2 Things Your Resume Should Be Doing

You haven’t updated your resume in 5,732 years and you’re not hearing back from recruiters when you apply to jobs or put your resume on Indeed, CareerBuilder, or Monster.

If you’re like most of the people I’ve worked with, then you’ve been steadily employed for a while and you’ve been getting promoted from within your organization.  You haven’t worked on your resume since before you joined your current employer and you’re not even sure what to do with your resume now.

Orrrrr….you frequently change jobs because you’re in a niche field and you’re in high demand, but you want to change your career path.

Orrrrr…you’re new to the job market (either entry-level or returning from a hiatus) and you’re not sure what to list on your resume.

Here are the TWO most important things you need to make sure your resume is doing.

1. Consistently showing the quantifiable and measurable results of your hard work
Okay. This is the big one.

Most people I’ve worked with hardly ever provide IMPACT statements that include quantifiable and measurable results.

Here’s the thing, you can talk all day about what you were tasked with and who you reported to, but your next boss wants to know the results of the tasks you completed and if the person you reported to was successful in achieving the team/company goals due to your contributions.

Example:  Let’s say you’re hiring for someone to come do your laundry.  You have two resumes to consider.

Candidate #1:
-Separated loads of clothes
-Washed loads of clothes
-Dried loads of clothes
-Ironed loads of clothes

The other resume you have lists the same things with quantifiable and measurable results.

Candidate #2:
-Separated 50 loads of clothes using a custom sorting process that reduces separation time by 35%
-Created a time-reducing washing powder that allowed me to wash 50 loads of clothes and remove all tough stains in 6.5 hours
-Identified and corrected dryer efficiency issues resulting in all 50 loads of clothes being dried in 7.5 hours
-Ironed 40 loads of clothes in 2 hours which was not a requirement of my role and this led to my promotion to Chief Laundry Officer

Which candidate would you want to call in for an interview?

Here’s the point.  You can list a bunch of stuff or you can deliver impact statements that show your next boss that you are passionate, hard-working, results-oriented, and you understand the KPIs (key performance indicators) because that’s probably how you’ll be measured in your new job.

2. Highlighting relevant skills/experiences

The rule of ONE SIZE FITS ALL is great for earrings and ponchos.  That’s it.

Resumes should not ever be considered ONE SIZE FITS ALL.  Your one resume is not going to fit every job.  If you’ve been working for a while, then you’ve acquired a lot of skills, but no one cares about everything you can do.  I had an ironing job once.  Unless I’m applying to iron someone’s clothes…WHO REALLY CARES?

In high school, I spent 2 years working at Burger King.  Coming from a sales background, though, I would apply to a sales job and highlight my ability to up-sell clients to value meals and add on desserts with every single client transaction.  Would a salesperson care that I can make a freakin’ amazing Whopper with cheese?

You see, your future manager has PAIN POINTS that he/she needs to alleviate.  Your future manager isn’t looking to hire someone just for the fun of it.  There are business goals that need to be met and your future manager’s team has goals that they need to meet.

Your goal, then, should be to clearly and concisely show that you have the skills and experience that match the skills and experience your manager needs.  So tailor your resume to match the job types and/or job descriptions for which you’re applying.

Focus on creating 1 resume for every type of job type you’d be interested in.  It’s easier to make small tweaks to a tailored resume when you come across an awesome opportunity than it is to have to completely rewrite a new resume.  Have your resumes ready.  Stop missing out on jobs you’d love because your resume isn’t tailored.

Example:  If you’re a brain surgeon who loves fashion and wants a part-time job as a stylist at Macy’s, then guess what? You need 1 resume (or CV) for brain surgeon jobs and 1 resume for fashion stylist jobs.  Get it?

When your resume lands on a recruiter’s desk, (s)he should not have to ask, “Why did this person apply for THIS job?”

It should be crystal clear that you know what you’re applying for, why you’re applying for it, and how your skills/experience make you the BEST candidate for the job.

Recruiters, after having read your resume, need to say, “I’ve found the perfect person for this role!  I hope s(he)’s still on the market!”

If you’re finding yourself stuck and need help on your resume or life/career challenges, I offer free, 30-minute Clarity Chats that you can schedule yourself by visiting: bit.ly/worklifedreams

In the meantime, continue to track all of your successes and acquired skills.  Don’t get so comfortable that you forget how awesome you are, have been, and how much more awesome you’ll be.

Also, you can take advantage of this free, 5-module audio course that will give you tips and tricks to rebirth your resume so that recruiters and hiring managers can see just how amazing you are.  It also comes with a cover letter and resume template that will provide you the foundation to rebirth your resume.

Peace!