Posted under Resumes on January 16th, 2008
Quick! Raise your hand if:
You are “highly accomplished.”
Raise your other hand if you are “results-oriented.”
Stand up if you have “solid communications skills.”
Congratulations! Now your resume officially looks just like everyone else’s!
Can we turn this situation around please? I want you to present to the employer who you really, truly, actually, authentically are, and what that means you can come in and do for the employer’s organization. Amazingly enough, this has little to nothing to do with being profit-focused, goal-driven, or any similar resume-speak.
This has to do with you and you alone. A client this week told me she went on an archeological dig. She’s not an archeologist, anthropoligist, or any kind of researcher. In fact, she’s a middle school educator. She took her students out of the classroom and literally required them to dig deeper.
So, in deciding what the primary message is that you want your resume to communicate, dig deeper. What are your areas of expertise? If you were called on for a consulting assignment, what could you consult about? What have you developed a reputation for being known for over the course of your career? What’s your perspective on your industry that makes the way you do things that much better?
Replace that resume fluff with the real you, and you’ll really have a marketing document that will get you the results you need.
Posted by Jewel Bracy DeMaio.
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