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Adding value to your Career Documentation | Career Coaching

A Round of Applause for You

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You have just been chosen “Employee of the Month”–but everyone seems to be chosen sooner or later. You came in second among eight salespeople for total yearly sales–but you weren’t first. Your boss asked you to be a member of a committee–but no one important served on it. At one job you were selected to lead a training session–but that was years ago. Are any of these “honors” worth mentioning on a resume? Absolutely!

Rewards, above average achievements and selection by a superior help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants. Recruiters like to know you were appreciated at a previous job, that you strive for excellence and that your employers respected you enough to single you out. No matter how old the honor is, you earned it. As long as it is relevant to your work history, it should appear on your resume.

Honors that come from volunteer work are also important. If you ever served as an officer for a nonprofit, received recognition or contributed your time and expertise in any way, mention your service, Many companies encourage giving back to the community and will be pleased that you are already on board with their policy. In addition, volunteering shows initiative and the ability to work toward a common goal, both highly respected qualities in an employee.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we help people understand the value of their achievements and communicate them to potential employers. While your resume is opening doors to employment, it should also remind you of all the reasons you have to be proud. That confidence will show in your interviews. So give yourself a round of applause and make sure recruiters know what an exceptional employee you are.

Advice from Your Next Boss

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What do companies look for when they read a resume? Recently I asked that question on an online business site. Replies came from 18 hiring and department managers working in colleges, electronics companies, banks, sales, engineering and human resources among others.

Overwhelmingly (11 out of 18), they first checked the resume to make sure the skills and experience met their needs as outlined in the job description. No one wants to hire a brain surgeon without a medical degree or a chef who’s never worked in a kitchen. Often, the responders defined “experience” as number of years in the field.

Does this mean you can submit a laundry list of skills and job titles and get hired? No.

After that first glance, most of the people responding looked for accomplishments or achievements. Your resume has to explain what you did with your skills. How did the company benefit?

Did you develop a new report, increase sales, interact well with your peers and managers, lead a team, volunteer in the community, meet deadlines, streamline a process, help make a project successful, complete a class, give a presentation, serve on a committee, receive praise from customers or earn a promotion? The way you used your skills to benefit your old company tells your new company what to expect. They know whether you’ll be a valuable addition to their team.

You may find it hard to boast about—or even recognize—your own accomplishments. If you need help, call or email Robin’s Resumes®. Together, we can make sure the marketplace knows just how valuable you are.

The Great Debate: What Type of Resume Works Best?

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The two main types of resumes are functional and chronological. A functional resume concentrates on your accomplishments and experience, with only the briefest reference to your job history. A chronological resume details your jobs in reverse chronological order, the most recent position first. Which do I favor? Neither one!

The best modern resumes are a combination of functional and chronological. They start with a paragraph or list summarizing your main areas of accomplishment and your most valuable skills. Under that comes a detailed job listing, with information on your achievements in each position, in reverse chronological order.

A straight functional resume is often viewed by recruiters as a warning that you have something to hide: a large gap in employment, a history of moving from job to job, or an inability to hold onto any one job for very long. A straight chronological resume may force the recruiter to hunt for relevant experience and skills. The combination resume tells recruiters at a glance that you have the right skills and a stable, solid work history.

Just an Ordinary Everyday Person

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Recently, I spoke with a woman returning to the job market after years of raising her family. “I haven’t done anything for 10 years,” she said. Coincidentally, I had a similar conversation with an executive just a few weeks later. “I don’t give enough back to the community,” he said. And soon after that a college graduate complained that she lacked enough experience to get the website design job she wanted.

In a short while, I discovered that the woman had held leadership positions in three nonprofits over the years; the executive participated in at least one community event every month, including speaking before high school students; and the college grad had developed websites for two family members (“but they’re family members,” she objected).

The problem is that we all undervalue our contributions and experience. The achievement that you dismiss as nothing special may be exactly what your next employer is looking for.

A professional resume writer can help you discover those talents and abilities you take for granted—and then describe them so that potential employers recognize their value. We cannot be truly objective about ourselves.

References: “Works Well with Others”

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Good references are important to any job search; but you need to know when and how to offer them.

In the United States, references do not belong on a resume. First, you want to protect the privacy of your references; resumes go out to the world. Second, you want time to alert your references to the call or email they may receive. If your references are listed on your resume, you lose control.

Employers assume you can give them references if they ask. So your resume should not include the phrase “References available upon request.” It is not necessary and it takes up valuable space on a resume better used to show your accomplishments.

That said, as part of your preparation, create a list of references to have ready when needed. The list should include each reference’s name, title, company name, address, phone number(s) and email. In addition to professional references, you may need a few personal references. Contact all your references to make sure they are willing to speak well of you and to alert them to your job search. Your references need to know they will be receiving a legitimate request for information by a company you’re interested in.

You can ask a company not to contact your most recent employer. Companies realize you may want to keep your job search confidential until you have a definite offer. Besides, current employers are often limited in the information they are allowed to share.

Make sure you have some references who will gladly speak well of you! One of the most damaging references you can get is, “I’d rather not say.”

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