5 Steps to a Winning Resume
Write Your Way to Your Dream Job
Have you ever seen a resume that blew you away? I was working at a Career Centre, way back in the day, when a student came in for a resume consultation.
I was accustomed to students arriving, looking a little sheepish, with resumes that needed a lot of help. From this student’s modest demeanor, I expected her resume was in need of a serious revamp.
So imagine my shock when she unveiled the best resume I had ever seen. She was a graphic designer and had laid out her text so it created an image of a superhero – complete with a cape. While doubling as artwork, the resume was still impeccably organized and easy to read. It was a display of her talent and creativity – the ultimate marketing tool to entice potential employers.
You do NOT need to be a graphic designer to do the same thing. With words alone, you can shape your best resume ever, and this article will show you how.
But before you begin, let’s establish an essential fact of winning resumes… YOUR BEST RESUME IS TAILORED TO THE JOB YOU WANT
Would you show up to a job interview in a suit four sizes too big? Or not wearing any pants?
The correct answer is no. Yet if your resume lists every single work task you ever did or if you are ignoring a skill set that is essential to the role, you may as well walk into an interview overdressed or pants-free.
What you need is a tailored resume showing how you are a perfect fit for the role. This is especially necessary for highly competitive, lucrative and interesting job opportunities.
The key to your winning resume lies in the job description, the public document employers share to explain the role and attract quality candidates.
The job description is the employer’s wish list for their ideal candidate. You want to show how you fulfill as many of their desired skills and traits as possible – while remaining honest about your abilities and experiences. If you do this, you create a tailored resume.
STEP 1: DITCH YOUR OLD RESUME
Starting a new job application with an old version of your resume is a surefire way to kill creativity. A clean slate is key to creating an awesome resume.
Have you ever read a job description, decided it was your dream job, got super excited, decided to apply, broke out your old resume to revise it – only to get lost in the outdated details… your determination to revamp the resume fading… your excitement for the future lost in trying to rearrange this dusty record of your past.
Despite your grand ambition for a resume renovation, you do not tear it down to the studs. Instead, you settle for painting over a few gaps and some superficial updates.
Don’t do fall into this resume mistake!
You are more likely to end up with a convincing resume that wins the interview if you start from scratch.
Will this take longer? Yes. But it will also achieve a better resume and better results.
STEP 2: WRITE WILDLY AND FREELY (it’s fun!)
Begin with a blank page and the job description. And maybe your caffeinated beverage of choice.
Allow yourself to write freely and wildly. Imagine you are writing to your best friend about why you think this role would be awesome and why you are the right person for the job. Let your enthusiasm out.
Describe – genuinely and clearly – how you are a perfect fit for this opportunity based on the job description.
STEP 3: TRANSFORM FREE WRITING INTO RESUME FRAMEWORK
Now you can plug that information into the standard resume format. Copy the phrases from your free-writing notes so the accomplishments and skills are listed under the workplace/role where you achieved them.
Keep the personality and positive energy from your free-form notes, but make sure you are not too informal. Replace casual expressions or non-technical terms with workplace-friendly and professional language.
Also, take this opportunity to add key words and phrases directly from the job description. This helps the employer easily connect your experience with their needs.
Now you have a framework for a winning resume.Now you can plug that information into the standard resume format. Copy the phrases from your free-writing notes so the accomplishments and skills are listed under the workplace/role where you achieved them.
Keep the personality and positive energy from your free-form notes, but make sure you are not too informal. Replace casual expressions or non-technical terms with workplace-friendly and professional language.
Also, take this opportunity to add key words and phrases directly from the job description. This helps the employer easily connect your experience with their needs.
Now you have a framework for a winning resume.
STEP 4: STAY FOCUSED WITH ACTION-WORDS
The most popular resume format is organized by job, moving from your most recent to the most distant work roles.
Whatever resume format you choose, begin each experience statement with action words (a.k.a. verbs) to provide a consistent structure.
U/X Designer, MoonDust Studios Toronto, ON (May 2013-August 2016)
- Developed original user interface for 24 custom apps over three years for clients in the food services and delivery sector
- Gained mastery in U/X design tools such as Sketch and Figma
- Served as lead contributor to project management guidelines now used by all U/X designers in MoonDust Studios locations across North America and Europe
STEP 5: QUANTIFY YOUR IMPACT
Now that you have your revamped resume framework, you can dust off that old resume to retrieve the specific details about past roles.
Attaching specific details, numbers and amounts to past outcomes and results makes your accomplishments real for employers. Quantifying your experience shows you know how to use your skills to achieve impact.
Quantifying your impact also demonstrates that you care enough to measure your performance and are driven to deliver results.
Here are a few examples of how quantifying makes a difference:
Not quantified: “Planned major event for product launch”
Quantified: “Planned major event attended by 200 clients, friends and media partners launching a mobile app that become our best-selling product in 2017 and 2018”
Not quantified: “Successfully managed department advertising budget”
Quantified: “Managed 150K+ annual advertising budget and oversaw increased digital marketing investment that contributed to 6% increase in annual lead generation”
Not quantified: “Increased client retention year-over-year”
Quantified: “Implemented a client satisfaction strategy to increase retention at my CrossFit gym by 11% in 2017 and 17% in 2018”
Unquantified descriptions make you curious in a bad way – “What does that mean? What is ‘major’ in this case? Was it increased by 1% or 67%?”
Quantified descriptions, on the other hand, make you curious in a good way. “Ooooohhh, I wonder how she did that? I wonder what would happen if she did that on our team?”
And voila! With these five steps, you have marvellous resume that demonstrates your enthusiasm and your impact – and *that* is how you get the interview.
Starting with a fresh page to refresh your focus!
