What Does Your Resume Say About You?

Recently, I discovered Wordle. Wordle is a toy for generating word clouds from text that a user provides. It can help you figure out your brand.

The point of the Wordle for me was to verify whether or not I am profiled or branded properly. This picture above was created from my blog. It says a lot about the way that I think, what is important to me and shows that I AM branded properly!

Job seekers can use Wordle to see if their word cloud says the right thing about their resume. Most job seekers put together a document that is actually a C.V. or curriculum vitae (vital statistics of every place that they have ever worked). Instead they should be using a resume that talks about specific experience and education. (See Wikipedia)

The biggest mistake that most job seekers make is the dump of everything, especially the non-relevant stuff into the document. They hope that the recruiter or potential employer (usually HR or the hiring manager) will sift through the mess to find out what they can possibly do. Guess what happens? When the hiring manager cannot see immediately what you can do for them or what position you are applying for, you resume ends up in the great recycling box called Resume Hell!

I was talking to a new client the other day with his resume. He had just been laid-off after 24 years with one of the large telecoms. Although he had some great qualifications, nowhere on the “resume” did I see a profile or what it is that he can really do. Was he really expecting to get some traction from a potential employer with that document?

The first cardinal rule of thumb on a resume is to create a killer profile. The profile tells an employer:

1. Who you are i.e. Senior Technical Manager. I always advise using the description from the job application.


2. What you can do i.e. Implemented complex desktop deployments for 100 users and internal customers. Tell the hiring manager what you are good at and can do for them.


3. What makes you that good at what you did or can do i.e. Created quick and painless cutover by doing 3-shift per day implementation over four days. Customer had no down time which means you can save them time, money and resources.


4. Why the potential employer wants to hire you i.e. Cost saving measures of the 3-shift implementation created under budget surplus to the satisfaction of the customer, thus netting each member of the team $5,000 bonus. Pure accomplishment statements.

A great resume has a profile, NOT an objective. So many people still use the word objective on their resumes. We all know that as a job seeker you want to work in a great company where your skills are utilized, where you are challenged, and made to feel welcome. Get off the idea of writing like a 15-year old. An objective is all about the job seeker. A profile is all about the potential employer.

It’s not about the person who wants the job but about what the job seeker can do for the employer to grow the company’s bottom line. Consider putting your resume through a spit-shine to clean it up a bit. (Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tim’s Strategy)

Here is an analogy that you about someone who is thinking of buying a house. The person searches the internet for house listings. A house listing has a profile not an objective. The objective is obvious – the seller wants to sell the house. Similarly, the job seeker wants a job. The resume gets you the interview and the interview gets you the job. The house has a profile that gives a potential buyer an idea of its specs, what it has to offer, how good it will be, and how much it will cost.

A killer career solo sheet or profile says upfront what the job seeker can do. This means that your professional experience had better match up to the profile. Don’t put the company first and job title after or below the company. Employers do not care so much where you worked as what you actually did for the company. Then show the highlights of qualifications in a section just below what you can do. This is the place to demonstrate what you did, how you did it and what make you that good. Any sort of awards for cost saving measures should be listed here. If you have special technical skills or certifications or languages or security clearances, list them here as well.

Remember, the career profile (the icing on the cake) is what sells you and the rest of the resume is just the supporting data (the plain cake). A potential employer can see from your profile what you do and can do, what makes you great, your accomplishments, and how you will do that great stuff for their company. Not only will a great resume drive interviews your way, but may even land you that dream job.

So, what does your resume say about you?

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Guest Expert:

Queen Schmooze is a Re-Positioning Strategist helping job seekers, career changers, recruiters, entrepreneurs and start-ups to gain greater market share. With 25+ years in communications in different areas including the political sphere, community and social activism, non-profits, and corporate business, Michelle J. Iseman, aka Queen Schmooze, uses branding and profiling to better position the client for their target market audience. When you want to STAND OUT in a crowd, you call on Queen Schmooze to enable them to see you. She is blunt, brutal and honest, making sure that you have a true SEO that can get you ahead.

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The 4 P's to Tell Me About Yourself

You know the question is coming in a job interview.

So... tell me a little bit about yourself.

But are you prepared to deliver a memorable introduction on the fly when you are introduced to the right contact at say a restaurant?

It in fact happened to me the other day, and I'll confess I didn't have my A game on.

I was having lunch with a recruiter about the upcoming Speed Networking Event in Virginia on Tuesday 10/27, and he realized one of the persons at the table across from us was an officer from SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management).

"Hey, Brent. You need to connect with the woman over there about your event. I know her."

"Uh, that would be great" (as I quickly started to script an introduction in my mind).

The introduction was made as the other party started to leave.

My clumsy elevator pitch went something like this...

"Hi, my name is Brent Peterson. My company is organizing a statewide networking event that's going to be really cool. It's not a job fair or anything like that. It's speed networking. You know like speed dating but with job seekers. To drive out unemployment in our region. Oh, and we're raising money for a great charity."

Thankfully, she seemed very interested in spite of my lack of focus. We exchanged business cards and later on several emails. Thankfully, we gained SHRM's support and promotion for our event to HR professionals in the area.

So the infamous "Tell Me About Yourself" or in my case "Tell Me What You Need" question should be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Here are 4 P's to keep you (and me) focused:

1. PASSION

People like to hear passion in your voice. So ask yourself what are you passionate about? If you don't believe it, neither will the hiring manager. If you're passionate about project management, for example, be upfront about it.

2. PROFESSIONAL VALUE

What value do you bring to the employer? Or to the community? Remember, it's not about you. It's always about what problems can you solve.

3. PERSONAL INTERESTS

If you want to be memorable, you have to go beyond the accolades on your resume. List one or two activities or interests (non-controversial) that make you more human and interesting.

4. PITHY

Whatever you say, keep it succinct. If you talk for over a minute, you have spoken too long. If you meet someone at a restaurant or a reception, your brevity will speak volumes about how well you communicate in a professional setting. For reference, at the Virginia Career Speed Networking Event, each person will have one minute to deliver his pitch. And yes, there will be a one-minute "hour" glass at each table.

So here is the pitch I have now prepared (I wrote it down), practiced (it is exactly one minute), and delivered since that lunch encounter:

(Note: This is my full business speed networking pitch in Virginia when breaking the ice with someone new and there is no introduction from a colleague. In circumstances like the encounter above, my elevator pitch/need is more direct and less light-hearted.)

"Hi, my name is Brent Peterson. Like Brent Musburger. Hold the Musburger. JMU and UVA Alum. By day, I serve and protect project managers for the Federal Reserve Bank. By night, I help Americans get hired.

I am the founder of a company called Interview Angel, Inc. based in Ashland, VA, the Center of the Universe. We deliver our product nationwide and have helped customers as close as the University of Richmond and as far away as Honolulu.

We are organizing a statewide professional speed networking event called Get Hired! Virginia on Tues, Oct 27th at 4 pm at the new state fairgrounds pavilion next to Kings Dominion. The purpose of the event is to drive out local unemployment, grow the regional economy, and raise proceeds for the Dress for Success charity. It would be wonderful to see all of you there making the connections you need to be successful.

Here is my business card. My contact information is on both sides. Please let me know how I can help you. I look forward to staying in touch and helping you achieve your goals. If nothing else, I enjoy meeting good folks at Starbucks to discuss football and the latest episode of Lost."

Here is another example more for the actual interview setting (it covers all 4 P's in less than 30 seconds):

Q: So tell me a little bit about yourself

A: I am a senior project manager with 10 years of experience in corporate marketing. I am passionate about project management. I have a strong record of rallying team members together to meet the needs of the customer and to deliver results on time and within budget. I bring valuable experience from the retail, real estate, and final services industries.

In my free time, I enjoy swimming at the YMCA and volunteering at the community arts center in town.

So whether you are in a formal interview or in a chance encounter, always be prepared with your elevator pitch. Other people would be honored to meet you.

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Author:

Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, is the founder of Interview Angel Inc, a company that offers a comprehensive guide and toolkit to executing near flawless job interviews. Discover customer testimonials, blog posts, upcoming events, and media interviews at www.interviewangel.com.

Brent is also on Twitter at (twitter.com/InterviewAngel.com) and in LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/brentpeterson.

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