How to use your resume to tell your story and sell your brand
Meet Todd!
Todd has served in technician roles for the majority of his career. Serving in the military for two years, he progressed to working in the private sector for an equipment repair company; after two years, he joined his current employer. In his current role, Todd rebuilt engines, gained experience working in diverse areas of the organization, and had also been selected to provide on-the-job training for new and existing employees.
What did Todd need from me?
Todd wanted to be promoted. He felt he had gained the team leadership and training experience needed to qualify him for “the next level” and wanted his resume to show that. Not having a tremendous amount of experience writing a resume, and feeling fairly uncertain when it came to self-promotion, Todd’s existing resume served as a poor representation of his brand.
Why wasn’t Todd’s resume generating calls?
Todd had a very old-fashioned resume, akin to many that I see daily, void of sophistication when it came to content, formatting, and placement of information. Todd’s resume opened with an Objective Statement which wasted the most important real estate on the resume and told prospective employers nothing about how he was uniquely qualified for his roles of choice.
Next, Todd presented a Capabilities section which was a short, six-bullet list of training and soft skills. Nothing in this list would not be expected of a technician in his field; therefore, it did not differentiate his skills, nor did it further position him for the promotion he sought.
Next, appeared an Education section with degree and non-degree granting institutions presented, in addition to his high school diploma. In all, this section encompassed a solid one-third of page one of Todd’s resume, yet possessed not one differentiating or key qualifying factor.
Lastly, and close to the end of page one of Todd’s resume, he presented his work history. In each of three sections, Todd listed his employers, years of experience, and three to five bullet points of no more than seven words each. Sum total, Todd presented his entire career in 53 words!
The key to success…
Todd needed a resume to not only validate that he was a qualified technician, but to also prove that he possessed the key experience and characteristics of a supervisor, trainer, or project manager. By talking with Todd, I was able to have him elaborate on his experience, narrate some of the reasons he felt qualified for “the next level” in his career, and provide mission-critical content to give his resume the value it needed to position him for a promotion.
Todd’s new resume opened with a Qualifications Summary, serving to tell his target audience what he could do for them. It then flowed into a Professional Experience section, which presented a more thorough overview of his positions and the accomplishments he drove. Todd’s new Professional Experience section contained 365 words versus the original 53, a stark improvement in the ability to contain keywords and desired qualifications. Lastly, Todd’s Education section was right-sized, with non-differentiating information being omitted, including his high school diploma and incomplete degree.
Did the phone start ringing?
It did indeed! Todd wrote, “I searched for a position, other than a diesel technician, for about a year. I was contacted very few times for an interview. All of the contacts I received were to let me know the position was filled. I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to advance my career. I was guided to Samantha to enhance my resume. I was blown away by the difference between the resume I was taught to write, and the resume her service provided. I was shocked by the number of inquiries about employment I had with the new resume. My phone was ringing off the hook. I had more job interviews in the two months following receipt of my new resume than I have ever had before. I received a position as a project manager in just two short months. I was able to pick my future instead of settling for a position.”