Unfuck and Power Up Your Resume
Resume writing is one of those life skills that most people learn as they go. If we’re lucky, we might have had one class in high school or college that taught us how to plug our basic information into a template that looks straight out of an AOL search, circa 1998.
But that doesn’t really cut it nowadays, does it? Especially if you’re looking for something above minimum wage or entry-level retail.
Shit is rough out there!
We don’t even have to bring up C-O-V-I-D; it’s been rough since at least 2010 when I started trying to get office gigs. You know the labor market is bent when some companies hiring for a receptionist prefer candidates have a bachelor’s - seriously, check the job listings. I bet it takes less than 5-minutes to find one of those gems. But, I digress.
Stock images, man. They make me LOL.
Let’s dig into the actionable things you can do today to propel your resume through the online algorithms and help it scream “Interview me!”
A couple of these concepts require a mental shift from what you may be used to. Try to stay open-minded, even if some of these tips might seem a little extra.
Talk About Your Skills and Experience in a Value Sense
Many of us think of a resume as a place to list all the tasks and duties we completed within specific positions. And while that is a part of it, it’s not sexy, and it doesn’t paint you as the badass individual you are.
Instead of listing duties, think of the tasks and projects you were responsible for in terms of the value they brought to your employer, customers, shareholders, or other interested parties. Be specific in the descriptions you use so anyone reading it can understand the extent of your responsibilities.
Let’s check out some examples to help solidify this concept.
Bank Teller
Normal:
Responsible for servicing client accounts, accepting loan payments, balancing cash drawer, and correcting discrepancies.
Better:
Increased customer satisfaction through friendly and efficient account servicing; fast and accurate loan payment processing; effectively-balanced cash drawers; and corrected discrepancies.
Marketing Associate
Normal:
- Produced content for a variety of channels, including blogs, Facebook, and email
- Focused on providing readers with valuable content
- Oversaw marketing efforts for multiple product launches
Better:
- Produced engaging content to increase click-through and conversion rates across blogs, Facebook, and email
- Curated exclusive and actionable content that helped to increase viewership and share rates
- Lead the marketing effort for multiple product launches from strategy to delivery
I want to take a moment here to point out that last bullet point. We transformed it from a vague sentence about overseeing marketing efforts into clarifying exactly what “oversee” (lead/managed) and “marketing efforts”(from strategy to delivery) meant. That is what I mean about being specific with how you describe your work experience.
Use Compelling Data and Hard Numbers Whenever Possible
If you instantly know what I mean by “hard numbers,” you likely already use them in your resume to some extent, and you can skip this one if you want.
If you are scratching your head over the term, this tip is for you and one of the most powerful I can give.
Over the years, I’ve spoken with several job seekers who don’t believe they have any hard numbers to share because their employers didn’t give them that kind of information, or they weren’t held accountable for any specific quotas. If you fall into that group, it doesn’t mean you can’t share hard numbers; it just means you will have to be more creative.
To get started, think of your former jobs in terms of average outputs per day/week/month:
- How many people or tables or groups you served
- How many emails or applications or calls you processed
- How often customers took advantage of an upsell or complementary service you offered
- The average amount of upsales or complementary services you closed
- The number of calls you juggled at once, per hour, or per day
- How many customers signed up for given services with you (maybe it was opening a line of credit at your bank, meeting with a financial advisor, signing up for the loyalty program, paying for the extended warranty, etc.)
Also, think about:
- If you ever won an award or special recognition (yes, Employee of the Month counts, that email template you created that your boss shared with the team so everyone would start using it counts as well)
- Any particularly fantastic feedback or testimonials from clients or team members
- If you ever created presentations and the outcome of them
- If you trained or mentored multiple people who went on to be superstar team members using skills you taught them
- If you created SOPs for your company - what kind, how many, how did it change workflow for the better? How did it improve onboarding for new team members?
Pepper Your Resume and Cover Letter with the Exact Terms Used in the Listings for Jobs You Want
Everything I am sharing today is valuable and works synergistically to generate the results you want (getting the job of your dreams). Still, if there was one tidbit that I can’t emphasize enough, it’s this one.
You need to review job listings from multiple companies (let’s just say, minimum of three) and find the keywords they use to describe the ideal fit for the role you want.
Compile a list of the terms you see repeated most across the different job postings and decide which of those attributes you already possess. Sprinkle those exact terms into your resume and job history where applicable. If you repeatedly see skills listed that you don’t have yet - take it as your signal to learn and grow in those directions now while you search (and add those keywords to your resume as you add those skills).
Don’t stretch the truth. Do use the same words to describe your real skills that the companies looking for those skills are using. Using relevant keywords is a big part of how you beat the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) algorithms and get to the next step beyond online resume submission.
Check Your Formatting for Consistency
You’d be surprised how often I see different fonts, headers, sentence structure, list formatting, and everything else in resumes from hungry job seekers. Every section should be formatted the same. The font style should be consistent throughout. Suppose you organize the first job listing in your Work History as Title, Company, Dates Employed, Responsibilities. In that case, every other job listing should be detailed in that order.
Stick to a Professional & Classic Font (Comic Sans Need Not Apply)
This is just an extension of the formatting piece. Pick a font that you see used in job listings and professional material often—options like Arial and Times New Roman or even Calibri.
Remove Your Address
Here’s the thing. Recruiters have limited time with your resume initially. They typically scan it and make a split decision (if it even ends up in front of a human). Including your address is unnecessary and wastes precious whitespace.
Employers assume you live in the area where the job is offered.
If it’s a remote position, your location isn’t necessarily a priority that can’t be clarified elsewhere or in another way. If you apply for a job out of your immediate area, it might hurt you to include your address. The employer may assume you’re too far or it’s not worth the hassle rather than giving you a chance - like in an interview - to explain you are moving to the area, etc.
If You Include an Objective/Summary/About Section, Make it Sparkle
Most of what I see in the Objective and Summary sections alternates between a plea for the kind of job the applicant wants and a generic sentence or two about the candidates’ skills (usually the ones that are a given for the position, like Microsoft Word for an office job).
This section should act as a highlight reel for who you are and what you bring to the table (that will make the company money). The recruiter or HR person needs to skim it and think, “We are going to get a great ROI if we hire this person.” or even better, “Here’s a person who is going to make us money.”
Here’s a mental exercise to help you write a kickass Objective section.
Imagine you just spent the day writing targeted cover letters and applying for jobs like crazy. You’re feeling somewhat drained. A little hungry. More than a bit hopeful that something will finally pan out. You decide to head down to the neighborhood bar (it’s not 2020 in this daydream) to get yourself a pint and something to eat.
The place is packed; the only seat you can find is at the bar. You sit down next to a stranger who turns and smiles at you. She looks vaguely familiar. She introduces herself, and as soon as you hear her name, you know who she is. She’s a hiring manager at your dream company, and you happen to know they’re looking for someone like you because you just applied for your absolute dream job!
You don’t know if she’s going to hang around for long. You’ve got one chance to make yourself stand out so that the first thing she does when she returns to the office is download your resume. She’s a friendly person and happens to mention what she does for work, giving you a perfect (and not awkward) opportunity to share that you’ve applied for a position at her company.
What would you tell her about yourself, as it relates to the job you want, that would make her remember you and move your resume to the next step? Keep it short and sweet.
What you decide to say to her is the framework for your new Objective section.
If Your Email is Anything Other than Your Name, Get a New One
Once upon a time, I assisted the hiring manager for my then-employer reviewing applications and deciding which candidates would proceed to the next step. I saw more unprofessional email designations than I would have thought possible - and these were strictly supervisory and managerial-level positions.Seriously, shit like TiggerLover1981@, WhizKidLM@, CaliGirl1990@, TruckManFordOnly@. (These examples are from my imagination based on what I saw back in 2014; if any of them are active email addresses, that is an unfortunate coincidence).
If your email is anything other than your legal name or some variation of your legal name, get a new one for job-seeking purposes. Gmail is free. Hotmail is free. Take your pick.
