your Resume to the Next Level originally appeared on usnews.com
