Successfully Showed Up

I read a lot of resumes that are nothing more than copies of the job descriptions the employers wrote. The basic responsibilities from a job description do not demonstrate any ability or skill. One resume I read recently was especially bad.

The resume had a litany of basic responsibilities that did nothing to sell the job seeker’s potential. One bullet that really stood out for me was:

Attended staff meetings

A staff meeting is a meeting where all the staff get together. Attending requires moving from one’s desk to the conference room. This is barely a step up from “showed up to work.”

There are two reasons I can think of why a job seeker would list something like this. First, the job seeker may have copied the job description and was too lazy to edit it. Second, the job seeker may have added this bullet in order to fill space and make his resume look more hefty. In either case, the bullet makes a terrible impression.

When writing your resume, focus on giving reasons why you are valuable. The key question you need to answer is:

How are you better than others doing exactly the same job as you?

If you do not give a reason why you are more valuable than your competition, you will not get hired. The job market is competitive enough to guarantee that someone applying for the same job as you will develop a resume highlighting their skills, accomplishments and potential value.

Does your resume show specifically the attributes that make you valuable? Do you show how you have used these abilities in the past with concrete examples of what you have done?  Do you provide specific results you delivered? Does your resume show the value you will provide an employer?

If you are having trouble identifying how you stand out from your competition, talk with a resume writer or career coach. These individuals are a experts in assessing job seekers and identifying the strengths that can be marketed.