Resurrecting the Perfect Resume, Part One

Is your resume dead? Don’t be too quick to say, “No way!” Of the hundreds of resumes I’ve seen written by job seekers of all backgrounds and educational levels, easily 95% qualify to be labeled dead but not yet buried. A dead resume lacks a clear structure or timeline, doesn’t present or quantify accomplishments, doesn’t provide a “big picture” of what you would bring to the employer, and is more impersonal than expressive. Worse yet, a dead resume fails to elicit the response you expect from the employer: an invitation for a job interview. To win more job interviews and dramatically increase the quality of opportunities your resume can help you attract, strip your resume down to the bare minimum and resurrect it using the same techniques professional resume writers use to reposition job seekers whose own campaigns job search have not yielded results. the results they need. Problem #1: Resume lacks structure
You can’t create a resume without first creating a structure for it. Resumes are complicated documents that include different types of information that they communicate to different types of readers. If your resume is poorly structured, it won’t make sense to the reader; he or she will simply discard your resume and move on to the next one in the pile, counting themselves lucky to even receive a rejection letter. Solution #1: Create a strong skeleton for your resume

• Be as specific as possible in the content you want to communicate.
• Match your content to the job you are applying for and the industry you want to enter.
• Avoid jargon but be sure to use industry-specific keywords.
• Organize and sequence all your dates and details. You didn’t edit, then write, then start; you started, then wrote, then edited.
• List the dates chronologically but in reverse order.
• Combine similar abilities.
• Choose a resume style (mix of chronological, functional, and skills-based) that highlights your accomplishments.
• List the sections of the resume with the most important section first, the least important section last, and all other sections in their proper place between those two poles. Education should rarely come first unless you’re looking for a job in academia or in a field where education is paramount, like medicine.
• Be consistent in how you record information. Begin bulleted sentences and sentences with the same parts of speech. Provide the same level of detail in all sections of the resume. Use the first person for verbs, not the second. It is not appropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as someone else: “Resolves customer complaints promptly” actually means “Mary resolves customer complaints promptly.” To imply “I resolve customer complaints promptly,” say “I resolve customer complaints promptly.”
• Double check all your details. Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite other experts to edit it too. Then edit it again, this time reading the entire document backwards, word for word. Don’t trust spell checkers to do this for you, they are as thorough as you are!

Problem #2: Resume Lacks Substance Many job applicants write a resume with structure but no substance, a skeleton but no muscles. Remember that your resume is your brochure; Their job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses, and sell the reader on the idea of ​​interviewing you. To accomplish this, you need to overlay specific details and examples on key sections of your resume. Solution #2: Layer Achievement Muscles on the Skeleton of Your Resume

• Highlight the most vital points.
• Add deeper levels of detail; express clearly and succinctly.
• Tell success stories with brevity and power.
• Make every word count.
• Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your readers’ attention to what you most want them to read.
• Describe the results and results to sell your highest level of achievement.
• Apply technical journalism to craft powerful success stories. What did you do? How did you do it? Why? With and for whom? Where? When? What results did you achieve? Answer these questions completely on a separate piece of paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1 or 2 sentences and insert it into your resume. Use the expanded original version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
• It characterizes all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form. Let’s say you were a cashier at a grocery store and closed your register averaging $1,000 a day. Let’s also say you worked five days a week. Multiply that $1,000 by five days a week and it becomes $5,000 a week; or $20,000 per month, if you prefer.
• Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns, and objections. Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and be proactive in your defense against questions about them. If you know you lack specific experience, do your best to translate your experience into language and skill sets that a potential employer will want to hear.
• What assumptions do you fear an employer will make about you? That you are too old? Very young? Inexperienced? Overqualified? Build resume muscles in these specific topics by challenging assumptions before they can be raised.
• Use action verbs and concrete and quantifiable nouns. Avoid passive verbs. Use verbs that speak to your reader’s senses and create the impression of action.
• Avoid vague terms like “several”, “many”, and “some”; try specific numbers or ranges of numbers instead.
• Choose verbs and nouns that demonstrate the highest level of skill you have reached.