Do you expect to be working for the foreseeable future? If so, we need to talk about your resume.
About ten years ago, I somehow became all my friends’ resume doctor. I’m not exactly sure how it happened. I guess I helped out one or two people who were struggling with their job searches, and then word spread. Next thing you know, this became my thing.
It’s my own fault, really. Aside from an open offer to friends, resume upgrades have become something I enjoy doing for almost anyone. So I’ve worked on resumes for all kinds of people, ranging from close friends to distant relatives to almost anyone who reaches out (while flattering me).
I’ll tell you this: I’ve revised probably 70 or 80 resumes by now, and almost all of them needed improvement when I got them.
As a marketing and product management hiring manager at Google, Facebook, Eventbrite, Wells Fargo, and other places, I’ve evaluated thousands of resumes, and most of them needed improvement as well.
Yours probably needs improvement, too. It likely doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.
Here’s how to fix it. Six easy rules will do it.
It all starts with asking yourself this question: Why do I have a resume? If you’re like most people, it’s to help you get a job. And you likely update it every time you’re looking for one.
So for the purposes of this essay, let’s assume that you maintain your resume so you can find a job that suits you.
Your resume is a story about the results you’ll deliver in the job you really want. That’s it. Nothing else.
Go ahead and parse that statement. It needs to show that you’re going to do great things in your next job.
You may think your resume is the story of your career so far. But it’s not. It should be the prologue to the rest of your career, setting up whatever’s next.
Ultimately, you need to think about who reads your resume and why. Depending on the size of the organization and other factors, it could be:
Large organizations that hire thousands of people per year often start with screening algorithms to score the resumes, usually outsourced through career sites or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). The algorithms are qualifying and ranking candidates by scanning for keywords: “content marketing,” “Class A commercial driver’s license,” “cheesemaking.” A machine needs to be able to read and process your resume, but only to start the process. Machines don’t make hiring decisions—yet.
Recruiters are the gatekeepers to determine if you’re qualified for a job. Their role is to determine if you’re worth a hiring manager’s time before sending you to them for a first interview. So to a recruiter, your resume needs to tell the story, “I meet the qualifications for the job, as defined in the job description. You won’t be embarrassed sending me to the hiring manager.”
You’ll meet other people in your journey to your next job, but the manager to whom this role will report is obviously the most important. To them, your resume needs to tell the story, “I will produce results in this job and make you successful because I have performed well in the skill areas that matter most for this role.”
You will likely interview with a bunch of other people. They may review your resume before speaking with you, but most will not read it very thoroughly. Their job is to judge whether you’ll be an effective partner and whether they will enjoy working with you. Your resume needs to tell the story, “I partner with people and help them be successful.”
At some larger companies, your resume will become part of a packet to be reviewed by a team of executives. Few or possibly none of them will have met you in the process. Your resume needs to tell the story, “I will be a sound long-term investment for this organization.”
How do you prepare a resume for these disparate audiences and purposes? It’s not easy, but you can do it. Let’s start by looking at what you’ve already got.
…and then we never do it differently.
What mattered most about writing your resume in high school? What was the story you were trying to tell with that resume?
When you were 17, you likely didn’t have a ton of career wins to brag about. You just had to show that, well, you were diligent, not lazy, smart, not dumb, detail-oriented, not sloppy. That kind of thing. So somebody in school gave you a set of rules designed to tell the story of a teenager who could do the kind of job an adult would assign a teenager.
These writing rules included:
While I recommend living and breathing that final point for the rest of your life, the others won’t serve you well today if you’re looking for a job that couldn’t be filled by a teenager.
And yet, at least 70% of the resumes I see still apply the high school rule set. They don’t try to tell the story of why someone is a great choice for the job they want. They’re just a page or two of stuff they did.
Let’s start at the end: What is the job you really want?
One of the reasons why I became a source of career advice to my friends (and people who found me on LinkedIn) is that I pulled off two career pivots. I started coding, pivoted to product management, and then pivoted again to marketing. I’ve hired and led teams in social media, events and ticketing, online video, marketing tech, government IT consulting, and financial services over 20+ years in the labor market. (I just started my first role in a green tech/industrial automation company. Variety gives us life.)
But a lot of people feel stuck in a career track, and they wish they were doing something else. If this is you, I have good news: You can do it! It’s hard, but you can pivot, too.
Your resume won’t get you there on its own, but it’s a key piece in your broader strategy. And it starts with asking yourself what job you want next.
Even if you want to remain in your key field, your resume needs to explain clearly not just what you did but why you’re going to crush it for your next employer.
Once you’ve narrowed in on that next job, you need to do the research. Talk to people with that job. Read job descriptions on career websites. Define the skills and experiences a hiring manager would want to see.
Now look at your resume. Which bullets are the most relevant to that job? Mark those. You are going to give those the most attention on your new resume.
What else have you done in your career that’s not on your resume now but would be relevant to the job you really want? Add those and mark them.
Now let’s write your resume. But use these rules.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to hire a liaison. Do you have “liaison” on your resume? Congratulations, you went to meetings.
If your resume is loaded with responsibilities, then it’s a collection of job descriptions, not a resume. Responsibilities say, “I showed up and did the stuff someone told me to do.” They don’t prove that you were good at the job. They don’t communicate any value that you created, how you supported the mission of the organization, or how you made or saved your company money. They don’t show how you made your bosses more successful or their lives easier.
Responsibilities fill space on your resume. They’re the Airpaks of resumes. Like the remnant of an Amazon shipment, you should stab them with scissors and throw them in the recycling bin.
Your career performance is unique, but lots of people have held jobs similar to yours. Listing the responsibilities of your past roles isn’t any different from pasting the job description itself. You are not your old job descriptions.
Here are a couple of hypothetical bad and better resume bullets.
Bad: Prepared reports for quarterly business review by cross-functional leadership. Better: Delivered quarterly insights on business operations that influenced a major decision, reducing costs by 40%.
Bad: Met regularly with key accounts to assure customer satisfaction and resolve issues. Better: Achieved 95% retention of high-value accounts by launching a proactive customer success campaign.
What if you don’t have precise numbers? Do your best to calculate them. Even if you have to be general about it.
Bad: Served as a liaison to product and HR teams. Better: This can’t be fixed. We all work cross-functionally. What did you do, and why did it matter?
I know it’s tempting to keep everything on your resume, but you need to do some editing. Look at each line and ask yourself, “Is this relevant to the job I want next?”
It’s okay to delete stuff. It’s actually necessary.
If you have a bullet that’s not relevant to your next job but has some merit, adjust it to be relevant. For example:
Bad: Oversaw office supply inventory and budget management. Better: Streamlined office operations by reducing supply costs by 20%.
Your resume should be easy to read and understand. Use clear, active language. Avoid jargon and passive voice.
Bad: Was responsible for managing the team. Better: Led a team of 10 to achieve a 30% increase in productivity.
Bad: The project was completed by the team under my supervision. Better: Supervised a team to complete the project ahead of schedule.
Numbers stand out on resumes. They show the scale of your impact and make your achievements more tangible.
Bad: Improved customer satisfaction. Better: Improved customer satisfaction scores by 15% through targeted initiatives.
Bad: Increased sales. Better: Increased sales by 25% within six months by implementing a new sales strategy.
One-size-fits-all resumes don’t work. Tailor your resume for each job application to match the specific job requirements and keywords in the job description.
If the job description emphasizes teamwork and leadership:
Bad: Worked on a project to improve efficiency. Better: Led a team to improve efficiency, resulting in a 20% reduction in processing time.
If the job description highlights technical skills:
Bad: Familiar with various software programs. Better: Proficient in Python, SQL, and Tableau, utilized to streamline data analysis and reporting.
Your resume needs to be perfect. Typos and errors can make a poor impression. Proofread your resume multiple times, and get feedback from others.
Do you envision yourself thriving in a new role for the foreseeable future? If so, it’s time to revamp your resume!
Believe it or not, resumes often fall short of their potential. In today’s competitive job market, a strong resume is essential to securing that coveted interview. This guide equips you with the tools and strategies to craft a compelling resume that stands out from the crowd.
Many people create resumes based on a bygone era of high school career guidance. These resumes tend to list responsibilities chronologically, offering a bland overview of past experiences.
But what employers truly crave is a results-oriented narrative. Your resume should showcase your impact and achievements, not simply list the tasks you performed.
Imagine your resume as a persuasive advertisement for your skills and value proposition. It should entice potential employers to see you as the ideal candidate for their open position.
Your resume caters to a diverse audience, each with a specific purpose for reviewing it:
By understanding these audiences, you can tailor your resume to resonate with each reader’s specific needs.
Let’s revisit the core principle of resume writing:
Your resume is a compelling story about the results you’ll deliver in the job you truly desire.
1. Highlight Impact, Not Responsibilities:
Ditch the generic list of responsibilities and showcase the impact you made in previous roles. Quantify your achievements whenever possible.
For example, instead of stating “Managed social media accounts,” quantify the results: “Increased social media engagement by 25% through targeted content marketing strategies.”
2. Prioritize Relevance:
Focus on experiences directly relevant to your desired job. Omit irrelevant details, especially if you have extensive work experience.
Treat your resume as a concise, impactful document that highlights your most valuable skills and accomplishments.
3. Craft a Strategic Summary:
A well-written summary positioned at the top of your resume provides a snapshot of your expertise and how it aligns with the target job.
4. Prioritize Readability:
Formatting is key! Use a clear and easy-to-read layout with consistent fonts and headings. Recruiters typically spend mere seconds scanning resumes, so ensure yours is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
5. Revamp Your Job Titles:
Your job titles serve as milestones in your career narrative. Reconsider them to accurately reflect your achievements and responsibilities. Aim for titles that resonate with potential employers in your target field.
6. Maintain Honesty:
While it’s tempting to embellish your resume, remember, integrity is paramount. A fabricated resume might land you an interview, but it won’t sustain you in the long run.
Crafting Your Next Winning Resume:
Once you’ve completed your resume, conduct a test-run with trusted advisors, ideally someone with hiring experience. Have them review your resume anonymously, focusing on the following question:
“Who is this person, and what kind of job should they be looking for next?”
If the answer aligns with your career aspirations and showcases your skills effectively, you’ve crafted a winning resume!
Remember:
By following these guidelines and showcasing your unique value proposition, you can craft a resume that propels you towards your dream job.
Your resume is a key part of your job search strategy. It needs to tell a compelling story about the results you’ll deliver in your next job. By following these six rules, you can craft a resume that stands out to algorithms, recruiters, hiring managers, interview panels, and hiring committees.
Take the time to revise your resume, and you’ll increase your chances of landing the job you really want. Good luck!
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