When preparing your resume, remember this is a document to market your experience and skills and showcase what you have to offer. Your resume is much more effective and attractive to employers when it demonstrates what you have achieved with your previous experiences and what you can potentially achieve for the new employer.
Unfortunately, a bunch of the resumes employers receive today still read like a laundry list of duties. Avoid this common mistake with the tips below to create a resume with impact.
Don’t State The Obvious
If you’re simply describing your job duties on your resume—a generic job description—there’s probably going to be little interest from employers. Although today’s applicant tracking systems (the software that reads and ranks resumes) will need this information, employers really need to know how you performed against goals or your peers.
Quantify And Qualify Accomplishments
Your accomplishments on the job are what will differentiate you from the next candidate. They're also what will help demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the job.
For instance, if you have a career in sales, rather than state the obvious (“Contact prospective customers to introduce new product releases") tie in the results you’ve achieved. A more effective statement would read: “Initiated contact with 20+ prospective customers on new product releases and secured 15 sales contracts, ranking as the top salesperson of the year.” This latter statement, which includes numbers that quantify your work experience, provides insight into why you're a great candidate for a job in sales.
If you are in a position where it's not easy to quantify accomplishments, then consider these questions:
- Are you the only person doing this job?
- If not, how many peers do you have, and how does your performance compare?
- Are you the go-to person for anything in particular?
- What are some of the things that your managers have put in your performance evaluations?
Be The Problem Solver
Job postings will include details of responsibilities, but sometimes they may also hint at situations where they seek candidates with particular experience in the area. Be the problem solver by demonstrating on your resume a similar situation that you took action on and resolved. Whether it was to help streamline order processing or enter a new international market, bullet points to convey experience on the matter and results achieved offer greater impact than detailing your general duties on the job.
Employers simply want to hire the best talent so show them what you can accomplish for them, not the general job duties of a position. Keep that in mind and you’ll create a resume with impact!
We know writing an effective resume isn't easy, especially if you're not excited about any of the jobs you're applying for. If you're feeling trapped, lost, or burned out in your career, we're here to help.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.