Is your resume getting noticed?
At Transition Solutions, we have been helping companies and individuals with workforce changes for 30 years.
The resume remains the cornerstone of your job search efforts as it’s typically needed whenever you officially apply for jobs or with networking discussions. Therefore, ensuring that your resume is the best it can be is essential to getting noticed with potential employers. The objective of your resume is to get an interview. So if you are not getting interviews, your resume is not working.
Typical pitfalls we see regarding resumes that aren’t working are:
- Resume includes only job responsibilities. We coach our clients that your resume should not be a description of job responsibilities. Why not? Because often job responsibilities are similar from company to company for the same role, especially within the same industry. Instead, to differentiate yourself, the content of your resume should promote your accomplishments, reflect your capabilities and strengths and create enough interest for an employer to invite you in for an interview. Demonstrating you can solve business problems will differentiate you as a candidate.
We coach our clients to leverage “BAR” stories to showcase your work related accomplishments. BAR stories can be leveraged in your networking discussions, on your resume and LinkedIn, as well as in interviews. They tell the story behind your top accomplishments and will differentiate you from other candidates.
BAR stands for:
- B = Background — a brief statement that describes the situation and/or problem.
- A = Activities — the actions you took.
- R = Results — how the department, company, group benefited from your actions. Whenever possible, quantify the results using dollars, numbers or percentages.
Once you have written the accomplishment using this format, you will need to reduce it to a short statement – five to ten words – starting with an action verb.
- Experience and skills listed are not relevant to the role applying for. Your resume should reflect the skills and experience found in the job description. The more you include the skills you have that are what the hiring manager is looking for, the better chance you will have of making it through the gate keeper, whether it’s a person or AI. The key is to highlight and include experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for.
We are often asked if a job seeker should customize their resume for each job they apply for. The answer is it depends. Some candidates are looking for various roles such as either account manager or account executive. In this case, the top skills required could be very different, so adjusting the resume to each job will likely make sense.
- Too much experience is included. The resume does not have to be a historical document of every job you have held in your career. The key is that the experience is relevant. Typically 10 to 15 years of relevant experience listed on your resume is sufficient for most roles. Also, if you include too much experience, a potential employer could think you would require too much money or you are over qualified.
- Resume is too detailed. Keep in mind that your resume is a sales document with YOU as the product. If you include too much detail, you run the risk that reader will miss the most important skills, results or experience for their role. General guideline is if you can say the same thing with fewer words, you should. Make sure the most important information stands out on your resume.
Having a resume that is relevant, highlights your top skills, experience and results is essential to getting noticed and ultimately getting job interviews.
At Transition Solutions, we have been helping companies and individuals with workforce changes for thirty-five years. Our strong reputation for consistently delivering exceptional service at value sets us apart.
If you would like more information on our services please check out our website at https://www.transitionsolutions.com/ or you can contact us directly at 888-424-0003 or email us at info@transitionsolutions.com.
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