Resume Help Blog

Suppose you had just one chance to advertise yourself on a billboard overlooking a busy highway, and that passing motorists had only a few seconds to glance at it. How would you make your advertisement meaningful and memorable?

Think of your resume as a portable version of that billboard. The motorists whizzing by? Human resources professionals and other hiring entities. They don’t have time to read a jobseeker’s biography, and they don’t want to read a description of your job. (They aren’t interested in knowing that you report to work and do what an employer expects of you—the daily tasks for which you are paid.) They want to know what makes you special, how you add value and that you achieve goals, and how you can, therefore, make a difference in their organizations. They want to glance at your resume and say, “Here’s someone I need to meet.”

It’s not always easy or comfortable for people to try to “sell” themselves. There’s a fine line between hollow bragging and effective advertising. Here are some real-life examples:

Before:
Daily processing of portfolio transactions in accordance with department policies and procedures
After:
Provide investment managers and clients with accurate, time-sensitive portfolio information through diligent processing, analysis, reporting, and dissemination of cash and transaction data

Before:
Inspected, marketed, and sold properties to first-time homebuyers
After:
Created home ownership opportunities for low – and moderate-income residents who might otherwise be excluded from the housing market; provided prospective buyers with inception-through-settlement financial consulting services and education

Before:
Presented PowerPoint presentations to civic, photography, and hiking clubs around the country with client endorsements
After:
Increased revenue and brand awareness by making sales presentations to clubs and associations countrywide, incorporating customer testimonials about tour experiences as marketing technique

Before:
Daily processing of portfolio transactions in accordance with department policies and procedures
After:
Increased revenue and brand awareness by making sales presentations to clubs and associations countrywide, incorporating customer testimonials about tour experiences as marketing technique

Before:
Organized profitable and charitable events
After:
Organized and ran for-profit and charity events attracting more than 45 musicians of regional, national, and international influence in the avant-garde genre, including two-time world DMC champion DJ Klever.