Posted By Amanda Collins on August 4, 2009

On the majority of résumés I see, people are missing a key component – the summary. As a marketing document, your résumé needs to sell you in a matter of seconds, and your summary will speak volumes about you. So make sure you grab readers’ attention immediately with an amazing summary that really showcases the value you offer and makes employers want to pick up the phone.

Although it is the first part of the résumé the reader sees, I write the summary last. I like to get a full sense of accomplishments and themes before I head up to write the summary. It’s kind of like trying to write the back cover of a book before the book itself is complete. I look at themes to get keywords out of experiences and accomplishments. Things like Product Management, Cost Controls, Operational Streamlining, and Systems Architecture are areas that may stand out when I reread the rest of the résumé. Someone told me today he heard of a colleague saying he optimizes your résumé as the SEO Résumé Writer. Well, all good writers should be doing that, so don’t be fooled. You do it too by adding those keywords.

Then, as I’m looking at accomplishments and the keywords I’ve culled, I start to see the picture of the individual. It also helps to have clients answer the question, “Why should an employer hire you?” That’s the crux of the summary, really. If you can’t share that in 30 seconds or less, you’re headed to the “no” pile. So think about it. What do you bring? Why are you the best candidate?

Too many clients will tell me they’re nice people or reliable, the soft skills you might have said in an interview 10 years ago. While it’s great to be the person in the office everyone likes, it’s more substantial to share some back-able, quantifiable results you can bring. Think about what you do. Are you the best marketing person, who has successfully expanded brand recognition through your initiatives? Do you create solutions for clients following development of a relationship?

Another trick is to look at the job description. They give you the answers right there, so use them! If the job write-up says they want someone with a demonstrated track record in supply chain management and channel development, make sure you write a sentence about that in your summary and add those words into your keywords section. No need to reinvent the wheel. Most companies are sifting through résumés with a scanning system, so the more words you use in your résumé from the ad, the better your chances of being found.

While there is an art to creating an eye-catching summary, these hints should get you started on the right track. Try to stay objective about yourself and look at your accomplishments from a new viewpoint so you can brag a little!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on May 27, 2009

Truly, there is an art to writing a résumé. Too many people think of it as a glorified employment application that is all about the applicant’s past. In actuality, a résumé is a marketing document showcasing the accomplishments, skills, and education you have to offer to provide value to a potential employer. A well-written résumé will include:

Title
Tell the employer who you are for them. Unlike the old objective, a title is clear, concise, and is not about you.

Summary
Like the trailer to your movie, this is your “commercial” to highlight all the reasons the employer needs to (A) read more about you, and (B) call you in for an interview. It is the answer to the question, “Why should I hire you?” Focus on demonstrable traits as opposed to soft skills. Everyone will say they’re nice and easy to work with, but only a few will talk about their consistent ability to deliver results.

Core Competencies
Keywords are a huge component of a résumé, primarily because that is how employers will search for you among their database of scanned résumés. Make sure you’re including the words mentioned in the job description / want ad, which should definitely be reflected elsewhere on the resume.

Professional Experience
Employers want to know where you’ve worked, a little about the company, the dates, the location, your job title, an overall job scope, and accomplishments. When looking at your accomplishments, consider times you’ve had to overcome obstacles to reap a reward. Think about increasing revenue, decreasing spend, improving customer service, or bettering employee morale. If your paid experience is minimal, incorporate volunteer opportunities.

Education
If you’re a new graduate with limited work experience, this should follow the “core competencies” section. If you’re re-careering or a professional, this can go to the bottom, although it will depend on the individual person. Include the degree, major area, school, and location of school. If you’re basing most of your “saleability” on your education, it’s a good idea to list relevant classes or school groups in which you’ve been involved. If you have a college degree (or are working on one), there’s no need to include your high school. If you’ve not yet graduated, list the expected date of graduation.

Additional Information
Some new grads will include professional memberships, community involvement, or other sections that support the career goal.

Remember that everything on your resume should support what you want to be when you grow up. If it doesn’t, it’s not a good use of important real estate!

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Posted By Amanda Collins on March 13, 2009

I was recently invited to be on a local Phoenix morning show to discuss the top three things your resume should have to be successful. The appearance hasn’t yet occurred, but I thought I would offer a heads-up to you, my loyal readers, to make sure your resume is meeting the mark. In addition, I have some ideas to really set your resume apart from the competition.

1. Title.
When I started writing resumes in 1996, at the suggestion of a college professor, we used objectives at the top of the resume. I bucked the trend a little bit by being more succinct, but most people would write something like:

Objective: To acquire a position in which I am able to contribute to the team environment while achieving personal satisfaction.

Huh? What does that mean exactly?

If you’re still using something like this, stop! It’s very unclear what you want. More importantly, this objective is all about you – and a resume is really about the employer and what you offer them. Make sure your title is to the point and tells the reader who you are for them.

For added oomph, add a branding tag after your title to really drive your point home.

2. Summary
A resume is a marketing document designed to get you an interview. As such, employers don’t “read” resumes, they scan them. You have roughly a minute to make an impression. That starts with the design of your resume, but then it goes to the content. If you go right into your work experience, how are you differentiating yourself?

Your summary is just what it says: a summation of you. It should answer these questions: “Why should an employer hire you? What do you bring to the table? Why are you better than the other candidates?” This isn’t where you say you’re a nice person who shows up to work on time. Say how you consistently spark creativity and ideas from your team, how you deliver results in sales efforts, how you have developed relationships around the globe, etc. This is the most important real estate on your resume and should pack some punch.

For added oomph, put in a core competency section with strong keywords that show your skills.

3. Accomplishments
So many resumes I see are task-based, meaning they say the person did things. While that’s certainly a component of a resume, it’s not at all the most important component. Here’s an example I like to share with clients:

You’re interviewing for a custodian and – for the sake of argument – you ask for resumes. One custodian says on his resume that he cleaned toilets, mopped floors, etc. The other custodian said that he did those things but he also received an award for the cleanest toilets in the building and reduced water flow 25% by suggesting upgrading to low-water use toilets. Which person are you more interested in meeting?

In your accomplishments, think about ways you made a difference for your past employers, preferably with quantitative results. This is the area where an employer is likely to say, “Hey, WE have that same problem, and look at how she solved it at ABC Company! I need to call her.”

Writing a resume is kind of like selling a house; when you’re selling, you want to allow prospective buyers to envision themselves in your house. On your resume, you need to allow prospective employers to envision you in their company. Make it easy for them.

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