How Do You Know Your Resume is Great?
Feedback?! Ha! Job seekers receive next to none. In the past, you knew that your resume and cover letter were good enough because you landed the interview. No longer.
As a measure of quality, getting the interview is useful only if, well, you get the interview. But what if you don’t? What do you need to do differently?
All resumes I see, and from very talented, well-educated, experienced professionals are still entirely too task-based, and dry. This isn’t a question of format. They lack energy!
Ever pick up your own to read casually? Which pile would you put it in?
A resume acts as your ambassador to a future relationship with an employer. It gets between 2.5 and 30 seconds (if you’re lucky) of attention.
Questions to ask yourself about your resume:
- Are you excited about the person reflected on the page?
- How does it show who you want to be in your next position?
- Does it express your energy?
Answer “No” to any of the above? Then don’t expect an employer to perceive what you can’t.
Job seekers, I know you can do it yourself (I don’t advise it). In fact, leave a comment and I’ll send you an effective resume template.
But why are you asking yourself to find even more time and enthusiasm to create a compelling resume? Isn’t the job search draining enough?
An energized resume can impress and boost your confidence.
There’s plenty of info on resume formats, “do’s and don’ts”. Frankly, if I see another Tweet linking to another post about chronological vs functional I’ll scream. If there’s no enthusiasm or creativity or specific words that clearly describe what you offer, then the format doesn’t matter. It will come off as bland or competent, but sterile.
And that’s not who you are.
Know that your resume is great if:
- It reflects you. In the future. You look at your new resume and are excited about the person you see. You can’t help but say you love your resume.
- You hand it to a recruiter, preferably one with an old copy of your resume, and hear, “Wow! I never knew you had this kind of experience, and I know exactly the position I want for you.”
- An interviewer says, “I can see that you’ve only worked for companies with the best reputation. I’m flattered that we’re interviewing you.”
The last two are real-life experiences from my clients.
I started revising resumes because clients asked me to. I listen to them, and get a clear, specific picture of what they’ve done and want to do. I see the vision they have for themselves and their career. Then I put that on paper.
How does your resume reflect you?
This seriously makes me want to send you my resume, and I don’t even need one any more!
You crack me up, Melissa: “if I see another Tweet linking to another post about chronological vs functional I’ll scream.” Ha!
Your resume in short… “Think it. Feel it. Done.”
Thanks for starting us off!
Oh Melissa, I LOVE your resume for Jeannette – that says it all!! Hmm, now I’ve been thinking about the fun challenge of summing up mine in five words…
… and discovered my current resume is boring because the JOB I’ve written it for is boring!
Oops, back to the drawing board. Work out what I want to do before I go writing resumes for it.
Thank you for that valuable insight, isn’t it amazing what things we discover in unexpected places!
Hi Janette! Thanks for joining the fun. You know, it’s very hard to write our own resume. We need other people to act as our mirror and give us (and our resume) new energy! Start with what you have enjoyed in the past and go from there…
I chuckled when I read your Tweet comment!
) I feel like it’s missing something, that extra kick that will make a recruiter dial my number.
You’re right, yet again, Melissa! I look at my resume and I don’t get excited at all… (perhaps that is the reason I cannot get interviews…?
Welcome to the conversation! Well, Emilia, you have such experience and energy, let’s get it to come through. I’ll send you my current favorite template. If you need help, you know how to reach me!
Would love to see your template. Great advice.
I understand that you want the “me” to flow through my resume, but until you get to meet me in person, isn’t it simply the tasks you’ve done that gets the resume past the intern in HR?
I’m trying to tweak my “work resume” from “this is what I did before” to a “I’m who you want, pick me!” type of thing (I can explain offline if you are interested). But where does the line go? My personality is outgoing and loud. Should my resume be?
Template e-mailed to you! It’s easier to have someone do it for you – friend, relative, etc. Try to put together a before and after and see the difference!
Hey Poppet, thanks for contributing! “The intern” in HR makes it sound like you had little positive response to your resume lately. Not surprising given the economy. Frankly though, if you’re treating your resume like a list of tasks, then rejection will continue even as the economy improves. Who wants to read a list of tasks?
If you are outgoing, then yes, your resume can reflect that. Saying “pick me!” doesn’t come across as outgoing though, it comes across as lazy; it’s the easy way out. Instead, make your personality come through by being specific, choosing your words deliberately, focusing on the outcomes of your work, and stating the position you want (not what you have now).
Check out the template I’m about to e-mail you. I strongly suggest having someone else redo it for you. The competition is fierce and it’s difficult to present yourself as objectively and powerfully as you need to.
So start by answering the question, what position do I most want?
Loving this article, and been having the same problems with my resume. Try as I might, I just don’t like what I’ve written. Of course, trying to change careers is not helping my vision, as I don’t know exactly what could be required of me.
Thomas! Thanks for stopping by. I’ve e-mailed you the sample resume I mentioned. I promise you will have a stellar resume faster (and with less pain) if you have someone (friend, lover, relative) take your old resume, interview you and then draft your new resume in the new format. Other people can see your strengths much more clearly than you – especially during a career change. Have you written down the key aspects of your new career? That will help make the connections between your experience and future work.
I would love a copy of your template! My husband and I are both still job searching. Love your advice!
Aimee, resume template is on the way! The most important thing is to have someone else (not you, not you!) guide you through the process. We cannot present our strongest selves and write and edit at the same time. Remember to break from the monotony of the job search.
I love your energy, if i can hold at least have of the enthusiasm you have in my resume I’ll be able to achieve any job I ask for. If you could send me an energizing template I would so greatly appreciate it. I’m trying to get a job on a cruise ship so my biggest goal is to have an enthusiastic approach to life and what it has to offer. Thanks again, have a wonderful day.
I am quite interested in the template, please email it too me!
Hi Jill! Template is on the way. Thanks for your patience, I’m indulging my passion – travel. It sounds like you share the same. Have a good friend (not the cynical, critical one!) help you put together a resume full of precise vocabulary (not the typical “multi-tasking, team player, blah, blah). Take the time to write down the kind of work experience you want to have on a cruise ship, you’ll have a much greater likelihood of getting what you want by being specific! Feel free to drop me questions. M
Hello Jo! Template is on the way, feel free to pass along questions. Remember – be specific about what you want first, then have a trusted friend help you craft a draft. I promise you’ll spend less time staring at the wall that way!
I would love to see the resume template, not feeling my current resume and looking for help. thanks
Jeremy, I so get “not feeling my current resume”. Have someone you trust help you with it. We are never the best judges of our strengths, especially when looking for a new position. All the best!