Does your resume stand out?

Does your resume stand out?

Does your resume stand out?

I have a friend who gets paid to watch porn. This guy brings a whole new meaning to the world of job shadowing or bringing your kid to work day. His job is to verify for his employer that the actors in the videos are of legal age. It sounds like a fantastic job for a single guy. Then, he confirmed the stereotype when I asked him about it. Ninety-five percent of the videos he watches are all the same. It’s all a blur. Watch one video, and you have watched them all. Look at any 5-second clip within a specific genre of porn, and you won’t be able to tell the difference between titles. Watching bad porn 8 hours a day gives new meaning to the saying “a bad day of fishing is better than any day at work”.

Seen one, you have seen them all

I thought about what he said and felt like I had a similar job. When I look at resumes all day, they all blur together. Ninety-five percent of the resumes that pass through my hands are identical. If you have seen one resume for a particular job posting, you have seen them all.

Most of the resumes I see are not actual resumes.  Most resumes are just job descriptions. Let me say that again. Most resumes are just job descriptions. For the record, I already have THE job description. I wrote the job description, posted it on several websites, and saved it for future openings. Hiring managers are not looking for a job description; I am looking for someone to fill the job description. The person I am looking for is bigger, better, and faster than all the other applicants. Their resume stands out as such.

A common mistake when creating a resume is writing a job description instead of writing a resume.

Why your resume is a dud

It might look and feel like a resume, but if your resume only describes WHAT you did in your last job vs. HOW WELL you did it, it’s a dud. Your resume needs to show me that you are better than the other applicants. If your resume looks like all other resumes, your resume qualifies as lousy porn. Make your resume stand out. Do not describe what you did; explain how much bigger, how much better, and how much faster you did it. 

Adjectives

Pretty adjectives are like DVD box covers. They look good at first glance, but are just superficial eye candy.  Adding numbers to your accomplishments helps the reader understand the scope of your achievements.  

Here are a couple of tests to see if you have a resume or a bad porno:

• Your accomplishments on your resume can be listed on your co-worker’s resume.
• If your resume is written so that the person reporting to you can use your bullet points.
• If there is someone in training doing your job, can they use your accomplishments on their resume?

Every position is hired to add to the bottom line. Describing your accomplishments with numbers and quantities vs. qualities will give the reader insight to the scale of your achievements and separate you from the rest of the chaff.

This post explains one signal hiring managers notice.
In the full resume guide, I connect this signal to how resumes are actually read, what it competes with, and when it helps or hurts you.

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

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