How to boost your weak resume to get interviews

Is your resume performing well? Are you landing interviews? If not, perhaps it is time to boost your weak resume! When someone calls me and tells me their resume isn’t working, I ask if they mean they are not getting interviews. The primary job of the resume is to get the interview. The secondary job of the resume is to sell you before the interview so well that you are almost hired before they meet you.

How do you boost your weak resume?

An ineffective or weak resume doesn’t tell your resume success stories. Generally, it simply states the When, where, what of your job. When did you work there, where did you work, and what did you do (job duties). A powerful, job-winning resume tells how you achieved success within your role.

• How did you help the company?
• How did you boost sales?
• How did you improve productivity?
• How did you integrate the acquisition?
• How did you retain the customer?
• How did you gain new market share?
• How did you save the account?
• How did you cut costs?

If you are leaving out the “how,” you are leaving out a key ingredient that will boost your weak resume into a persuasive and compelling marketing tool that markets you, the job seeker.

Examples of how to boost your weak resume

• Applied and implemented strategic thinking to identify opportunities for atypical antipsychotic medication within the targeted customer base, resulting in 21.8% year-to-date growth in sales above the prior year.

• Stimulated growth of top-tier clients by 47% by maximizing the customer experience with targeted outreach and improved follow-up in collaboration with the Performance Management department.

• Customized and implemented several document storage and workflow solutions, “green” initiatives, which reduced instances of lost records, allowed authorized electronic retrieval of documentation, and expedited the audit process.

• Conducted feasibility analysis prior to purchase of stagnant public broadband utility, revitalized plant and business operations, resulting in a fiscally solvent entity that outperformed prior years and yielded the doubling of subscribers and third year positive cash flow.

Use details to boost your weak resume

• Quantify
• Give Results
• Identify your Contributions
• Be Specific
• Tell the resume success story