Identify your resume stories not your job description

Resume stories at one time brought questioning glances and raised eyebrows. Today’s resume evolved significantly and serious job seekers at least know there is such a thing as resume stories. Yet even with improved education about resumes, most people are still trying to write job description resumes.

How do you transform a job description resume to one with resume stories?

Ask yourself what happened because of your actions. Let’s try an amazingly simple example:

I swept and mopped the floor

Extremely basic, right. Job description language.

Try this to transform to resume stories

I swept and mopped the floor to remove the debris, ensure the cleanliness of the area, and adhere to city health regulations.

To write in resume-speak, you would remove the word, “I” because in a resume, I is always implied. Resume writers remove any “the”s and “a”s unless needed for the context. Next, we would look for results.

Swept and mopped floor to remove debris, ensure cleanliness, and adhere to city health regulations, leading to three straight months of passing health inspections and a commendation from corporate for above average performance.

I recognize we are speaking about cleaning floors but by using a very basic example, hopefully it makes sense to most readers.

You don’t want to stop the sentence without telling the story. Explain the value you provided throughout your resume.

Does your resume showcase your value with resume stories?

If you are writing job description resumes, you need my help. As simple as the example above seems, I applied the same concept to all of the job-winning resumes I wrote for these clients hired for their dream jobs:

  • Behavioral Scientist – Suicide Prevention, CDC
  • Principal Communication Specialist, Energy
  • Regional Account Manager, Biotechnology
  • Registered Nurse – Chronic Care for Federal Employees Case Management, Insurance
  • Senior Producer, Multi-Media, Entertainment
  • Technical Project Manager, Healthcare

And the list goes on. If your resume isn’t performing, hire me to working interactively with you writing your resume. My unique resume writing process uses Zoom to power video meetings where you see my screen and we write your resume in real time. You have input on formatting, strategy, content, and more. At the same time, my years of resume writing experience and confirmation of my skills with three certifications from the top resume writing firms in the world assure you that you will get a job-winning resume to land the career of your dreams. Let’s talk.

Identify your resume stories not your job description

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Julie Walraven, Design Resumes

Julie Walraven

Professional Resume Writer

Here are ways I can help you land your dream job.

You may be halfway across the country or the world. When you work with me, we share coffee, laughs, and concerns. This turns the scary job search into creative, consultative writing and learning sessions.