11/19/15 11:52
Here's the thing about resumes: Most people obsess over the wrong things. They think fancy formatting, the right color, or a different font will help set them apart.
These things won't help. Did you know that many companies even use software that automatically strips out formatting?
It's the content of your resume that matters.
Instead of wasting your time, here are 5 things that will actually make a difference:
Here is such a simple and powerful thing that it almost sounds like a hack: Write the exact position and company name in your objective and cover letter.
Imagine you are a hiring manager at Starbucks looking to hire baristas. You see one resume that starts out with:
“Seeking a retail position at a local coffee shop.”
vs. another that reads:
“Seeking a barista position at Starbucks.”
Which one would you read first?
The first one communicates: “I just want a job, and I don't really care too much about which company I work for.” whereas the second makes it clear that you want
this job.
Everything else being equal, this one simple change will give you a huge advantage over applicants who are less specific.
The hiring manager’s first job is to make sure he or she selects qualified candidates. Every job posting has a list of requirements. Your resume must make it easy for the manager to quickly see that you are qualified.
A simple way is to add a Qualifications section which checks off every item listed.
Let’s say a Store Manager position requires “3 years of progressively responsible retail experience, an entrepreneur mentality, and prior sales experience.”
Assuming you meet the requirements, you want to convey this right away. E.g.
- 3.5 years as Assistant Store Manager at a fast growing local coffee chain.
- Worked closely with the owner on growing the business.
- Experience in all aspects of retail sales for a coffee house.
Don’t make the hiring manager have to hunt for the information.
R.I.G. stands for the things hiring managers look for in your prior work experience: Responsibility, Impact, and Growth.
For each prior job, state what you were
responsible for. E.g. “Responsible for the daily operations of a coffee house with over $12K monthly gross. Managed 3 junior staff, inventory control, and customer service.”
That’s pretty straight forward, but most people stop right there.
You also need to communicate what your
impact was at the job. What was the difference that you made?
E.g. “Increased monthly sales by 15% over 1.5 years by testing different mixes of food offerings.”
This shows that you understand the business that you are in, and that you care about improving it.
Finally, make sure that it's apparent what your
growth was across successive jobs.
Growth shows that your former employer was impressed enough with your performance, and is a key signal hiring managers look for. You don't want the hiring manager thinking you were stagnating in a job for too long.
Sometimes this is clear from a title change, but not always. Even if your title stayed the same, add new sub-items whenever your responsibilities grew substantially after 2-3 years.
Mention how your responsibilities were expanded, and what your new impact was: “Responsibilities expanded to include supplier management. Successfully negotiated with multiple suppliers for better payment terms, saving the company over $5K annually.”
The tone of your resume is important. In general, you need to show that you
care about your career, your organization, and your customers.
For the most part, maintain a professional tone. However, you can dramatically boost your chances vs. other candidates by more closely matching the tone of the hiring company.
What does that mean?
Just like how some people are more emotional and some prefer cold logic, companies have different cultures with distinct communication styles.
For example, a consumer lifestyle company like Disney generally cares about the customer experience above all else, whereas a technology company like Google might emphasize being smart and efficient.
Even for less well-known companies, a quick look at their webpage should tell you what communication style they have, and what their
values are. Tip: These are usually spelled out in black and white in the “About Us" page.
So, if you are applying to a company focused on customer-service, like Nordstrom, you might want to emphasize that a little more in your resume. E.g. mention how you once “went above and beyond to help a customer”.
On the other hand, if you are applying at a product-focused company like Microsoft, you might want to drop in notes on how you once “went above and beyond in making sure a system was engineered correctly.”
This is why blindly sending the same resume to multiple companies is a fool's game.
Instead, create a custom version for each job you apply to.
Sounds like too much work? It's not. These days, tools like
Resume Star make it easy to tailor a resume for each job with just a few clicks.
This sounds obvious, but you won't believe how many people feel the need to include every little award they received, or interest they have.
A resume has just one job:
To convince the hiring manager to invite you for the interview.
That's it. It's a teaser, not a chronicle of your life's story.
A common mistake, for example, is folks with college degrees list their high school details. Unless this is specifically requested by the job posting, it's irrelevant. If you have a B.S. in Marketing and 3 years of experience, no one really cares what your SAT scores were.
It's fine to keep a single line item just noting the date you graduated, but that's about it. Don't list all the clubs you were a member of, or what your thesis title was, unless they happen to be relevant to the job.
The worst thing is that this is usually the last thing in the resume, and can leave the wrong impression.
Remember: You want to convey that you are a professional. The last thing you want is for the hiring manager to have an image of you as a pimply-faced 15 year old (unless you are one) after reading your resume..
I hope these tips help put you in the right mindset to write a killer resume.
Resume Star helps reinforce these points as you write your resume, but they work no matter what tool you use.
Good luck in your job search!