How to rewrite your professional resume to showcase your talent

If you are a serious job seeker, your professional resume needs to show it. Too often your resume doesn’t even begin to show your talent.

Why the professional resume written by job seekers often misses the mark

If you are thinking copying your job description is writing a professional resume, you are sadly mistaken.

Even for professionals, the challenge of positioning job seekers for roles they desire takes focus and determination to select the right skills and resume stories to hit the target.

What do you need to sell a professional resume?

• Substance — Repeating a job description might get you in the running but you must prove your value to get them to offer you the job. Transform the points of the job description into stories about what you did to transform business operations, capture new revenue, or refocus strategy.
• Specifics — Brushing over your skills without the specifics will make you less likely to be called for the interview. Get specific. How did you do it? What did you do? What were your contributions?
• Quantification — Numbers matter. If you can put percentages, cost-savings, dollar value in your resume, you will win the interview.

How fast can you write a professional resume?

Writing fast is great. I can write a resume faster than the average job seeker but the process of capturing the value that the job seeker offers to the employer takes time.

When I rush the process, even with my years of experience, I may miss the mark. Inexperienced job seekers often don’t know how to capture their value. It’s hard to write about yourself.

Yesterday, a client who rehired me to guide her in the next step in her career sent an email announcing she will be the next President of a technical college system. Her email said:

beyond excited. Thank you for all you have done for me.  I will not forget it.

Is it your turn? We should have a conversation. Let me know more about you.