"Why Are Resumes So Bad?"

I have asked myself hundreds of times, "Why are resumes so bad?" Yes, I will admit the unvarnished truth is that in the 25+ years that I have been reading resumes they range from downright embarrassing to adequate. Another truism, if you have a professional, i.e. outplacement firm, help -- then instead of being better, it reads like an outplacement firm canned resume. Unfortunately, success in the communications field requires so many talents, that following one recipe doesn’t work for all the flavors of experience. Another problem is taking advice literally and doing what those books say about resume writing, rather than interpreting what they mean. (I’m giving authors the benefit of the doubt, here.)

I once coached a top-flight marcom executive about her resume and suddenly came to a realization about why these documents are so tough to get right -- that’s when the "ah ha" (the light bulb phenomenon) happened.

Is the resume really about you and your achievements? Wouldn’t you expect the answer to be yes? Well my answer is not really. It’s all about the hiring manager -- the person who is buying not you -- but what you can do to solve his problem, fill a void, and fit the team. So, what do you need to say to grab his/her attention? Are you selling yourself? All the resume guides say "yes." That’s where the literalists march off to follow orders. That’s where all those marketing types jump in with the formula question: Do you need a top executive who can save you $X or can help you achieve a percent increase in market reach? Oh please, spare me from this banality.

Are You Selling Yourself?

So, let’s go back to the question. Are you selling yourself? Are you broadcasting how talented you are by telling the world I am great, or strategic, or results-oriented? Guess what? That’s irrelevant and has a negative impact on your key customer, the hiring manager. By saying, "I’m terrific," you are doing just the opposite. Don’t sell yourself short by advertising who you are. It destroys your credibility.

Instead, you do engage your reader and win by giving examples of how you’ve helped your former employers. It’s a far more subtle approach, far more low-key and consultative. Which is what a resume is about. It’s about starting a dialog with a potential buyer of an expensive solution -- you.

Here’s the key: the resume is not about "me." It’s about what I can do for you. Skillfully written, what you want to do is wrapped around what you can do for the hiring organization. Solve their problem by doing what you enjoy most.

Another turnoff is telling the reader how you are responsible for measurable results when your role is part of a team effort. Again, it’s all that advice which says, be as specific as possible to justify your worth to your organization. Taking that literally results in contrived statements which immediately engender a "so what" reaction.

I do not recommend ever telling people that you are a results-oriented, strategic, high energy professional. Who isn’t? Would anyone ever say, "I’m tactical, slow and am job hunting because I couldn’t keep up?" Please eliminate all statements that tell the world you are terrific and that you are a team player.

The only objective a resume should include is one that "fits" what the customer wants. If you don’t know what that is, don’t put one on the resume. Am I suggesting you misrepresent yourself? The answer is never. However, there are many ways you can express what you want -- the trick is to put it in terms that make sense to your audience.

Then there is the noise factor -- resumes should never confuse or waste time. Summary statements with vague job goals "I want to work for a progressive, high growth company that values individual achievement" or " I have a progressive track record of on-going success" are dead spots on resumes. They don’t tell me if you can solve my problem.

Let’s talk about "hype." I think you can guess I think that there shouldn’t be any -- despite advice that says be sure to take credit for accomplishments. Interestingly, I think being too self-effacing is a problem I’ve seen more among women.

Common Sense

Well, here we are in that difficult gray area where the simple 10-step solution to creating a perfect resume doesn’t offer a clue. Let’s apply common sense to the issue. Using shopping on the Internet as the perfect analogy, here’s what I suggest you consider.

When you visit a web site with the intention of learning about a product you are expecting to be presented with in-depth information. This will allow you to judge whether you should consider a purchase based its features and/or the quality of the item -- perhaps as endorsed by an objective reviewer (e.g. rated a "superior value by XYZ magazine"). You would resent being "hit" with advertising or sales messages. A resume should take exactly the same informational tone, strive for similar "ease of use" and draw conclusions for the customer.

"Just the facts" is what your reader needs. So, what does that mean? Here’s where what you want to say must be expressed so that your customer is happy. Does it mean you can’t focus or position the resume? No, absolutely not. It does mean you present your story in a low-key factual style. For example, instead of saying you are a high achieving superstar, let the reader come to that conclusion by reading about your career progression.

List the company, length of time with the organization and then in reverse chronological order recite your job titles. Use the word "promoted" if it applies. If you were selected from a large pool of applicants say so. If you were the youngest person ever in the job, say so. If a client or boss or editor said you were terrific, that’s fair game to include. If what you did was a first, say so. If you set out objectives for a project and met them, explain that.

Another way to indicate you are succeeding is by describing the companies you represent, their business, size and complexity. It’s one thing to be a Director for a $30 million company, quite different to hold that same title at a $ 2 billion company. (BTW -- always describe the business the company is in. Never assume the reader knows anything about your employer.) If you have direct contact with heads of organizations and are part of planning sessions, that indicates your opinion is valued (without using that beaten-to-death phrase) "strategic contributor."

Case studies are great. Tell stories about how you went about doing an event or, for example, developing the first Investor Relations campaign. Did you brief the chief executive? Write speeches? Create a crisis communications plan? Did you step forward to suggest the communications effort be expanded and win approval? How large are the budgets you’ve been responsible for? What is the largest group of people you’ve managed directly? These examples are some of the best ways for a potential employer to judge if you’ve functioned at a high enough level to tackle his/her assignment. (Or, conversely if you are overqualified.)

Just because you’ve spent 50% of your time doing media relations (and you’ve decided you prefer editorial work), you do not have to focus your resume on media relations. If you prefer one direction over another, emphasize that aspect of your work. Positioning is legitimate and the resume can lead a potential employer down the path you want to go.

My final points -- keep the resume to two pages; offer an e-mail version; post the resume on-line if confidentiality is not an issue. Don’t expect a potential employer will take the time to go there; assume you have less than 45-seconds to make an impression and don’t do anything fancy (the K.I.S.S. principle). Save that for the next round.

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