What does your resume really say about you?
I’m sure it has all of the regular vitals: name, address, phone number, email, blood type, favorite Iron Chef. But what does that really say? Ever read an obituary? Gives the general details of a person’s life, their family members, a few kind words about their personality, and then a note about funeral or memorial service. Pretty dry stuff to say the least. Yes it gives the reader some minute facts but unless you already knew the deceased – you probably still don’t know them very well. It’s exactly the same as a resume.
We’ve been taught from high school career counselors to make sure to list your jobs in chronological order and provide bullet points of your duties (sound familiar?) Also really boring to read and in no way sets you apart from anyone else applying for a job. You need to put your personality into it, you need to put your real accomplishments into it. Make the resume come alive for the reader – turn your resume into a compelling story.
Now, I’m not going to give away all of my secrets; that’s what I get paid for, but I will give you some things to think about the next time you are putting your resuem together. Here you go:
- Outline your resume into sections
- Summarize your most relevant skills.
- Put your most proud career accomplishments up front and center (3 will do). Remember, the employer wants to know what actual skills you have and how you have applied them in the past that will make them money by hiring you.
- Now list your career highlights – you don’t actually need to list every job you have ever had.
Pretty simple. Don’t worry about how many pages it takes to complete, 2 pages is fine. Trying to shove everything into a single page is ridiculous. Also, forget an Objective, everyone says the same thing and after a full day of reading about people who are “looking for a growth opportunity in a team environment, the reader is going to gloss over it anyway; I know I do.
A resume is your calling card, a way to open the door – make a compelling argument right away or forget about an interview. There are too many people out of work, make yourself standout and be wanted.
Have fun.
Jeff
