One of the most difficult tasks in writing your own resume is tooting your own horn sufficiently. We are taught that bragging or espousing our own accomplishments is something that is rude and frowned upon. In polite company, such as a cocktail party, that might be true. Joe Martini who is standing in the corner regaling anyone who will listen with tales of his latest triumphs is considered a blowhard, a braggart, and a general jerk. However, humbleness in a resume can be deadly.
A professional resume writer is trained to walk the fine line of powerfully promoting the job seeker’s talents and accomplishments while not crossing over into braggadocio verbiage. The line is not only nearly impossible for someone to walk who is composing his own resume, but often is not even approached for fear of treading into forbidden territory. As a result, most self-written resumes are horribly underpowered and ineffective in their primary tasks of winning interviews.
Most self-written resumes are task-based. That means the content centers on the tasks done in the jobs described in the resume. Most read like a job description. “Responsible for…”, “Duties included…” and similar phrases abound in task-based resumes. The problem is, one job description sounds very similar to other job descriptions for the same job. One department manager’s job description is going to sound like the next department manager’s job description. If you write your resume this way, it gets lost among the other 200-plus applicant resumes that are received for the average position posted on the Internet. Nothing stands out.
The key is to couple the tasks with the results. This is called results-based writing. Professional resume writers like ours here at Career Resumes® write in this manner. Many times, a client will read the first draft of their professionally developed resume and simply be astounded at the different light this type of writing sheds on their career. Suddenly they’ve moved from sounding mediocre to being the star of the applicant pool. Results-based writing concentrates on the accomplishments the client has racked up in his/her employment history. It focuses on how the client improved things, came up with new ideas, or contributed to the overall success of actions or projects. By writing in this style, the reader has a much clearer picture of the VALUE of the candidate and not just the candidate’s employment history.
Why can professional resume writers easily write in this style while most people who attempt their own resumes struggle with it? Objectivity. People simply are not objective about their own careers and the accomplishments they have won. A professional resume writer can take a clear, objective look at the client’s employment history, record of accomplishment, and overall track record and pinpoint information that will successfully market the client to the employer.
The professional resume writer also knows what employers are seeking in terms of candidates so they can target the content to fit the need. Most job seekers don’t keep up with the employment markets on a day-to-day basis so they are in the dark on what employers are really seeking. A job seeker may only examine the market once every three or five years – whenever they are considering a job change. Professional resume writers stay plugged in to the market demands on a daily basis.
