Resumes 101

Your resume is the lifeblood of your job search.

Many factors influence your success in finding a new job. But the resume is the central point everything radiates from.

If you have a great resume, you get noticed. But even more importantly, it represents how well you have thought through what you want and how you can solve the employer’s problem.

Because as I say over and over: it’s not about you. The employer doesn’t care about your goals. They don’t care how well the job fits into your five-year plan. They have a problem to solve, and if you are the best one to solve it, you get the job. That’s it.

You need to figure out what you want and need. That’s extremely important. But that is not the goal of your resume. The goal is to present your solution in the most forceful and clear way possible.

So I thought this week I would gather up all my best resume advice in one list.

• Proofread.
  The importance of proofreading cannot be overstated. The best thing to do is have someone else look over all your materials before you submit them. You can become blind looking at the same text over and over. Second-best is letting everything rest for a day so you can come back with fresh eyes.

• Don’t start with goals.
  The employers don’t care about your goals. Start your resume with a “professional summary” tailored to their needs. This isn’t about you, it’s about them. What is their problem, and how can you solve it?

• Use their language.
  Comb through the job listing and other related materials. Make a list of keywords they are looking for. (ChatGPT or other similar A.I. writing tools can help with this.) Make sure those exact words are included in your resume text. Exact words matter to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

• Show, don’t tell.
  Job titles don’t explain what you can do. Make sure you are detailing what you accomplished, specifically, and the positive effect it had on your previous employer. Talk about successes, not responsibilities.

• Use numbers.
  If you have numbers that show how much you increased sales in the last quarter, or how many new customers you brought in, or how much you saved the company, use them. Numbers jump out, both to the ATS and to humans reading your resume.

• Verbs, not adjectives.
  Replace words like “Diligent. Trustworthy. Reliable. Dynamic.” with “Developed. Created. Managed. Saved. Organized.” Adjectives do nothing to advance your cause, because they impart nothing but your own opinion of yourself. The action words are where it’s at.

• Keep it simple.
  Use a plain Word doc as your resume file - this is the most universal format. I used to recommend PDFs because that was supposed to be “universal” and would give you a bit of leeway in terms of formatting. But just plain bullets and headings, well-organized, are best. In Word.

• Keep it simple, Part 2.
  No graphics, photos, tables or other embellishments. They just distract from your points and gum up the ATS. This is not the time to flex your design muscles. Use Canva for your social media posts, not your resume.

• Customize.
  Take the time to create a custom resume for every job you apply for. It’s fine to start with a “master resume” and edit it from there. But do the edits - every time. This is a sales page for you and your career. Make it count.

• Keep it short.
  Edit ruthlessly, cutting out extraneous stuff. I personally believe 99 percent of resumes should be two pages at most. Delete everything that does not place a laser focus on the benefits you will bring to the job. Three amazing bullet items are so much better than 10 mediocre ones.

• Use your network.
  Get people in the field to give you feedback on your resume and how well it sells your capabilities for the job you want. No need to take any one person’s advice as gospel. But a lot of people you already have access to have expertise to share.

These ideas are not rocket science. But if you consider and implement them all, you will be ahead of the game.

See you next week!

Hearing from you

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about your resume?