For Those of You That Lack Accomplishments
I hear it all the time -
“I know I’m supposed to put results or accomplishments on my resume, but I don’t have any!”
“I have very little authority over what I do at my office. I do my work as I’m told. I have no outstanding results.”
If either of the above statements were true, the individuals who made them would have been out of a job long ago.
Employers don’t keep staff on because it’s the nice thing to do. They retain staff that produce, that help the company to grow – or at the very least, to survive.
When I speak to an individual who claims to have no accomplishments, I ask – “If you were to quit your job today, how many employees would your company need to hire to replace you?”
Invariably, the answer is two or more.
Guess what? That’s an accomplishment. By taking over the duties of others, by wearing many hats, by being available for special projects and completing them in a timely manner, you’ve racked up an achievement. What’s more, you’re saving your employer the extra salary s/he would have to pay for that second or third employee.
That most certainly is an accomplishment.
Don’t sell yourself short. Think of the extra projects you’ve done at work and the additional duties you took on when others were laid off. Determine how much you saved your company by being available for these tasks. Give that effort a dollar figure.
When you do, you have your first accomplishment that you’ll be putting on your resume.
How serious are you about getting a job?
It seems as if every night on the news another laid off worker explains how difficult it is to get a new job or as little as an interview in a stagnant employment market. Many say that they send out dozens of resumes on a weekly, perhaps even a daily, basis.
All are increasingly frustrated and want to know when there will be hope…at the very least, an interview.
Becoming frustrated or being scared and hopeless won’t get you that new job. Nor will sending out dozens of resumes every day unless those documents speak to what an employer wants.
To get a job in this economy you have to be serious…you have to make your job search your full time position.
Following these steps helps:
1. Target every resume and cover letter you send out to the specific job posting you’re interested in. Don’t write a one-size-fits-all resume/cover letter (there is no such thing), then send it out and spend the rest of the day texting or in front of the TV waiting for the calls to come in. They won’t. Tailor your background to each employer’s needs. Your opening summary should make you seem like the ideal candidate for that position.
2. Network, network, network. Invite former colleagues for coffee or lunch. Phone peers you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Let them know you’re looking. Let them know you’re interested. They may just tell you about a job opportunity that hasn’t been advertised. They may put in a good word for you.
3. Brush up on your skills or learn new ones to become more valuable to an employer. Community colleges have scores of courses that will hone your technical and business skills. They may also know of local job openings that aren’t advertised.
4. Be realistic. You may have to start at a lower level and/or at a lower salary than what you’ve known in the past. Although it’s humbling, it could also be the beginning of better times. Prove yourself to the new employer and you will get raises and promotions.
The idea is to think of your job search from the employer’s point of view. Make them notice you, make them want to interview you. Be all that you can be for them. It will pay off with interviews and job offers.
What Can I Do for You?
Those are the words that should be in your mind the moment you start looking for your first job or a new one.
As the hiring manager of ResumeEdge.com, all too often I get cover letters that tell me how desperate the authors are for a position at the company. How they need the money. That they’ve been unemployed for months or years and they must get back to work.
While I sympathize, those cover letters and the applicants’ resumes are telling me what they want, not what I need to read.
What can they do for my company?
That’s what hiring managers want to know when they open a cover letter and resume. How you’re going to help grow their company and help it to succeed. How you’ll make their job easier because you’re exactly the type of employee they seek.
You don’t convey that message by detailing why you need the job. You do it by showcasing your skills, knowledge and abilities as they relate to the position – not just any position, mind you, but the position for which you’re applying.
Hiring managers, myself included, don’t have time to peruse every line of a resume trying to figure out if an applicant is a good fit with the company. That’s what candidates are supposed to do, dovetailing their strengths to an employer’s needs.
Sound one sided? It is. And rightfully so. Employers aren’t obligated to hire anyone simply because that individual has a mortgage and a family. Employers need to keep their businesses running and thriving so they – and their current employees – remain employed.
Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking sympathy for your out-of-work status will gain you an interview. It won’t. Only your skills, as they pertain to the job opening, will get your resume a thorough review.
After all, you don’t buy a product because you feel sorry for the company selling it or because you feel obligated to make them succeed. You buy the product because it fits a need you have.
Employers are no different. In the job market, you’re the product and they’ll choose you if you meet the requirements they have. If not, nothing you write in a cover letter, no matter how dramatic or personal, will change their minds.
Focus on your skills, knowledge and abilities. Present yourself as the perfect candidate for the job. That’s when the calls for interviews will start coming in.
ResumeEdge Careerslingshot Expert in the News
Nina Freier, Director, Talent Acquisition & Recruitment at Nelnet and the Director of ResumeEdge.com has recently been featured on local and national news programs, providing free tips to viewers on resume writing, job interview coaching and general job search.
You can catch Nina’s interviews at these links:
http://www.careerslingshot.com/your_experts/freier_video.php (Good Day Colorado)
http://www.careerslingshot.com/your_experts/freier_video_2.php (Daybreak)
Nina brings 16 years of expertise in human capital management and organizational development to her role as Director for ResumeEdge. She has provided both tactical and strategic direction to enterprise-wide change programs and talent acquisition initiatives across several North American industries, ranging from large-scale recruitment projects to planning and executing change efforts due economic growth and contraction. Nina’s particular strengths include candidate assessment, associate engagement, employee relations and employee learning/development.
Nina is a Global Human Resources Professional (GPHR) and a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and a diploma in Management Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. She is certified in both the Predictive Index (PI) and the William Bridges Three-Phase Transition model, and has extensive experience with behavioral based interviewing.
