Hello Everyone!
This is a mini blog post to share a helpful thought on a situation I’ve witnessed a few times this week. I’ve come cross professionals struggling to add strength to their resume because they no longer have access to critical metrics and job performance data.
I originally published part of this material as a post on my Facebook page LizMLopezCaptivateYourAudience.
Since it got so much attention, I decided it may be helpful to others and decided to do a quick and easy mini blog post to share this information with you.
Advice to Professionals Currently Employed
Please take the time to document your achievements every week or at least once a month while you are currently employed. Resume strength is tied to your achievements, not your responsibilities. I often see resumes that read like they were copy-pasted from a job description. This is a major resume “no-no” for several reasons:
- Bullets copied from a job description…describe the job, not you.
- Listing only responsibilities tells the reader what you did, but not if you did it well.
- Generic lists of duties do not help the reader differentiate between you and other candidates.
- It comes across as unprepared or worse – as lazy.
Employers reviewing generic resumes think “you want a job paying X thousand a year, but you can’t be bothered to write a personalized resume?” and your resume goes in the garbage. Your resume needs to tell YOUR story and the key is to list your measurable results, commendations, major projects, milestones, and awards. You need to describe how you, in your own unique way, helped the company grow.
It is far easier to maintain a personal record of your measurable achievements and contributions when you are on the job. When you are no longer employed, you lose access to all that data and face a painful process of trying to recreate 1, 5, or even 10+ years of results.
Start documenting your results now. Do this in a personal notebook, smartphone, of computer file that you WILL be able to access even if your job ends abruptly.
Talented professionals are missing out on great job opportunities because their resume is weak. The time to build a great resume is while you are still employed. Always be ready for opportunity to knock! Document your achievements often so you can build a powerful resume that gets results.
~Liz M.
