While phenomenal resume tips (and debates) abound, there’s one point everyone seems to miss -- which I believe explains why so many job searches flounder, and what it takes to launch a successful job search strategy:
You see evidence of the disadvantageous resume odds every time you apply for a position online.
For example, one of my clients wanted to apply for an HR Generalist position in Chicago that had been live for three days and had already received 649 applications.
On top of this, we know that recruiters spend on average 6.25 seconds reviewing a resume (if at all), and 80% of that time is spent on your name, and the company name, position title and date range of your two most recent positions -- all things you cannot change.
The takeaway: spend less time on your resume
It’s like in the movie The Hunger Games —
Those in power offered contestants false hope with the phrase, “May the odds be ever in your favor.” While most of the contestants rehearsed their fighting skills to marginally increase their chances, Katniss’ winning approach was to ignore conventional wisdom, and she became the fan favorite (who also survived...).
If you’re still focusing the majority of your job search time on your resume, cover letter, and applying online, it’s time for you to rethink the rules of the job search game.
It’s not that you don’t need these resources; you still do (sorry!). But I’ll show you how to focus and complete your resume in the least amount of time, so you can save the majority of your job search energy for higher value activities like strategic networking.
Your resume should take you no longer than 30 minutes to create
The key is to invest just enough time to make your resume strong enough to keep you in the running once you’ve gotten your foot in the door through networking.
That’s why I compiled all of the available research and advice into what I’ve found to be the highest value, safest bet, 30-minute resume creation template that still increases the odds of a recruiter or resume review software paying attention when you submit online.
You get the full template (and all of my other job search cheat sheets!) when you join my 9-week Land Your Dream Job program, but here are the most important takeaways for crafting your 30-minute resume that you can start implementing on your own today:
1. Your resume must simply answer the question “Why should I hire you for THIS job?”
Just like your interview responses and cover letters, your resume should make a clear and compelling case that you’re a great fit for the job you’re pursuing.
If your resume doesn’t connect the dots for your reader, it makes it harder for hiring managers to understand why they should interview you, or for your networking contacts to recommend you internally.
Here are the key steps for making sure your resume answers this simple question:
Research the recurring keywords in job descriptions that interest you. From the role summary and first few bullets, circle the keywords that demonstrate the core skills or competencies required in this position, and prioritize using them in your summary and bullet points.
Write a 2-line summary (focusing on those keywords) for the top of your resume, encapsulating how you want a recruiter or hiring manager to remember you. Make it easy for them with something like, “Ad Ops Manager with 5 years’ experience leading digital and print campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. Self-motivated professional who thrives in diverse, cross-functional, and fast-paced team environments.”
Fill in your professional accomplishments prioritizing those that are most relevant to the role you’re pursuing. For all experiences within the past 10-15 years, add 3-5 bullets (max!) detailing your specific accomplishments from each role, prioritizing those that showcase the recurring keywords from step 1. For any experience more than 10-15 years ago, create a sub-header called “Early Career,” pop in your headlines and dates only, no bullets.
Less is more. Choose 1-2 more sections max that significantly bolster your candidacy. Options include “Education,” “Education & Credentials,” “Technical Skills,” “Awards,” “Community Leadership,” “Publications.” Unless customary in your industry, no long lists of coursework, volunteer engagements or publications.
Remember, 80% of reading time is spent on the information you can’t change, so stay focused on completion over perfection!
2. Your resume must demonstrate absolute professionalism:
The simplest justification to cast a resume aside (hence narrowing the list to a more manageable set of candidates) is still the most obvious: errors.
Proofread thoroughly to make sure your final draft:
Has no typos, grammatical errors, or inconsistent formatting, punctuation and verb tenses (third-person past is your safest bet).
Has no accidental gaps or inconsistencies in your date ranges. Don’t give them an unnecessary reason to doubt your track record.
Doesn’t exaggerate your titles or include any dishonest information.
Is saved as a Word Doc with a professional file name (i.e. “Emily Johnson Resume 2017”) so that it will be reviewable by resume review softwares (ATS).
In essence, make sure that every one of those 6.25 seconds is spent reading simple, clean content that reinforces your candidacy -- not counting up typos and punctuation issues.
What about formatting, keeping it to one page, and the other big resume debates?
It’s not that these details don’t ever make an impact. But they’re not high value details worth fretting over. Choose a simple format that’s easy to read and easy to print. Keep your resume under two pages but don’t spend hours cutting content to make sure it’s less than one.
Mostly, focus on what counts: getting your foot in the door before submitting your resume.
That’s right, I mean networking!
Networking is what leads to 85% of hires today.
Once you network to get an internal referral, you're 10x more likely to get the interview than by applying online.
Which is why we want to shorten the distance between you and your completed resume, so that you can move on to the activities most likely to help you land that next job.
With love,
Liz
P.S. Want to take your resume to the next and final level (in just 30 minutes)?
Check out my Land Your Dream Job program and get started today!
My Land Your Dream Job program has everything you need to navigate your search with confidence and ease.
I'm not the kind of career coach who will give you 1,000 unnecessary tasks to complete. If you can't tell already, that's not my style.
I tell you exactly what to do at each step of the process. I show you how to do it (with on-demand video lessons). I give you the tools to implement my guidance on your own (the templates, the email drafts, cheat sheets and talking points).
I don't want you wasting your time trying to figure out the things I had to learn the hard way.
I make it easy for you -- because wondering how to job search shouldn't dominate your life! Getting out there to shine as your authentic self is what I want you to focus on instead.