“Context” refers to the circumstances around the facts in your resume that help hiring managers and recruiters understand it fully. The context in your resume provides the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your career. For example, see the difference in these two statements:
- Without context: Led teams in projects.
- With context: Led teams of up to 8 hardware, software, and electrical engineers to develop simulators of process control plants to train employees of global oil and gas companies.
Who
- Your years and fields of experience
- Your chief accomplishments
- What you are most passionate about
- Your significant skills (aligned with skills mentioned in job postings and advertisements)
What
- The names of the companies you worked for
- The products, services, and size of the companies you worked for
- Your job titles
- Goals set for you
When
- The dates (years are sufficient) that you worked at each company
- The length of time it took to meet your goals (for example, “recruited and trained 14 additional salespeople in first 6 months”)
- Before and after events (for example, “kept on after merger to…”)
Where
- The locations (city and state) of the companies where you worked
- The extent of your influence (for example, “in three locations,” “at headquarters” or regional, national, global)
- The location of the colleges you want to, places where you made presentations, and so on
Why
- The reason you won a reward
- Briefly, if necessary, the reason there is a gap in your resume
- The reason you received a promotion (for example, “…to repeat my earlier successes throughout the region”)
How
- The way that you achieved what you achieved (usually beginning with the word “by” as in this phrase: “Reduced turnover by increasing the quality of communications on all levels”)
- The reason for your actions (for example, “Championed quality communications to decrease turnover, break down silos, and increase engagement.”)
When you establish the context in your resume, you tell recruiters and hiring managers exactly who you are. You explain your significant achievements, where and when you developed your skills, why you believe your accomplishments and skills are important, and how they will potentially benefit your next employer.
Robin’s Resumes® has over 20 years of experience in a wide range of industries and fields, providing the context that makes job applicants stand out from the competition. We look forward to providing context for your resume.