Every time I review and critique a student or recent graduate’s résumé, I’m always told, “I’m a strong writer in every other area. I don’t know why I’m struggling with this!” Let me put it this way—there is an entire industry of professional résumé writers for a reason. It’s hard to write a compelling résumé that really sells your strengths!
In a recent interview with Barbara Safani, author of “Happy About My Résumé: 50 Tips for Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future,” she shared several common excuses entry-level candidates give for not conveying on their résumés why what they’ve done is important—and her responses.
1. I was in a support role and didn’t have any impact on the bottom line. Think past the tasks associated with your role and reflect on the impact your job has on those around you and the business as a whole. For example, administrative assistants act as gatekeepers for their bosses and help prioritize their workload so the boss can concentrate on the most mission-critical efforts. The assistant develops systems and processes that help their bosses save time.
2. I don’t want to write too much on my résumé about what I did because doing so will make my résumé too long. You can create impact without being verbose. Concentrate on delivering a key metric and a succinct glimpse of the accomplishment, and you will be able to document to a reasonable length.
3. I just graduated from college, and I haven’t done any meaningful work yet. Perhaps you haven’t done much paid work yet, but you’ve certainly done work that will help you prepare for the next steps in your career. Focus on the accomplishments within your coursework, internships, volunteer positions and leadership roles on campus.
4. I achieved things as part of a team. I can’t take credit for the whole project. Agreed. You should never embellish or take full credit where it is not due. However, you can say that as part of a team—as co-producer, co-author, etc.—you accomplished something and write about the overall impact of the project you were part of.
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