Career Q & A
By Alan Kearns
February 7, 2005
What sort of job duties should I list in my résumé for the positions that I've held?
First of all, remember that on average most hiring managers spend less than two minutes reading a résumé. I liken résumés to the packaging of a product; you need to get their attention quickly and in a memorable way, while still being authentic. A great résumé shouldn't really highlight any of your job duties. Instead it should clearly illustrate your work accomplishments and achievements that are relevant to the job that you're applying for. These are the things that you've done in different roles that separate you from everyone else who has ever held a similar position. These are the things that will motivate a hiring manager to pick up the phone and give you a call.
Here's an exercise that will help you to start identifying your achievements as opposed to your responsibilities:
- Create a list of the challenges that you faced at each of your past jobs.
- For each of these jobs, write out the solution that you came up with individually or as part of a team.
- What were the results of your solution?
The results that you come up with when answering question three are the achievements
that you need to be listing in your résumé. They will show ways
that you increased revenue or decreased costs, created efficiencies in the
organization, implemented creative solutions, managed a successful project,
increased productivity, etc. Each of the achievements that you choose to list
in your résumé should be short, concise (bullet points are fine)
and relevant to the position for which you are applying. Remember: people
hire people, but like products, their first impression will be based on your
"packaging".
Alan Kearns is the Head Coach and the Brand Champion! of CareerJoy.
He is one of Canada's foremost experts on all things career. With more than
14 years of experience coaching people through successful career changes,
he brings an intimate knowledge of the entire transition process to all of
his clients. To contact Alan about paid professional services, e-mail alan@careerjoy.com
or visit his web site www.careerjoy.com.
To submit a question for a future column, please e-mail it to careercoach@charityvillage.com. No identifying information will appear in this column.
