Resume must leave hiring managers feeling ‘full’
After last week’s analysis of a client’s resume and personal branding, I received another inquiry from a reader regarding a similar dilemma.
Carl wrote the following:
“I read your response to Jane last week, and I, too, have been wondering what I am doing wrong in the presentation of my brand on my resume. I am trying my best to stay in my current field, but with the threat of my current employer downsizing, I have been exploring other employment options. I started searching in June and have had interviews, but I am not receiving any job offers. What am I doing wrong?”
Carl, if you are getting interviews, you must be doing something right. I can see from your resume that you are headed in the right direction, but there is room for improvement to ensure that potential employers really see the value you offer.
Perhaps if you improve the image on paper, you will secure additional interviews, and your job-offer rate will improve.
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 a total of four to seven seconds to grab a reader’s attention. Open your resume with a strong summary of the unique experience you offer. What about your candidacy is different from the others? How will you differentiate yourself once you get to an interview? Think about these questions, and formulate your responses into a solid qualifications summary to open your resume.
Second, you must spend time fully developing the statements on your resume. Currently, you have lists of fragmented bullet points, none of which is more than a few words. 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. Consider expanding on 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, why not present that same effort by saying something like: “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 of your competitors.
Third, I want you to work on identifying ways you contributed above and beyond your job descriptions. You may be granted interviews based on your clear 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 in which you really did do more than expected. Did you improve a process? Did you increase organizational efficiencies? Did you reduce claim-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, of course, secure that all-important next career position.
— Samantha Nolan is an advanced personal-branding strategist and career expert and is the founder and CEO of Nolan Branding. Do you have a resume, career or jobsearch question for Dear Sam? Reach Samantha at dearsam@nolanbranding.com. For more information about Nolan Branding’s services, visit www.nolanbranding.com, or call 888-9-MY-BRAND or 614-570-3442.