Crafting an effective resume can be difficult. There’s the formatting, grammar, punctuation and, most importantly, your content. To stand out from the crowd, it’s not enough to create a laundry list of job duties. You also have to talk about the impact you made while you were in that position. Whether you’re looking for your first job, or if you’re making a mid-career transition, there are two simple questions that your resume needs to address.
What? Most job seekers have this one down cold; what you did at that job. To address the “what,” read the job description carefully and identify the most important attributes and skills the hiring company is looking for. If they list management experience #1, don’t list it as the 8th bullet under your most recent job. Also think about what not to include. If your title is customer service representative, there’s no need to list a bullet that talks about customer service unless it involves a specific situation or outcome above and beyond what could be implied from your title.
So what? Once you’ve established the “what,” you must address the “so what?” For each bullet, what were the results? What was the impact? If you presented a recommendation to upper management, was it adopted? If you developed a new process for doing business, did it save time and/or money?
Before applying to another job, read over your resume bullet by bullet to make sure you’ve answered both the “what” and “so what.” When you do, you’ll be well on your way to having a resume that gets results.
