Resume advice

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You've been applying for jobs every day, but you feel stuck. Your job search isn't going anywhere. You submit job applications but never hear back from employers. Why aren't you getting interviews? What are you doing wrong? Is it your resume?

Chances are, your resume is to blame.

It's very easy for job seekers to make common mistakes on their resume, unknowingly making it harder for them to get their job application in front of the hiring manager. Can your resume get past the ATS? Will your resume stand out to hiring managers in those first few seconds?

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to prevent your resume from getting tossed. Here are three reasons why your resume isn't working, and how to fix them:

1. You Don't Have Enough Keywords

Most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to sort through all of the resumes they receive for their job postings. One of the ways they determine which job candidates are qualified for a specific job is by looking at the keywords they've included on their resume.

How many keywords on your resume match the keywords in the job description? If you don't have enough of the right keywords on your resume, you'll get screened out of the hiring process by the ATS. This means your resume will get tossed without it ever crossing the hiring manager's desk.

If you're not getting contacted by employers, not having enough keywords (or the right keywords) on your resume could be the reason why.

The Solution: Include keywords from the job description on your resume. What skills, technologies, and experience are employers looking for? How many of these skills do you possess? Are you familiar with any of the technologies/software you'd be using on the job? Do you have the right kind of experience?

Once you identify what you need for the position you want to apply for, make sure you customize your resume for that specific job so you give yourself the best possible chance to get past the ATS and impress hiring managers. List relevant skills in the top fold of your resume (avoid keyword stuffing) and be sure to use the terms mentioned in the job description on your resume, if applicable.

2. You're Using An Outdated Resume Format

Woman on laptop realizes her resume isn't working

Another reason why your resume might not be working is because you're using an outdated resume format. Similar to the first reason, your resume format could be preventing the ATS from effectively reviewing the information on your resume. But if your resume does get past the ATS with an outdated format, hiring managers could still take a look at your resume, see that it's outdated and hard to read, and then decide to toss your resume because you didn't make it easy for them to get the information they need about you.

With an outdated resume format, you also run the risk of looking old and out of touch, which won't help your case if you're already worried about age discrimination.

If your resume isn't easy to read and it doesn't stand out to hiring managers in the first few seconds it's getting reviewed, you won't get contacted. Employers simply won't be able to determine whether you're qualified for the job or not because you didn't make it easy for them to find that information.

The Solution: To ensure your resume gets past the ATS and stands out to hiring managers, use an updated resume format. Pay attention to how you're formatting each section of your resume and make sure the formatting is consistent throughout the document. Focus on using bullet points in your "Work History" section, delete lengthy paragraphs, and don't force your resume onto one page. This will help you make sure there's enough white space on your resume so it's easier to read.

When in doubt, a simple, clean resume format is the best option.

3. You Aren't Quantifying Your Work Experience

Woman on laptop frustrated and thinks that her resume isn't working

Let's assume you had enough keywords on your resume that it got past the ATS. Let's also assume you used an updated resume format. Now that your resume is in the hiring manager's hands, and all the information on it is easy to read, how are you standing out from the competition? Does your work experience prove that you'd be a valuable employee? What is the service you provide as a business-of-one? What is your specialty? Do you get results? What have you accomplished?

If you're not quantifying your work experience on your resume, you're going to have a harder time impressing hiring managers. Quantifiable information allows hiring managers to measure the degree of knowledge and skills you have to offer. It's a way to inform them about what and how much you can bring to the table.

The Solution: Learn how to quantify your work experience on your resume. Think about what you've accomplished in your career. Look at the bullet points in the "Work History" section of your resume and try to include at least one number for each.

Including numbers on your resume not only shows hiring managers what you can do, but they also help your resume stand out since numbers break up text and grab peoples' attention. If you can't quantify something, it doesn't belong on your resume.

As a job seeker, nothing is more frustrating than spending hours applying for jobs only to never hear back from employers. If your resume isn't working, it's probably due to one (or more) of the reasons above. Follow our tips so you can avoid these resume mistakes and finally land the job you want!

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3 Reasons Why Your Resume Isn’t Working

You've certainly heard that using a powerful personal brand message will make your executive resume a compelling readâand help you gain traction in your job search. But how do you go about defining and capturing your brand?

Intensive processes, such as the 360 Reach Personal Branding exercise, can often help pinpoint your brand elements and strengths. However, you can conduct your own research and analysis to create a compelling message suitable for your executive resume.

While pinpointing your own personal brand (and writing a compelling executive resume from it) may seem daunting, you can break the process into these manageable steps:

1. Reflect On Your Leadership Value-Add

One of the easiest ways to encapsulate your message of ROI is by taking stock of how you solve problems and deal with obstacles at an executive level. If you're having difficulty expressing your value proposition, try creating a list of your top 10 career achievementsâthe ones that have become your signature accomplishments over the years. (Think of it as your top 10 hitsâthe ones you've always thought of as defining your career and its trajectory.)

Any of the following can make your top 10 hits:

Turnarounds (at a team, division, or company level)
New sources of revenue
Cost-cutting methods
Additional sales and distribution channels
New products or markets
Speed and agility in delivering results

Next, write STAR (Situation or Task, Action, Result) stories for each top achievement, remembering to set the stage for each story by looking at the situation first, then your actions, and lastly, the outcome. J.T. O'Donnell, founder and CEO of Work It DAILY, also recommends the "Experience + Learn + Grow" model to formulate stories for employers. While tedious work, you'll benefit from having this collection of powerful anecdotes in your job search.

2. Analyze And Leverage Feedback From Throughout Your Executive Career

Consider your reputation at work, influence on others, and leadership style (all critical components of an effective executive resume). Are you known as the go-to leader who builds consensus when negotiations are at a standstill? Have you become a turnaround leader capable of righting the ship? Chances are that you've carved out a unique nicheâand prospective employers need to know this about you!

Take the time to gather information from those affected by your work:

Analyze your impact on subordinates. Do you often mentor your teams into company or industry leaders?
Look at those you've influenced, such as vendors or colleagues. Have they adopted your methods or commended you on your effectiveness?
Assess your impact on the executive team and board. Do you build the business case and buy-in that lead your CEO to issue changes in strategy?

Now, assemble testimonials and feedback from credible sources, such as performance reviews, LinkedIn recommendations, letters of reference, or other kudos (even informal email messages). Create STAR stories from this data, and consider including a snippet or quote in your executive resume for additional reinforcement.

3. Include Tactical Details And Scope

Executive resumes aren't just high-level lists of achievements. To be truly compelling, the scope and reference points from your work need to be included as supporting details.

Consider pulling in specifics from among the following components of each job:

Size of budgets managedâboth department and project-level
Cost-saving figures that show the result of new processes or negotiations
Numbers of employees managed, both directly and in matrixed organizations
Comparisons that show progression (such as year-over-year increases in market share)

What these details will do for your executive resume is help round out your story, showing how your authority and impact have increased at each progressive step of your career. It's all about the numbers!

4. Look To Others For Comparison

You may have started to look at the data for your executive resume with a critical eye. What if it isn't good enough to vault you to the next level in your career? How will employers know you've led significant change if there are minimal cost or profit results to report?

One of the best ways to distinguish yourself from the competition is to look precisely at them and gauge the difference based on context.

Here's how to weigh your competitive differentiators:

Analyze what would have happened at previous employers if you hadn't worked there. Would the company or division have floundered? Is it possible employees stayed only because of your influence?
Look at what took place against the backdrop of the economy or industry challenges. For example, did your efforts keep the company afloatâeven if they didn't realize the same level of profitsâbecause of actions that counteracted the downturn?
Take note of what occurred at competing companies. Were you maintaining operations while your competitors went out of business?

These sure signs of effectiveness will help add a twist to your STAR storiesâemphasizing your ability to take on and overcome challenges that others failed to achieve.

5. Build Brand And Achievement Statements To Use Throughout Your Resume

Now that you've collected all this data, what's the next step? Pulling it together into a cohesive story, of course.

Here's where the stories you've built will serve as key components of your brand message and can be used in various places within your executive resume:

Ensure your STAR stories are in manageable form, using bullet points that take up two lines or less for use on your executive resume.
Distill your most prominent STAR stories into a simple message. As an example, an EVP of marketing who launched new products could note "carving a profitable new industry niche" as a statement of brand value.
Look at executive resume examples for inspiration.

Undertaking these steps is, of course, a time-consuming exercise in exploring your achievements and examining your brand. However, it will pay off in a cohesive message of value to employersâand help them see the value in bringing you in for a choice executive role.

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5 Steps To A Powerful Personal Brand …

The first challenge with your resume is getting it into the hands of an actual person. Over the past decade, getting through applicant tracking systems (ATS) by including the right keywords has become the holy grail of job seekers. The palace guards were put in place so that overloaded hiring managers could keep out the riffraff.

And it was necessary.

Surveys report that more than half of the resumes submitted for any job posting are from completely unqualified candidates.

The ATS is meant to boil down the deluge to an actual candidate pool. As a job seeker, you should be concerned with and aware of how your resume will make it past the guards. As a serious professional, you need to take your resume further. Make sure that when it makes it to the hands of an actual person, it will impress and get you to the next step.

Here are four resume tips for accomplishing this goal:

1. Lead With The Results

Look at your resume as if YOU are the hiring manager. Does this resume help solve the problem that needs solving with this position? Not just the "because Henry quit" problem. The thing that makes this position valuable to the company.

Your resume must show how you are the solution because you've done it before. Structure your experience so that each sentence is front-loaded with results. Instead of, "Evaluated current processes and led efforts that restructured operations, leading to a reduction in costs and an increase in revenue," try "Slashed overhead costs by 20% while simultaneously increasing revenue by 45% by completely overhauling sales processes and operations for optimal efficiency."

If you think like management, you can pick out what management most cares about, and make sure you highlight that in your resume.

2. Quantify Your Accomplishments

In other words, use numbers. By adding figures to your accomplishments, you provide measurable, credible proof of your performance.

For example, "Added $4 million to the bottom line..."

Beyond showing revenue, numbers can help provide context for your results through comparisons.

"Ranked #1 out of 45 sales reps for top sales performance."
"Achieved 95% customer referral rate, a figure 2 times higher than the company average."
"Conducted company-wide training for 500 employees."

This is one of the things a lot of people struggle with, but it is vital. Quantifying your accomplishments solidifies them in the mind of the reader. It turns an abstract statement into a hard fact.

3. Use Active Words

Businesswoman works to customize her resume

Fill your resume with verbs that convey energy and action. Carefully selected verbs also help you create concrete statements that create a visual for the reader. Instead of, "Put in processes that led to a significant reduction in costs," try "Decreased costs by devising efficient sales process."

But be careful. Don't use the same verbs over and over. Do the work and find powerful synonyms.

4. Trim The Fat From Your Resume

This may be the most important tip for creating a powerful resume that will get read and noticed. The hiring manager or recruiter may have dozens of resumes to review, so make sure yours is easy to get through. Write succinctly, be specific, edit out filler words, and trim the unnecessary detail that doesn't add to your qualifications for the position.

Review and edit. Then review and edit again.

The digital age has brought challenges to the job seeker, but they can be overcome. Spend the time to create a powerful resume. Make sure it gets the attention that it deserves.

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4 Tips For Writing A Powerful Resume

How To Make Your Resume More Impressive To Recruiters

Standing out from other job candidates in the hiring process often comes down to having a great resume. If you want to make your resume legitimately more impressive to recruiters, then I'm going to teach you a technique that will help you do just that.

Quantify Your Work Experience!

@j.t.odonnell How To Make Your Resume More Impressive To Recruiters ðððððð there's one technique I've been teaching as a career coach for over 20 years to help people make their resumes more impressive to recruiters. and that is to quantify their results and use numbers. numbers are the easiest thing to read and absorb on a resume and when you put your numbers on there you can help a recruiter better understand the depth of your experience. in this video I walk you through examples of how you should Circle every now and every verb on your resume and use that as your guideline for quantifying. if you're not sure what the numbers are conservatively guesstimate. just make sure you go lower than what you think they were so that you can back it up. the reality is recruiters are looking to understand if you're a match for the job and when they have numbers to back it up it's easier for them to go to the hiring manager to prove you are the candidate that should be considered. in short you can make yourself more impressive with this very simple technique. and thanks to tiktok I now have been able to put together the 25 most common resume and Linkedin questions I get asked as a career coach and all the answers are right here in one place for you to access them. I hope this helps you set up your resume and Linkedin profile so you can stand out and get the interviews you deserve! #resume #resumetips #resumeadvice #resumehelp #linkedin #jobsearch #careercoachontiktok #careerhelp #careeradvice #howtofindajob #linkedinprofile #linkedintips â¬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

When you think about your resume, you will hear recruiters talk about how they want you to quantify your experience. That simply means you should add numbers to your experience to help them quickly understand the depth of your expertise.

Here's an example...

Let's say you worked in digital marketing and you have a bullet point in your resume that says, "Worked on digital marketing projects that resulted in an increase in revenues." That doesn't tell recruiters any valuable information. But if you were to say, "Worked on 20+ digital marketing projects that resulted in a 250% increase in revenues," instead, the depth is there.

It's also important to note that numbers are the easiest thing to read on a resume. And recruiters are skimmers. They're going to skim through your resume quickly, but the numbers can stop them dead in their tracks.

Having trouble quantifying your work experience? Follow these tips:

Circle every noun and every verb on your resume.
For each noun and verb, ask yourself:
- How many?
- How much?
- How often?
- What percentage?
Focus on profit/revenue increases, cost savings, time savings, etc.

By following these tips, you will quickly find that you can quantify your experience and add numbers to any bullet point on your resume. I challenge you to try this in your job search for an impressive resume. I've had so many people come to me and say, "There's nothing that you can quantify about me or my experience," and I've been able to quantify them every single time.

Here's another example...

A receptionist came to me and said, "Yeah, I just work the phones really well." So I asked her, "How big is your company? How big is the phone line system? How many phone calls do you field a day?"

This was her response: "I work at a 300-person company where I field over 200 phone calls a day on a 12-line phone system."

That is exactly what recruiters want to see when they say you should quantify your experience.

We all have numbers. Even if you don't know the exact numbers, you can make a conservative guess so that you feel confident you're giving accurate information.

By quantifying your experience, you'll create a resume that is more impressive to recruiters, and you'll be sure to stand out from the other job candidates in the hiring process.

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How To Make Your Resume More Impressive …

Even executives who've had several years of experience in a profession can find it hard to secure a new job. The problem clearly isn't lack of experience, but rather understanding how to best position themselves on their resume so that employers will take notice of what they have to offer.

When you're a senior executive, there's typically no shortage of information to include on your resumeâand that's where the problem lies. When there's no strategy for writing a resume, the end result is usually a mishmash of information that doesn't help employers understand exactly how and why you would fit their needs.

So, how can an executive write a resume that will stand out to employers?

The tips below will help you write a strategic and effective executive resume with ease.

Present Information That Aligns With The Employer's Needs

Employer/hiring manager reads an executive resume that aligns with their needs

When employers review your resume, they are looking to understand how you may fit into the role they are looking to fill and the organization. A resume that is written like an autobiography (everything from past to present with no filter on what information is appropriate to include) fails to provide customized information that shows you meet their needs.

What you need to do is highlight the specific experience and skills that align with their needs. In other words, you need to customize your resume for each job you apply for. You do that by carefully reviewing the job posting, understanding what the specific needs are, and then thinking about how you're proficient in those areas.

Utilize an executive headline and relevant skills (not an objective statement) at the top of your resume to present highlights of what you have to offer to meet the employer's needs.

Demonstrate How You Brought Improvement/Results To Your Previous Jobs

Employer reviews an executive resume with quantifiable accomplishments

While detailing roles and responsibilities at previous jobs under "Work History" can help improve keyword matches when the resume is run through the applicant tracking system (ATS), it needs to present other information once it gets in the hands of a human reviewer.

The human reviewer will be looking for information on how your actions on the job brought results. This requires you to quantify your accomplishments on your resume. When you write quantifiable results on your resume, it provides employers with a much better understanding of the type of experience and situations you've faced and what you're capable of achieving on the job.

Connect With The Employer

Those who are hired for the job are typically job candidates who've related well with the employer. They've shown how they fit in and share similar passions.

To help build that connection with the employer on the resume, indicate professional affiliations, volunteer work, and other aspects that may be outside of work that are relatable. For example, if you know the employer is heavily involved in community work helping pets in need and you've volunteered at an animal shelter, include a brief mention at the end of your resume to help build a stronger connection. Your professional affiliation with related fields and industry groups also helps demonstrate to the employer you share a passion in the same space as they do.

These are simple strategies to help improve your executive resume. The more you can tailor your information, the easier it is for employers to take notice of you and initiate follow-up action. Show employers you can meet their specific desires and needs and connect with them by showing you share similar passions!

Need more help with your executive resume?

Check out our executive-level membership and start working with career expert J.T. O'Donnell on branding your executive resume today!

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3 Tips For Improving Your Executive Resume

4 Phrases You Should Never Have On Your Resume

Sometimes the reason your resume gets dismissed by employers has nothing to do with your experience and skills. It simply could come down to having phrases that turn employers off.

On top of avoiding overused buzzwords on your resume like "creative," "innovative," "visionary," "team player," "motivated," "highly skilled," "hard worker," "passionate," and "driven"âthat are really blank statements that don't demonstrate anythingâyou want to also avoid certain phrases on your resume at all costs.

Here are some of the top phrases to avoid on your resume:

"Job Duties"

"Job duties" essentially says to the employer that these are my responsibilities on the job. Well, that's fine if the only one you need to impress is the applicant tracking system (ATS) looking for matches in the job description.

The problem with including this phrase on your resume is it doesn't inform the hiring manager how well you perform on the jobâand they ultimately have the final say as to whether your resume is a keeper or not.

A more effective phrase to use is "accomplishments" to describe your work experience. You want to inform the employer of what you did on the job and prove that what you did produced valuable results. You always need to quantify your accomplishments on your resume. The first step in quantifying your accomplishments on your resume is getting rid of the phrase "job duties."

"Transferable Skills"

While professional resume writers speak of highlighting "transferable skills" on your resume when you're looking to make a career change or when you don't have the exact work experience the employer may be looking for, the specific term should be avoided on the resume.

When hiring managers and recruiters see "transferable skills" on a resume, it basically sends the message "I don't have the exact experience or hard skills you're looking for, but..."

A more effective phrase to use is "skills" or "skill set" or even "experience summary" (see below). It doesn't bring attention to the fact that you aren't a direct match with what they are looking for, but goes straight to the point of what you can offer that is of value to them.

"Objective Statement"

Traditionally, the objective statement takes a prime spot at the top of the resume detailing what you, the job seeker, are looking forâbut that's no way to compete in today's job market. The opening of your resume needs to make a bold statement informing the employer what you can do for them.

Replace an objective statement with an experience summary, which is a list of 6-8 hard or transferable skills needed for the specific job you're applying for. It'll help you stand out to employers within seconds of them reviewing your resume.

"References Available Upon Request"

A hiring manager goes through job applications with outdated phrases you should never include on resumes

You can assume all employers will go through a reference check before they hire you. Including this phrase on your resume is simply a waste of space and makes your resume come across as outdated since it was common practice to include it at the end of the resume years ago before ATS changed the landscape of the job search process.

Today's job seekers need a well-polished resume to compete. Avoiding overused buzzwords and phrases that say nothing or that may imply something negative will help keep you in the running.

We know today's hiring managers get more applicants than needed for each job opening, so don't let bad phrases be the cause for them turning away your resume!

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4 Phrases You Should Never Have On …

In a job market where there are plenty of applicants, it only takes one mistake to ruin your chances. As a job seeker, you need to know what the common mistakes are and work to avoid them so you lead a successful job search, impress managers with your resume, and make a positive mark at the job interview.

These are the 13 biggest mistakes to avoid in the job search, divided into three categories: job search, resume, and interview. Which job search mistakes are you making?

Job Search Mistakes

Job seeker on laptop writes notes as he views openings through various job board websites

1. Relying solely on job boards for opportunities â it has the least effectiveness rate when compared with using recruiters and networking through contacts.

2. No online presence â employers and recruiters scour for talent on LinkedIn, so if you're not there and not optimized for the right keywords, you're missing out.

3. Ineffective networking â most people think that networking is telling your contacts that you are looking for a job and giving them your resume. This is not effective as you've just lost control of your job search because you're waiting on others to respond rather than being proactive in your pursuit.

Resume Mistakes

Young professional on laptop updates her resume

4. Lack of a good experience summary â it needs to speak to "Here's what I can do for you."

5. Irrelevant information â if it doesn't apply to the job or the employer, it brings no value to your resume.

6. Not applying relevant keywords â hiring managers and the applicant tracking system (ATS) look for keywords that indicate a match with what they are looking for before taking more time to review the resume.

7. List of responsibilities instead of accomplishments and success achieved â employers want to know how well you performed on the job, so make sure to quantify your achievements.

Interview Mistakes

8. Late arrival â if you know you'll be running late at least call to apologize and offer an update on your expected arrival time.

9. Lack of rapport â people hire people they like and feel comfortable around.

10. Not asking questions â demonstrate that you are truly interested in the opportunity.

11. Negative talk about your current or previous employer â this is not considered professional and employers do not want people who have had conflicts in their past jobs.

12. Unprepared and unfamiliar with the company â do your research and understand the employer's business.

13. Poor body language â it can speak louder than your words

All of these mistakes are avoidable, so carefully review and properly plan and prepare your job search, resume, and interview techniques for the best results!

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3 Areas Where Job Seekers Make The …

Have you ever been at a job for such a short period of time that you wondered if it was even worth it to list it on your resume or LinkedIn profile?

A job seeker recently asked us, "Should I list a job if I wasn't there for a very long time, and state whether or not I was laid off or fired?"

That's a great question that a lot of people have when writing their resumes. Here's what you need to do if you're in a similar situation:

Consider The Background Check

Man gives the hiring manager his resume that lists a short-term job

The first thing you have to ask yourself is what a short period of time is to you. Is it a week, month, or year?

This is going to vary from person to person. But it's important to know that any company that does a reference check on you, or a background check, is going to see every employer that ever paid you.

You have to understand that when you leave employers off the list, and they do a reference check and suddenly see that you worked at this company or that company, it's going to look like you're lying.

Utilize An "Additional Experience" Section On Your Resume

I usually advise people to create a section in their resume called the "Additional Experience" section. This is where you're going to list unrelated work experience. Maybe you're working a retail job, or are in some kind of hobby career, or had some super-short assignments that you weren't at long enough for them to make an impact on your career. This way, it's on paper.

In a job interview, if a hiring manager asks you about the short-term job, you can say, "No, I listed it. I was there for such a short period of time that I didn't put it in my main resume."

That's the best way to handle these situations. More importantly, you need to know how to answer the question, "Why are there gaps in your resume?" or "Why were you at this company for such a short period of time?"

These days, it's hard enough to get an interview in the first place. You don't want to blow it by hiding anything. So, make sure to include a short-term job in the "Additional Experience" section of your resume. It's an easy and effective solution.

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Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help …

If you're submitting your resume through a job board or company website, there's a good chance your resume is being run through an applicant tracking system (ATS), the software many of today's employers use to read and rank resumes they receive in the hiring process.

The higher the ranking, the greater the chance your resume will be seen by a pair of human eyes. Those that don't get a high rank fall into a black hole. So the question is, âHow can I ensure my resume gets past the applicant tracking system?"

Here are some basic tips:

1. Make Sure The ATS Can Read Your Resume

Man on laptop formats his resume to get it past the ATS

Have your resume saved in the right format. Not every ATS can read documents in .doc or .docx format. So, to be on the safe side, always submit your resume as a PDF. Also, in the event your resume does get past the ATS, you want to make sure the formatting stays the same. The best way to do that is by utilizing the PDF option.

Another thing to remember is to not use tables and text boxes. The ATS can't read them, so they will only hurt your chances of moving on in the hiring process.

2. Help The ATS Identify Sections And Information

Woman on laptop writes and formats her resume to get it past the ATS

The ATS looks for keywords to help identify sections of the resume, so make sure each section of your resume is clearly labeled and uses consistent formatting.

Those sections you should focus on include your headline, your experience summary, your work history, your education, and any additional experience.

3. List The Most Appropriate Keywords

The exact list of keywords an employer enters into the ATS varies, but you can figure out appropriate keywords by looking at the job description. You will notice certain keywords come up over and over again. There may also be certain terminology or lingo that defines the work of your profession. Utilize those keywords in context on your resume.

If you're going to use the "/" between keywords, add a space before and after it. For example, the ATS may not see "Web Design/Graphic Design" as keyword matches, but it will when it reads "Web Design / Graphic Design."

In this digital world, applicant tracking systems have made job seeking more difficult, so you need to make sure your resume gets through this important filter. We hope these three tips help you write and format your resume to get it past the ATS.

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3 Ways To Get Your Resume Past …

If you've been doing your homework on how to write an effective resume, you've seen a recurring theme: you have to quantify your work experience. Although most people understand the general idea of this, we find that job seekers often struggle with applying this idea to writing their resumes.

Here are three easy ways to quantify your work experience with numbers so your resume stands out!

1. Show How Many

Sometimes our responsibilities don't sound that impressive until we start detailing how much work we've been doing. For instance, if one of your job responsibilities is tracking your company's compliance with filing a set of forms every year, you could write that two different ways:

Ensured compliance with filing of annual forms.

âorâ

Ensured compliance with the filing of 75 annual forms by 7 different company departments.

Doesn't the second example sound much more impressive?

2. Show How Much

Woman on phone and laptop quantifies her experience on her resume

If you have a job in sales, marketing, or any other business where profitability is the ultimate goal of your position, citing exactly how much money you've either made or saved your company is the way to go.

For example, if you're an internal auditor, your resume could say:

Saved company money by finding ways to cut costs.

âorâ

Implemented new payroll and tax accounting systems that saved firm $1M in personnel costs over the next 10 years.

Estimates are fine when citing these types of numbers, as long as you can justify your claim if someone asks you in an interview.

3. Show How Often

Man on laptop writes down quantifiable accomplishments on his resume

We frequently talk with job seekers who have previously been successful in very high-volume environments. If you've worked in this type of setting, please give yourself credit!

Even an administrative assistant's job sounds completely different when quantified and given some context:

Answered phones at the front desk.

âorâ

Managed switchboard with 10 incoming lines, effectively receiving and routing an average of 500 calls per day.

My goodness, who wouldn't hire the second candidate?

As you write your resume, ask yourself these three important questions:

How many?
How much?
How often?

The key to landing an interview is to answer those questions as you describe your previous professional accomplishments. Once you learn how to quantify your results and work experience, nothing will hold you back!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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3 Ways To Quantify Your Experience With …

Your resume is the most important document to advance your career. And given employers will only scan it for about 7-10 seconds, you need to make sure you scream, âHere's what I can do for you!"

There's a difference between a resume that only showcases your personality and characteristics and one that demonstrates specific achievements and accomplishments. Unfortunately, too many resumes are filled with fluff statements anyone can say and they don't really distinguish you as a top candidate.

A resume filled with terms such as "visionary" (how many of these do you really know?), "motivated," "team player," "problem solver," "results oriented," "dynamic," and many other phrases are examples of overused words.

To avoid creating a resume complete with fluff, try to turn to marketable facts and quantifiable accomplishments.

1. Don't Rely On Terms That Describe Character (Soft Skills)

Replace the use of terms that describe character with specific content to demonstrate how you accomplished or achieved something. Shed some light on your method of execution. A resume should not include soft skills.

For instance, to show you were "results oriented," indicate on your resume how you increased sales in your department by XY percent within a year or increased the number of attendees to an annual conference by XY percent compared to previous years.

If you don't actually have numbers, you can approximate percentages: "Introduced new procedures that slashed cycle times approximately 20%."

These are examples of quantifiable accomplishments. Don't be afraid to quantify your results on the job and prove you're the best fit for the position.

2. Use Numbers And Symbols

Man thinks about quantifying his accomplishments on his resume instead of adding fluff

Numbers and symbols quickly jump out at employers so use them whenever you can. Resumes have their own special rules and always show all numbers as digits as they catch the eye. Percentages are always best as they show the impact of your efforts.

For example, saying "increased sales $750,000 over prior year" is nice but to some companies that is petty cash and your company might not like your giving out their private information. It's better to say, "Increased sales 43% over prior year."

Simply avoid words that aren't specific, such as "many," "few," and "several."

3. Don't List Responsibilities Of Your Previous Jobs; Demonstrate Outcomes

Professional woman on laptop writes about outcomes and accomplishments on her resume

The problem with writing responsibilities you held on the job is it doesn't tell an employer how successful you were at executing your plans. An employer only cares about how good you did your job and how what you did can apply to the job they are offering.

Rather than list responsibilities, demonstrate your performance.

Are you the most senior member of your team?
Do people turn to you for the more challenging issues?
Is your productivity level higher than your peers?
Do you resolve issues on the first call versus others needing 2-3 calls?
Is your level of accuracy and the quality of your work at the highest level?
Have you demonstrated the ability to meet aggressive deadlines?

Statements like "consistently recognized for delivering quality results at less cost than budgeted" showcases your effectiveness, especially when you back that statement up with approximate numbers.

4. Only Detail Specialized Technical Skills

Professional man on laptop adds technical skills to his resume instead of fluff

Today's employers expect candidates to know basic computer skills and programs, so only list specialized technical skills that are relevant to the job. An employer does not need to see you know programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Also, when you do list any technical skill, tell an employer how well you know the specific program by detailing what you may have created or done with it. Simply listing a specific program will not help an employer understand how well you know it or what your capabilities are.

Fill your resume with performance statements instead of fluff and you will see a dramatic improvement in your job search results.

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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4 Ways To Turn Resume Fluff Into …

Work It Daily has an amazing library of free resources for professionals at any age or job level. No matter if you're looking for help with your job search, career change, or professional development efforts, Work It Daily has the career resources you need.

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6.Â How To Break Through Career Burnout

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Additional Free Resources

7 Mistakes You Can't Afford To Make On LinkedIn

In this free training, you will learn:

The 7 mistakes executives can't afford to make on LinkedIn anymore
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No. 1 Way To Get A Job Without Applying Online

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Want More Help With Your Job Search & Career?Â

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