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By Kevin
Donlin, CollegeRecruiter.com
If your
resume is like most, it's heavy on duties and responsibilities --
the things you do every day. It's probably light on achievements
and results.
And your
job search is probably taking longer than it should.
Because
responsibilities don't excite employers. Results do.
Here's how
to put some punch into your resumes and cover letters by focusing
on results.
While you
must tell your reader a bit about what you do every day, it's far
more effective to elaborate on the good things that happen when
you do your job well. Example: How many projects did you bring in
on time and under budget this year? How did this contribute to
increased revenue? Be as specific as possible.
If you're
still in college or have only limited work experience, that's OK.
You can include reference to scholarships you've won, volunteer
fundraising, internships -- any good things you've done that prove
you have the skills to do your next job.
If you get
stuck trying to include more achievements in your resume and cover
letter, try adding "AS A RESULT ... " to the end of your
duties and see where that leads you.
Here are
two before-and-after examples from actual resumes, sent to me by
prospective clients.
BEFORE (all
duties, no results):
"Visited branches weekly to motivate sales personnel."
AFTER (with
specific results):
"Visited 21 branches weekly to motivate and develop 140
personnel. As a result, put five sales reps into top five rankings
statewide -- a company first."
BEFORE (all
duties, no results):
"Performed research and cost effective purchasing of
fire-fighting equipment."
AFTER (with
specific results):
"Researched 13 vendors, negotiated pricing and purchased
fire-fighting equipment. As a result, saved $124,000 versus 1999
expenditures."
Are you
starting to see the possibilities?
Don't make
it hard for employers to figure out your true value. Tell them --
specifically -- in your resumes and cover letters by emphasizing
results you've produced. As a result, your next job search should
be an achievement in itself.
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