How to Electrify Your Resume

Even while channels proliferate to communicate your passions, position and career preferences, the resume remains firm as your calling card and one of the essential documents that helps you define who you are, what you do and the value you bring to the table.  I know, there is much talk today about the importance of the resume or the declining value of it.  The fact remains that the resume is still used by the majority of talent hunters in today’s hotly competitive job market.  It is what can get you in the front door, if done well, or prevent your entry, if not.

I have written extensively about the resume over the years including these posts, It's About the Accomplishments,  Is the Resume Dead, Constructing a Compelling Resume , Rebooting Your Resume,  among others.  I have also advised employing your resume as the basis for your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.  This assures consistency, repeatability and better search engine optimization by focusing on your essential and core competencies.

So given the continuing importance of the resume, it is vital to keep the resume fresh, vibrant, interactive, enticing and engaging.  The following simple techniques can help to accomplish this and serve to electrify or bring your resume to life with your legacy, life and professional longings.

Opening Salvo.  Include the urls to your Google+,  LinkedIn and Facebook profiles at the top of your resume along with your email address.  Make certain they are hot links so the hiring manager can easily dive into your data that resides on these social infrastructure platforms.

Link it live.  Use your summary or qualifications statement to bring your elevator speech to life.  Make it a live link to either an audio file of you reciting your elevator speech or an on camera rendition.  You can accomplish both tasks using the video function on your smart phone or other tools such as Skype for the desk top or Google+.  Upload the resulting audio or video file to your YouTube channel allows you to institutionalize it for all to see and hopefully marvel.  If you do not have a YouTube channel create one.  It is on this platform that you can create and store original video and audio content for immediate access through links in the resume.

Embed links to owned/earned content.  Employ direct links to your online content within your experience section to provide evidence and validation of your accomplishments or contributions to your employers.  For example, if you wrote copy for an online annual report or the script for a mini documentary, provide the direct “hot” link in the description of the accomplishment.   If you have quantitative data showing the result of a campaign or increased revenues link to an infographic that visually tells the story.  This will help you keep the copy succinct on the resume while providing an easy way to see the full content.  Even if your contribution is a successful pitch to a journalist, provide the link to the actual story.  Adding links to content enhances your resume without needlessly making it lengthy.

Don’t Forget School.   Live linking to your education and professional affiliations can also add further dimension to your background and experience.  When listing your academic credentials, make hot links to your university and degree so that with a simple click an interested hiring manager can see directly the detail about your credential and the curriculum you mastered.  The same is true for professional affiliations you maintain or certifications you hold.  Make those live as well to the associations web site and the detail of your certifications .

Terms of "Undearment" -- Words You Should Strike from Your Career Content

In this age of personal branding and virtual knowledge, we all struggle with how to best describe our value, and the talents and abilities we bring to the party. And as we know instinctively, no amount of hyperbole or word inflation will mask our true character to people we know and who know us. Honesty, authenticity, and simplicity are the rules of the day when it comes to describing ourselves, our values and, most important, our value.

With this in mind, I have taken some time to enumerate words and phrases that should be eliminated from our lexicon and the written words in profiles and resumes. The envelope, please:

“Seasoned.” The word may be analogous to long experience, but let’s face it, you are not a piece of meat or fish. It’s a good word to use in gastronomy but not to describe your experience, value, accomplishments and career track record. A better alternative is “experienced,” “tested,” “accomplished,” or “veteran.”

“Results Driven.” The sad fact is that the term “results driven” has been overused and abused. Everyone is results driven and many hiring managers now look askance at the term. So don’t use it. A better alternative may be “focused on accomplishing the task at hand,” “focused on achieving business objectives,” or “driven by strategy and business goals.”

 

“Team player.” It is a given. Unless you are not working, virtually every job requires people to work in teams or at least with one other person. And hiring managers tend to assume that if you have been successful at a job that you are able to work well with others. Possible ways of indicating that you are a team player, is to use terms like “diplomatic,” “tactful,” “able to excel under high pressure,” and “patient and resilient.” Another surefire method is to actually describe a project where you led a successful team. Keep it short, sweet, and succinct.

"Proven." Proven is an important descriptive word to employ but by itself is an empty promise.  If you have a skill that has been verified in practice, give evidence. Tell a brief story of the “proven” attribute. An example might be “led a team of 13 people in the successful development of an application to automate the validation of source code, ” or “managed a team of six to produce the company’s 48-page annual report to shareholders, which was awarded a ‘Best of Annual’ award by the IR1 Association.”

“Top flight.” Generally a term of performance, “top flight” connotes “high achiever,” “top caliber,” or “pinnacle of human performance.” If in fact you are at the top rank in your profession, say it in a way that is evidentiary, such as, “recognized as the top Hadoop coder by XYZ company for ‘project take off,’” or “awarded an LMN Award for best critical business writing.” In this way you have given demonstrable qualification of your skill set.

 
“Self Starter.” Unless you are the new Nissan Leaf, leave the term behind. Hiring managers and HR folks want visible proof. Simply saying it is not sufficient. Like a defendant, you need to present the evidence in the form of an impeccable statement like, “initiated the revamp of the widget manufacturing process that save the company 20% on raw material costs.” You get the idea.
 

 
“Perfectionist.” Gold at 24 carats is pure gold and perfect. We all strive for perfection, but no one is perfect. So lose the term and describe what value you bring to the table instead of the word “perfectionist.”

 
“Flexible.” Unless you are made of neoprene, provng flexibility could be painful. If, however, your thinking is flexible and you are able to easily adapt to changing environments or new conditions, you will likely want to visibly show how you have done so. Here is an example:  “developed successful strategy for communicating last minute CEO transition that resulted in favorable news coverage and a sustained share price.” 

“Trustworthy.” If you are pledging for the next rank in Boy Scouts, “trustworthy” is worthy. However, on a resume, it could beg the question. Another way of demonstrating trust is to note that you have previously held a security clearance from the Government (If you have) or simply to not worry about it unless you are applying for a job where it is an essential requirement such as “security officer” or “bank teller.” The fact is, unless the job is in the “security” domain, it need not be noted and can be handled in the interview.

Eight Tips to Reboot Your Resume

You are what you write.  I recently did a search on resume tips on a popular search engine that starts with a “G” and to no surprise found more than 37 million pages dedicated to some form of tips for resumes.  Everyone has an opinion and I am no different.  

As I coach though, I have seen literally hundreds of resumes and have come to consensus about their content.  Resumes that paint a picture of a personality and tell a story about accomplishments have a higher probability of attracting interest and actionable attention.  Moreover, if you are in the market for an advertising, communications or public relations role, a stellar resume demands that you take the time to succinctly but creatively portray your abilities in quick but compelling fashion.

So grab your keyboard or your favorite resume writer and get to work.

1. The resume is about your character, personality and ability.  Give it life by using action words that paint a picture of who you are and what is your value.

2. Excite your audience.  Do not make the resume a boring recitation of the tasks that comprise the jobs you have held. No one cares.  And no one will hire you based on the job functions.  They will only hire you if you fit the bill, can move the needle and suit the organization’s culture. 

3. Be creative and convincing in telling your story.  Do not just list your jobs like some accounting table.  Use story telling techniques to weave the facts about you and the most interesting and important accomplishments of your career.

4. Take the high road and make the glass half full not half empty.  Sure you may have had challenges in your career.  You have had bosses that bossed but surely you have had leaders that have led.  In every phrase and every sentence keep the tone upbeat and reflective of your positive attitude about your success and the great job you have done for your bosses and employers.

5. Make the resume fit each opportunity. No two jobs are exactly the same.  So do not use the same resume for every position that looks interesting.  Take the time to digest the job spec and tailor the resume appropriately.  I know, it may feel like work but if you take the time to target your chances of snagging an interview are greater.

6. Employ the three E’s.  Experience goes first in reverse chronology, Education second and Extra-curricular activities last.  When a hiring manager looks at a resume they want to know where you have been, “experience.”  Next they want to know where and what type of “education” you have under your belt.  And last, help the hiring manager understand what else you have accomplished by way of your professional affiliations, pro bono work you have done and any notable awards you received that can have bearing on your performance and abilities.

7. Leave out skills, hobbies and references.  There is a time and place for everything.  In today’s knowledge world it is assumed that you know how to use a computer, can enter text through a keyboard and build a presentation.  So do not waste valuable real estate telling folks you have computer skills.   And forget the hobbies.  You are not going to be hired because you can play hoops or effortlessly drive a ball out of a sand trap.  Lastly, if they want a reference they will ask. 

8. Grab their attention with your cover letter.  It should not be a repeat of the resume.  Say something startling and provocative that opens the door to your resume.  Study the job spec and the company.  Is there something you can add to the firm that no one else can?  Is there some factoid about you that can be the wedge that leverages you into an interview?  What is the one most important value that you bring to the table?  Put it in the cover letter.

Even though the economy is on the mend, the job market is still in the recovery room awaiting further medication.  So you need to have the best possible resume because you are competing with thousands of other people.  Help yourself by looking distinguished, unique and savvy.  Words count, so make yours!