Your resume isn’t just a list of your responsibilities

Fix these common mistakes before you start blasting your resume out there.

When you don’t know what you’re doing, writing a resume can be a really painful process filled with lots of anxieties and different questions, such as:

• What resume format should I use?
• What do I write? And how do I write it well?
• What is someone going to be looking for?

I’ll cover all of this and more below.

Let’s start with the easy one — resume formats. A standard “resume template” Google search will give you loads of options. Most people traditionally write their resumes as Word documents and submit them as PDFs (which are better for maintaining formatting in case the person reading your resume is using a different operating system than you). I always used a fairly standard Word document because I found it was the easiest way for me to use up most of the page and not leave loads of white space. That being said, I’m a recent Canva convert and am really enjoying one of their resume templates. I made a few adjustments to the template to utilise more of the page, but overall I’m really happy with it.

***Hint*** if you’re just starting out and are not sure what to write, all of those templates will have suggestions for information to include. The standard fields though are contact information, education and work experience. If you’re feeling jazzy and have the space, you can include a few interests as well.

Speaking of, that reminds me… in terms of resume length, I’ve learned this depends on which country you’re in. In the US, you would be crazy to go over one page in length. In Australia, I’ve learned that people regularly have resumes that are multiple pages long. I still think one page is cleaner, but best to research and get some local advice.

Now for the rest — a few key points on how to write your resume and what someone will look for.

#1. The first thing I notice when people ask me to review their resumes/CVs and give them feedback is that, more often than not, they’re just writing down a list of responsibilities. Take the following bullet point for example:

• Redesigned internal processes and integrated all siloed, cyclical processes into one 12-month, inter-connected program

That’s a fairly standard bullet point that I might read on someone’s resume. That tells me you can do some process redesign work and you can connect the dots between different processes. Not bad, but it’s lacking a “so what?” factor. If I’m trying to hire you for a sales operations role, for instance, tell me why I should care that you did this. Let’s try this one out instead:

• Redesigned internal processes to improve efficiency and integrated all siloed, cyclical processes into one 12-month, inter-connected program designed to consistently generate commercial insights and feed them back to account teams for action

While this may still require some tweaking, the key difference between these two bullet points is that, in the second one, I’ve described what I enabled or achieved for the business. Now, if I’m reading this, I know that you have an eye for pointing out inefficiencies and have experience designing processes that enable sales teams to be more effective in conversations with their clients.

This is the “so what” factor that so many resumes lack. Tell the reader why they should care about this experience!

**Hint*** while you’re rewriting your bullet points, pull up a job description of one or two jobs that you’re applying to. Take a look at the qualifications and experiences they’re looking for in their next hire and try, within reason and with integrity of course, to mimic as much of the language as possible. See that they’re looking for someone with “go to market” experience? Consider rephrasing your experience to include the words “go to market.”

#2. The second thing to call out is that your resume is a sales tool. Let me say that again. Your resume is a sales tool. You’re just selling yourself instead of some product or service. So what does that mean for your resume? Well, that means there are different ways that you can (and should) frame your experience depending on the type of job you’re applying for. Take the above bullet point. If I’m trying to get a job where I know a primary focus will be cost-cutting, I may want to frame that differently:

• Redesigned internal processes to improve efficiency and integrated all siloed, cyclical processes into one 12-month, inter-connected program which mitigated rework and cut operating costs by 20%

In this example, I’m just highlighting a different part of the story that I know will make it more relatable for the hiring manager. Same work experience, just framed differently for the job I’m interviewing for.

#3. The third thing I notice is that many people often don’t use their resumes very strategically. What do I mean by that? Well, most people interviewing you are probably rushing and balancing eight other things, so they might only have time to read a few bullet points for each experience you list on your resume before they jump into the interview room or Zoom call. The bullet points they read are probably the ones at the top of each section. So, while this may seem like common sense, make sure you put the ones that you want them to see at the top of each section and then make sure those are your killer stories that you want the interviewer to ask you about.

Now go out there and smash your resume (and all the job interviews coming your way). You got this!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to chat more or are seeking 1-on-1 coaching, email me at dcdiscovers@gmail.com.