Outdated approach diminishes your brand

Dear Sam:

I am trying my best to stay in my field, but with the threat of my employer downsizing, I have been exploring other employment options. I started searching in June, and have had interviews, but am not receiving any job offers. What am I doing wrong?

Dear C.: If you are getting interviews, you must be doing something right. I see from your resume that you are headed in the right direction, but there is room for improvement. There are three main concerns I have with your resume.

First, you introduce readers to your candidacy with a self-serving Objective Statement. You have four to seven seconds to grab a reader’s attention. “Highly motivated and dedicated individual seeking a challenging position that will allow me to further develop my existing skills and enable me to acquire new capabilities” does nothing to convey what you can offer the employer. Instead, open your resume with a strong summary of the unique experience you offer. What about you is different from your competitors? How are you going to differentiate yourself once you get to an interview? Think about these questions to formulate a solid Qualifications Summary to open your resume.

Second, it is imperative that you spend time fully developing the statements on your resume. You have lists of fragmented bullet points, none of which is more than a few words long. Create a summary of each of your roles, present them in a paragraph format, and remove statements that add little to no value to your candidacy.

For example, when I read statements like, “documented imaging” and “provided customer service,” I feel a sense of frustration based on the vagueness of the content. Statements should fully be explored, and every sentence on your resume should add value.

Expand upon your statements by thinking of the challenges you faced, the actions you took and the results you achieved. Instead of simply stating that you provided customer service, present that same effort by saying, “Delivered exceptional, brand-centric customer service and support to both internal and external customers, demonstrating strengths in meeting customers’ needs in a fast-paced and high-volume environment.” Do you see how the latter of the two statements leaves you feeling full instead of empty? If you only communicate the sheer basics of your roles, you will be left in the dust as your competitors — who may not be as qualified — shine based on their ability to present the value in their functions.

Third, work on identifying ways you contributed above and beyond your job descriptions. Your resume includes no information about how you delivered value beyond expectations. You may be granted interviews based on your ability to do the job, but I fear you are not being offered the job as others are also able to do the job but are better able to demonstrate that they can offer value beyond the basics.

Think about those challenge-action-result statements and identify ways you really did do more than expected. Did you improve a process? Did you increase organizational efficiencies? Did you reduce claims-handling timelines? Did you bolster quality? You must convey how you can add value — beyond expectations — in order to shine in a competitive climate.

I believe if you address the deficiencies on your resume, you will hit the market with a stronger presentation of your candidacy, help facilitate more productive interviews and secure your next position. Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and owner of Ladybug Design, a fullservice resume-writing firm. She can be reached at dearsam@ladybug-design.com or 614-570-3442. Find out more at ladybug-design.com.