A few years ago, I was a bit surprised when some of my small business clients started asking if I could help craft compelling résumés—for themselves or a family member. Essentially, they were asking me to market them to potential employers. Given my background in Human Resources as well as Marketing, it felt like a natural extension of what I already did—and a great opportunity to put those skills to use in a new way.
Now, having written hundreds of resumes since then, for everyone from C-suite execs and medical professionals to teachers and new grads, I can tell you the three roadblocks to having a successful resume in today’s job market.
#1 Your Resume Has to Be Tailored for the Job You Want
No one version of your resume will work for all positions. You will likely have to have a few versions of your resume, each tailored to what the particular employer is looking for.
For example, when I was first starting out in my own career, I deployed my marketing prowess to land a job at the hottest company in town by selling the qualities I knew the company valued – youth, eager, willing to work long hours, and no task was considered beneath me.
Therefore, in your opening summary, instead of saying the basic:
New business graduate looking for an entry position in a marketing role.
WRONG! You have to sell them right away on your key attributes, (especially if you have no experience) the ones they are looking for, such as:
As a recent graduate in business, majoring in marketing, I am looking to join a dynamic company where my dependable work ethic, go-getter enthusiasm, and desire to train and learn from senior team members is a valued asset.
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It more than made up for my lack of experience and sealed the deal. In other words, when the hiring manager is reading your resume, they have to immediately also see the personal qualities they want for the job, not just the skills.
Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all resume; it will likely need to be tailored to match the specific requirements of each employer.
You can learn more about my Resume Writing Service here.
#2 Your Soft Skills are Not Engaging Enough
One of the key sections hiring managers are focusing on right now is soft skills—such as interpersonal abilities, organizational strengths, and communication style. However, simply listing terms like ‘interpersonal skills’ isn’t enough. To stand out, it’s important to provide context and examples that demonstrate how you’ve applied these skills in real situations.
For example, right now if your resume lists the typical soft skills:
- Strong leadership abilities.
- Excellent organizational skills.
- Coaching and team mentoring.
WRONG! This will not grab anyone’s attention. You have to elaborate. What you want is:
- Exceptional leadership and employee management capabilities, able to motivate people, instill accountability, and achieve results.
- Superb interpersonal skills with an emphasis on building teams, partnerships, managing conflict, and influencing others.
- Proven track record in coaching, mentoring, and developing staff to improve performance and achieve professional goals.
You might also want to read: How a Few Tweaks to My Son’s Resume Led to a Flood of Offers
#3 You Are Not Listing Quantifiable Achievements
You also have to get very specific about the achievements and milestones you have had in previous jobs. A good format is to list your “Responsibilities” first, ending with your “Achievements”, but you DO NOT want to write your achievements like this:
- Increased sales.
- Improved administrative processes.
- Managed a large team.
WRONG! You want to qualify and quantify, such as:
- In 2023, exceeded annual sales target by 23%, generating $500K in new business revenue.
- Implemented a new messaging app that reduced email volume by 20% and cut the average response rate to less than an hour.
- Managed a diverse team of 100 collection agents and 5 department heads across 2 locations.
Final Tip!
Since 90% of all businesses now use ATS software to scan resumes, the final piece of advice is to make sure that your resume is in true ATS format, (which is the only way I write them) and includes all of the major keywords the position is asking for, otherwise it will be rejected right at the onset.
Ready to stand out from the competition? Learn more about my professional Resume Writing Service.
I hope you enjoyed these expert tips for a successful resume!
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