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What makes or breaks a resume?
If human eyes are reading it, what compels them to read on?
- Sure, the match to skills sets is important and critical — if your resume talks about your years of over-the-road truck driving and you are applying for a new position as a bank manager, it is going to be hard for a hiring manager to see the connection.
- Sure, it is important to show demonstrable skill sets — if you are a web designer, knowledge of graphic programs is going to be a must.
- Sure, you need to show a strong work history — if you flutter from job to job, your resume will make you look like a job hopper.
But none of those are it. When you are facing the shock of job loss, you need to regroup and rethink.
It’s the “Tell me Why?” question.
What value do you bring to the organization? Tell me why it matters that you…
1. → Designed online and print marketing materials for XYZ and the company’s clients.
- Did you create marketing materials that increased their market presence by 55%?
- Did you design eye-popping graphics that landed 5 new $100,000+ clients?
- Did you create a design that won acclamation from the Addy Awards?
2. → If you researched and implemented several new revenue strategies as a Revenue Manager, so what?
- What if: those new revenue strategies, resulted in 9% decrease of overall fee waivers in 2009 compared to 2008?
- What if: Fee waiver preservation – $6.2 million favorable to original plan ($51.2 vs. 57.4 million)
3. → It’s nice that you built and managed OEM sales team for pioneer developer of wireless and multi-media solutions for encoding, managing and distributing digital content.
- But you become more valuable if in the process of managing the team you: Negotiated and closed an estimated $50 million in contracts in 18 months.
- And even more valuable if: You cemented key relationships with 3Com, Philips, Adobe, Time Warner (HBO), and Lucas Film.
See the difference when you inject value and accomplishments in your resume?
An employer could hire the person in 1, 2, and 3 but without the defining bullets, you have no clue what actual value their skills bring to the bottom line.
Tell me WHY makes you the one they want!
Another home run Julie!
Perfect examples!
Take note everyone! Julie shows us the problem and give us solutions with examples. Now that is what I am talking about!
Hi Kimba, the tell me why is hard even for career industry professionals that write resumes and other marketing materials every day. Many people struggle even when I ask them to identify their whys. Thanks for stopping by!
Julie –
You nailed it. When clients answer the “so what?” question, it uncovers their differentiating career wonderfulness.
It’s not always the most qualified candidates that are called for an interview. It’s the candidate that does the best job of conveying value to the company. Value’s found in telling the story behind the duty.
EXCELLENT information. (But isn’t it always when I visit here.
)
Dawn Bugni recently posted..Tap Tap Tap Is this thing on
Hi Dawn, if every potential client could grasp how important this is and if they can’t do it, how we can help them, explaining why to hire a professional wouldn’t be necessary. The clients that “get” it, are the ones who are hired.
Julie,
Results make the resume, especially in sales. I am always asking sales candidates to quantify their results and provide more specifics and context. Names, numbers, results… most resumes need more of these. I couldn’t agree with you more.
Lisa
Thanks, Lisa! Hope to keep connecting with you here and on twitter. Thanks for the mention today on Twitter!
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