As an executive recruiter, most of the resumes I read daily are from executives in the professional services and government contracting industries. My volunteer work and other referrals expose me to resumes of people at various levels, from recent college graduates and new master’s degree recipients to people in occupations I don’t typically focus on. The most common weakness I’ve noticed (after 20 years and more than 20,000 resumes) is how frequently resumes are filled with blurbs that don’t lead to a particular point.
Most of you know that effective resumes are usually laid out in bullet points. But what’s the point? The purpose of using bullet points is to draw the reader’s attention to the blurb. However, if the blurb has no clear point, you may have lost your reader’s attention. The point of the resume is not to TELL your audience all about you. It’s to make them CARE about what you can do for them. To make them care, there must be a point to the information shared, and it must connect to something they care about.
Most of the 20,000 resumes I’ve read describe seasoned executives, results-oriented leaders, effective communicators, and dynamic leaders with financial acumen who build great teams, lead with the highest ethical standards and operate with integrity. Those are all great qualities to find in an executive. The problem is they are not distinguishing features because everyone says them.
The point of your bullet points should be to differentiate you from other seasoned executives, results-oriented leaders, effective communicators, and dynamic leaders with financial acumen who build great teams and lead with the highest ethical standards and operate with integrity. Even if you are not yet at the executive level, you must distinguish yourself, your capabilities, your experiences, and your aptitude from other candidates.
Here are three thoughts on how to use bullet points to convey your most pertinent points.
1. You Did What?
The first part of a well-constructed bullet point states what you did. Jobs exist because someone values the result of the work done. What were you hired to do? Why did your company want to pay someone to do that? What does your employer value about that job being done?
Every job has three main elements that take at least half of your work time to accomplish. Think about the main elements of your job, particularly the ones most connected to what you want to do in your next job. Use concise and precise terms. Try to avoid overusing jargon or industry buzz words. Make sure your point can be understood by non-experts in your field (such as recruiters, human resources or other gatekeepers.)
Avoid beginning bullet points with the words “Responsible for.” Stating responsibilities does not describe how well you handled the responsibility. Describing how well you did your job is how you differentiate yourself. It’s the whole point of the bullet point.
Begin with an action verb. Sold, delivered, analyzed, advised, decided, directed, completed, served, strategized, conveyed, convinced, built, designed, invented, grew, advanced, improved…you get the point.
2. Why Did You Do That?
The next part of a strong bullet point tells why your work mattered. What was the objective or desired effect? The fundamental point of most jobs is to satisfy customers and make money. Even at a non-profit, the point is to advance the organization’s mission while being a good custodian of its money.
Many resumes recount a list of tasks or responsibilities but fail to tie them to an objective. Why was your work important to the organization? From the garage attendant to the custodian to the receptionist to the accountant to the salesperson to the CEO, every job adds value. No company consciously pays people to do jobs that provide no value. What have you been asked (or tasked) to deliver? What’s the expected impact of your work?
Who else benefits from your work? Do you support customers and clients? A team? A more senior executive? A business unit? Whether you lead the team or are a member of the team, your work supports and benefits others.
At least one of your bullet points should also describe how your boss benefited from your work. Whether you report to the CEO, the Board of Directors or a line manager, you want to show why they value your work. You will be hired by another boss, who is looking for someone to solve problems, deliver results, and make their own job easier.
3. What Was the Value?
What is the measure of the value of your work? Ideally, the value can be measured with dollars, as we keep score with money in this game called business. There are five basic ways to think about how to measure the impact of your work.
- Increase revenue
- Increase profitability
- Decrease costs
- Avoid costs
- Save time
Passive statements like ‘responsible for client engagement’ don’t prove that you handled the responsibility effectively. The point is to provide information that not only describes your job, but proves that you performed it well. Measuring your value using a financial metric shows your company got a return on investing in you.
- Reorganized client engagement process, assigned primary and secondary points of contact eliminating client confusion over who to call, decreased average response time from one hour to 10 minutes which improved client satisfaction and doubled services contract renewals from 40% to 80%, increasing revenue by $1 million annually.
What do employers want? They want to hire competent people who will deliver good results consistently. And they want to know how they can predict that about you. The best indicator of future success is past performance.
I got my first job at Hardee’s when I was fifteen years old. In my interview, the manager only asked me one question. He asked me how often I was late for school. I said, “Never.” He said, “You’re hired. You start Friday. Don’t be late.” All he needed to know was that he could count on me to show up for shifts on time. He would teach me the rest.
Your resume is not merely a recitation of your past job responsibilities. It’s a window into your future. Let employers know exactly what kind of performance they can count on from you by showing the value of your past work. Get to the point!
Cheryl Bedard represents the best interests of candidates and clients. She identifies opportunities for success for talented executives and companies and reconciles hopes and dreams with reality. Visit Cheryl’s LinkedIn Profile to review past articles or contact her at cbedard@tmg-dc.com to receive both volumes of her ebook, Three Thoughts On.
