Are you still listing only job responsibilities on your résumé? If you are, give yourself an “F” for FAIL! That’s right– zip, zero, nada. Guess what??? Nobody cares what you are responsible to do! You could be charged with tremendous responsibilities but listing them on your résumé is meaningless without results.
JP was at a breaking point when we spoke. She dramatically carried on about how broad her territory was, the number of states that she had in her region and millions of dollars in sales that she was responsible for managing. Upon asking JP for her accomplishments/results, she only replied, “Um, I’m not sure….BUT I cover the largest area in my company!”
Emphatically, I stated, “JP…who cares? All you are telling me is what you are SUPPOSED to do. You are not telling me WHAT you have done!”
The needle pierced the balloon! Finally, a break through.
“…listing them [responsibilities] on your résumé is meaningless without results.”
Very simply put, the most important information in your résumé is the content detailing:
1) your successes and accomplishments.
2) your method of getting results.
3) your personal branding (combination of culture fit, personality, skilled and coveted attributes to name a few).
The reason behind this practice is very pragmatic.
*Hiring leaders do not have time nor the manpower to sift through stacks of résumés.
*Candidates MUST show up on paper as though they have already been screened for the position by a recruiter.
*By presenting your very best offerings in a format showcasing your achievements, you will more likely be called for an interview.
KEY TAKE AWAY…Listing responsibilities only tells a potential employer what you are supposed to do vs. what you have actually done!
Think of your achievements as giving yourself a grade for each challenge you are facing at work. If you were to give yourself an “A” for turnaround leadership, you must be able to articulate WHY you are giving yourself an “A”. See sample below to gain a broader perspective…
Turnaround Leader = A
Justification (sounds like this…”I gave myself an “A” because….
I took on a poor performing team with high turnover because the team was without a leader for 8 months. After meeting with each team member, I was able to discern their strengths, commitment to the company/department and attitude towards the work being performed. After 3 months of engaging the team, reinforcing positive contributions and realigning work tasks, the department stabilized and productivity increased by 45%. Turnover reduced significantly…(20 %).
WOW!!! Now THAT is a story to be told. From this simple application of grading yourself and justifying your grade, you can convert your accomplishment from first person (“I”) to résumé appropriate third person. Here is one example of a solid accomplishment.
- Successfully demonstrated turnaround leadership in 3 months upon taking on a struggling department. Results reflected 20% reduction in turnover and a 45% increase in productivity.
Telling your story has never been easier. Follow these 3 easy steps for success!
- Give yourself a grade
- Justify your grade in first person.
- Convert key points to third person for resume!
You can do it!! Get moving and keep track of your accomplishments/results. If you list one result per day starting today, you will have more than enough accomplishments/results to sift through when updating your résumé.
Recent Comments