Résumé + Results = Interviews

Some people go ten or fifteen years between writing résumés. During that time a lot happens, and trying to get it down on paper is a challenge. Part of the problem is putting value in what we do. When we go to work and do the same, or similar thing, day in and day out, we become so good at it we can do it in our sleep. Then, when it is time to write a results driven resume, our first question is, "What did I do everyday?" My answer to that question the first time around was, "I didn't do ANYTHING. I just went to work and did my job. A monkey could do my job!"

Your chance of securing an interview with a résumé highlighting " a monkey could do my job" is very slim. Start by writing down everything you did during a typical workday. Include the skills you needed to perform each job. It is important to zero in on the skills and recognize the things you needed to know to complete each task. If a monkey could do your job there would be tire swings and the sweet smell of discarded banana peel throughout the office. Your job was so vital to the company you worked for, that somebody, somewhere along the line, decided they needed to hire someone to handle the responsibility. Even if the job doesn't exist any longer due to technology or cutbacks, you have to get in touch with the job's value before you can start writing your résumé.

Every job has purpose and so long as you were the person doing it, you were the expert. You knew what it takes to do the job. You knew what tools were needed and how to operate them. You knew how to recognize when the job was well done. These are the points to get across in your résumé.

Here is an example I use in my workshops. The electrician goes to the contractor to apply for a job. The contractor hires electricians all the time. He (or she) knows exactly what electricians do, so he doesn't need to see a résumé listing tasks. The one thing the contractor doesn't know is what happened when the electrician did their last job. The résumé that gets attention every time is the resume that focuses on what happened, what were the results. What is unique about how the electrician did the job? What makes this electrician better than the other electricians applying for the same job?

A simple way to think about results is to think about what would happen if the job weren't done properly. One gentleman said all he did was sweep and clean up the job site and he didn't think it was important to the over all project. So we started taking it apart. I asked him if he didn't sweep up the job site what would happen. He answered it would become extremely messy and unorganized. Then I asked what would happen if it was left messy and unorganized. His response, someone might trip and hurt themselves. Right there we had his first result, which was "ensuring a safe work environment for other trade workers."

You will make a better impression with results and accomplishments, and leave the duties and tasks to the monkeys.

Glen Slingerland - Skills 101 / Job Development