Résumé Help: Work Experience Blahs to Ahhh!
<Yawn> Excuse me! I just finished reading today’s résumé sample from Jim and I almost dozed off. It is very “blah” as in boring, which means no interviews for Jim. Jim is an extremely bright guy with a great work history, but his résumé shows a lack of effort, professionalism, and confidence. That is a real problem. My job is to take this “blah” résumé to an “ahhh” résumé. We can do it!
Presentation
His current format is plain. A more sophisticated look would improve his success rate. If you ask a recruiter, “Which is more important: presentation or content?” They will answer, “Content” in most cases. However if “Content” is King then surely “Presentation” is Queen. If it is very plain, unorganized, or sloppy, it will give the impression that the candidate is lazy or does not appreciate the power of an attractive document. Unless you pass that first test of making a strong visual impact on the reader, your résumé content will probably not be read.
Words for Winners
When you read the category heading, “Word Experience,” do you think of an experience professional or does it sound like an 18-year-old working at the Burger Palace? Exactly! A stronger category heading would be, “Professional Experience.” We just showed a portion of this résumé. Weak word choices were a major issue for this candidate. Here are a few examples that one should replace with stronger language: “Responsible for,” “performed,” “aided,” “prepared,” and “assisted.” I would rather see these words for a manager at this candidate’s level: “Directed,” orchestrated,” “guided,” “devised,” and “facilitated.”
Undersell and Fail
One of the biggest mistakes candidates make on a résumé is they undersell themselves. They report their functions straight from the company-issued job description, which says nothing about their unique accomplishments. In this candidate’s résumé, he does less than that. He gives a vague overview for each position, leaving out details and most importantly leaving out his achievements. If you fail to show your accomplishments, you fail to prove why you are worthy of an interview.
I love to transform résumés from “Blah” to “Ahhh!” I can do the same for you. Please write me with your résumé for a critique. In the meantime, take a look at these blog entries for more helpful tips.
Average Résumés Don’t Get Job Offers
Asking Questions to Uncover Accomplishments
To see additional résumé suggestions that will help you as you create your own résumé, please click on the image below.
If you would like a résumé critique, please contact Debra Wheatman at debra@careersdonewrite.com or visit us at http://careersdonewrite.com. The Résumé Help blog appears weekly on Mondays.
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