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When hiring managers say they’re lucky to receive 4 decent resumes out of 60, we have to wonder, “Do job seekers care about writing their resumes?”
I believe in my heart that most job seekers can write a resume; after all, it's not rocket science. However, writing a strong resume requires developing the mindset that what you submit is of immense value. It's the difference between making it to a phone screen and waiting for a call that won't come.
Author of Knock 'Em Dead Resumes, Martin Yate Resume Expert, asserts that your resume is your most important document. And he's right. I bet he'd also say, "Suck it up, bucko. Once you have a strong document, it will take a little fine-tuning going forward."
The natural progression of writing a resume for each job should include:
1. Research to understand what tickles an employer’s fancy. At the very least, read the job description and identify the most important skills and experiences required for the position. Generally speaking, when a job description is written well, the most essential skills are listed at the top and go in descending order. Skills and experience that are must-haves are often listed under Major or Basic Requirements.
2. Connect the dots between what you have accomplished and what the employer needs. I was talking with my daughter about an upcoming interview she’s having, and she blurted out that she wasn’t sure if her experience matched what the employer needed. Sometimes your experience isn’t directly related, so you need to determine how your transferable skills can be a close match.
3. Arrange your accomplishments (not just simple actions) in order of importance to better show the reader you have a connection. Hiring managers scan resumes quickly, not deeply. By placing your most important accomplishments first, you immediately show the reader you understand what matters to the role, making it easier for them to connect your experience to their needs. This signals alignment and grabs attention faster than listing generic actions or tasks.
4. Tell a story for each accomplishment you write. All too often, I see bland action statements that seem to be written with little to no effort. Guide the reader through the process that led to a result. Don’t hold back; humility isn’t going to get you to an interview.
For example, I read on a client's resume: "Managed a team of engineers to produce software for the medical industry."
I told her to take her action statement further and provide more detail and a positive result.
After a little discussion, we came up with: "𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 $59,000 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 8 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 3 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦."
5. Write a Summary and a Skills section based on the accomplishments that matter to the employer. This goes back to reading the job description and gaining an understanding of the employer's three or so most important requirements.
If cost savings is a priority of the employer, state it in the Summary: "𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦s 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 $59,000 𝘣𝘺 utilizing lean methodologies."
6. If you can't write your resume alone, elicit the help of someone who can help. I'm not selling the service of resume writers, but it's worth investigating if you have the resources to hire one. Back to what Yates said about your resume is the most important document. A standout resume is an investment for future jobs.
In case you're wondering who can be of assistance, here are some of my favorites: Adrienne Tom; Erin Kennedy, MCD, CERW, CRA, CERM, CMRW, CEMC; Marisol Maloney; Sarah Johnston; Virginia Franco and Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resumes, CCMC, CPRW, NCOPE
Recently a hiring manager told me that most of the candidates for a job he's trying to fill don't give a darn about writing even a decent resume. Others have told me that many resumes they've received don't show how the candidates match the positions they're applying for. Job seekers, put more effort into writing your resumes; it's worth it.
I don't think it's an inability to write resumes; it's resume apathy.