Is Your Résumé Only Doing Half Its Job?

By Barb Smith

In the job search process, your résumé is often your only point of contact with a potential employer; your only opportunity to convince that company that you are worthy of their consideration. Therefore, your résumé deserves the time and effort it takes to get it to a point where it is capable of doing its job – getting you an interview!

Many people begin the résumé writing process with the assumption that the best way to impress a potential employer is to showcase all the responsibilities they’ve held. I can’t tell you how many résumés I’ve read that existed of line after line of “responsible for….” What does this tell the reader? That you’ve had a lot of responsibilities – that’s it. It doesn’t explain how you carried out those responsibilities – and whether or not you did them well.

When writing your résumé, a better way to impress a potential employer is to showcase all you’ve accomplished that relates to that employer’s needs. This requires two things:

1. An understanding of the employer’s needs:
   
   This means doing your research…and you have a few options:
   
   
   • Search the company on the Internet. Don’t just read the company’s Web site, search out articles and information on other sites as well.
     
     
   • Tap into your network to find someone who works or has worked or knows someone who works for that company. Talking with someone who works for the company can provide you with lots of useful information.
     
     
   • Re-introduce yourself to your local library. Tell the librarian what you are interested in learning more about and you will likely be flooded with resource materials.
   
   
2. An understanding of your own accomplishments:
   
   Bear in mind that there is a difference between a responsibility and an accomplishment. A responsibility is a duty you are charged with carrying out and are (hopefully) being held accountable for. An accomplishment is an action you have taken that yielded a positive result for the company. For example, you may be responsible for collecting past due accounts. Implementing a system of past due letters, invoice copies, and regular follow-up calls that resulted in a reduction of past due amounts by 45% would be an accomplishment.
   

A résumé that cites accomplishments is far more powerful than a résumé that simply lists responsibilities. The extra work is time well spent. When those accomplishments match with employer’s needs, you can expect an invitation to interview.

Barb Smith is a professional Job Search Coach in London, Ontario who applies the employer’s perspective when helping individuals find satisfying jobs with a minimum of stress and frustration. For more information, contact Barb at 519.691.0218 or email barb@barbsmithjobsearchcoach.ca. www.BarbSmithJobSearchCoach.ca

Published in Networking Today, December, 2006