Objective
No one was ever hired for a job due solely to their resume. The objective of any resume is to insert the author into the interview/hiring process, not to get a job offer. By clarifying and simplifying this objective, writing a resume becomes much simpler, and can actually help the author during the interviewing process by providing a discussion outline.

A. Overview – How and why are resumes evaluated?
1. Say it quickly!
Studies show that the typical observer of a billboard ad spends an average of 1.5 seconds to view and absorb it. The challenge to the advertiser is to make the message clear and memorable in that limited amount of time, which is similar in task to the author of a resume. While the typical time for a resume to be read is longer than 1.5 seconds it must be written with the same thought process – deliver your unique message, but don’t assume the reader is going to take a long time in absorbing it.

Job searches are just like all other sales – the candidate is making a series of sales calls to sell their greatest and most important product – themselves. Resumes are like advertising or a presentation – a necessary way to get your message across to the prospective buyer. Many people can (rightfully) rail against the unfairness of having to reduce your career into a few words that will be so briefly read. To them I would say:

1. Get over it – the sooner you realize this is how the sales process for finding a job works, the better.
2. In sales, this is no different than cold calling for an appointment. You have to know what your product has to offer that is important to the customer and be able to say it succinctly.
3. Use an internal coach whenever possible to recommend or deliver your resume (will be covered in more detail later).

2. Skills – your job search equity
Primarily, resume evaluators look for the resume to communicate specific transferable skills that the person has and compares them to:
            - what the client is looking for
            - other candidates they have talked to

Think of your transferable skills as money you can deposit in the hiring company’s bank. The more relevant skills you possess the greater the withdrawal you can make, or in other words the more "equity" you walk in their door with. These skills are specific things you have done or accomplished and are usually tangible and/or quantifiable in some way. Make sure you separate transferable skills from personal traits:

                                                            Resume = skill assessment

                                                            Interview = trait assessment

3. Traits – hard to quantify personal attributes
There are many critical traits not usually expressed in the resume itself that will come out in the interview process, such as:

Many times it is impossible to commit these traits to words, and an attempt to do so comes across insincerely. That does not mean to say they can only be expressed in person – sending an e-mail response long after normal work hours can go much further to saying "I have a strong work ethic", for example, than writing those words in a cover letter.

B. What are resumes REALLY evaluated against?
A candidate search will usually involve the review of dozens – or hundreds – of resumes per job search. Remember also that the person reviewing may be doing so for several jobs at any one time, In evaluating resumes, there are 4 basic things an evaluator looks for:

1. Transferable skills vs. client job specifications
2. Transferable skills vs. other applicants (differentiators)
3. Career progression: stability & impact
4. Clarity of thought

1)  Client Job Specifications vs. the Candidate’s Relevant Skills:
These represent the requirements deemed by the hiring manager and/or organization to give an acceptable probability of success to the candidate. The fact that a specification is listed as required does not mean someone without them cannot do the job, it just means their background is perceived as one of higher risk.

While people cannot be compared to objects, think of the hiring process like you would the process of buying a car – there are certain features you must have and others you would like to have. When you buy a car you might fix in your mind:

Beyond these you would desire features, such as a longer warrantee, low financing rates, and a sun roof.

Similarly, from an employee hiring standpoint there are typically 3 to 5 required specifications and any number of other desired ones:

Possible examples of employer job specifications are:

Time: these transferable skills are fundamental job responsibilities that you have more than they are project or short term related. Assignments held less than one year are easy to dismiss without recognizing as having added to transferable skills.

2)  Transferable skills - differentiators
This is possibly the most misunderstood and exaggerated part of any resume. This is an extension of the specifications, and once again should be focused on quantifiable results as much as possible.

It also can impact the level of responsibility they are willing to give you. The skills must also be relevant, but be creative and thorough in your list. Having a CPA may be very valuable for a sales position if you will be selling to accountants, for example.

    Examples of differentiating skills:

Traits can be conveyed if they are expressed in a quantifiable way. Accomplishments listed that are not quantified are easy to dismiss as puffery. Back up what you say.

There is a strong and weak way to state them:

Weak                                           Strong
I’m a goal oriented person         I’ve exceeded quota every quarter
I am driven to succeed               I won performance awards the last 3 years
I’m a caring person                     I am a Red Cross volunteer

Simply seeing the job titles a candidate has held can tell a great deal about someone’s true accomplishment in a "big picture" sense. If someone has been promoted every two years it tells you that the person has excelled, whatever is stated in the description.

Company ownership changes can make an employee look like a "job hopper" when they are not. If you have worked for Small Company X for 2 years and another 3 years for Big Company Y who bought them, show your job title as:

Stability – the amount of time spent in jobs not only conveys accomplishment but also:
            - self awareness – you know what you want to do
            - ability to get along with people

Impact – make sure to include:
            - quantifiable results whenever possible
            - scope of responsibility held
            - people results – employees promoted or likewise recognized

Saying "I revamped the presentation process" could mean you changed the fonts on the powerpoint slides to you increased sales 15% by upgrading the professionalism and efficiency of the organization. The latter has a much greater impact on the organization (and represents a much different level of skill and accomplishment) and will come across better if expressed that way. Another illustration could be related to a new product launch:

It is not always possible to identify the "15% increase" due to availability of data. In the example above simply explain what you did and tell how it impacted the organization. An example might be "added HQ resources to field presentations and increased closing ratio on major accounts".

Clarity is conveyed by:
            - abundance of specifics and a lack of excessive jargon
            - an economy of words to make the point
            - clean, uncluttered layout

When I read a resume and it takes me too long to see exactly what the person is all about I assume they don’t know and move on.

Section II: How Do You Write A Resume?

1)  Write down 3 bullet points you want the reader to take away from your resume.
a. General message or impression left:
After any event such as reading or viewing something new we tend to walk away absorbing a few simple impressions or facts. Particularly when the resume itself will give the reader easy documentation to reference later, they will tend to walk away with impressions like:

b. Specific message
Specifically, the reader is going into the process looking for something. Make a list of 2-3 things you would like the reader to think, such as (example):

You may well have more than one version of this, which is OK.

Remember, these skills should be quantifiable and easy to see from your resume. You will summarize them right after your objective and support them in the body of your job listing.

Example:

XYZ Inc., New York, NY                                                                                 1996-2001
Regional Sales Manager
XYZ is a supplier of steering wheels to the auto assembly industry, with clients like BMW and Ford. Responsible for management of 10 Northeast Sales Representatives.

b. What did you accomplish there?
Then add 2-3 bullet points of accomplishments at each:

Example:
             - exceeded quota 5 consecutive years
            - had 4 Sales Reps promoted to management in other areas
            - sold largest account in region – ABC Co. – worth $15MM annual revenue

c. Grouping multiple jobs in same company
Show all companies worked for 1^st, then jobs within them next.

Example:
XYZ Inc., New York, NY                                                                                 1996-2001
XYZ is a supplier of steering wheels to the auto assembly industry, with clients like BMW and Ford.

Regional Sales Manager                                                                               1999-2001
Responsible for management of 10 Northeast Sales Representatives.
            - exceeded quota 5 consecutive years
            - had 4 Sales Reps promoted to management in other areas

Sales Representative                                                                                     1996-1999
Covered CT/RI/MA territory.
            - sold largest account in region – ABC Co. – worth $15MM annual revenue

Show as few companies as possible if ownership changed hands during your tenure (see previous example).

There are many excellent software programs available that provide tested formats for you to use. Plugging the work done above into an existing format will save considerable time, as will using that of a friend or colleague. When selecting a format you should look for one that is:

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