Good Better Best
Never let it rest
Until good becomes better
And better becomes best
I learned that rhyme in first grade from my teacher, Miss White. I think of it often as I work with candidates and clients. In my nineteen year career as a recruiter, no client has ever asked me to find them a good (or average) candidate. No executive has ever asked me to identify a job for them at a good (or average) company. Everyone asks for something better, if not the best.
Better (and the best) companies can describe the mission and vision for the company. They know where they are going and how they intend to get there. Better (and the best) candidates can describe their personal mission. They know how they want to apply their talents. They know what they want to accomplish through their work. They know how to describe their past accomplishments in ways that inspire believe in what they may deliver in the future.
Think of this concept as you construct your resume.
- Good Resumes
Good resumes tell us where you’ve been. Good resumes describe responsibilities. Glancing at a good resume, the reader knows what tasks the candidate has been responsible for. Good resumes describe the employment history and education of the candidate. Good resumes are often interchangeable, meaning the last person to hold a job has a resume that is very similar to the current person holding the job. It can be hard to tell the difference between the worst performer in the position versus the better performer, because their resumes say essentially the same thing. Sample bullet points from good resumes:
- Responsible for financial management and analysis
- Responsible for sales and business development in federal market
- Responsible for recruitment and talent acquisition
- Better Resumes
Better resumes tell us where you are. Better resumes describe accomplishments. After reviewing a better resume, the reader knows what tasks the candidate has completed. Better resumes describe the candidate’s role and indicate some of the impact of the candidate’s work. Better resumes are often written from the perspective of the candidate’s position downward in the organization, but often ignore the impact the candidate has at their peer level and on senior executives. Better resumes help distinguish the better candidate from the good (or average) candidates. Here are the same three sample bullet points as they would read on better resumes:
- Provided financial management and analysis to senior leadership leading to improved profitability
- Leadership of business development team resulting in increased sales in federal market
- Recruited 30 new people to fill important IT support roles
- The Best Resumes
The best resumes describe where you are going, by describing why you matter. The best resumes emphasize your value to the company, its customers, your team, your peers and your boss. The best resumes describe what you did, why it matters, to whom it matters and articulates the monetary value of your accomplishments. The best resumes show how you influence decisions. The best resumes reflect the impact of your work. The best resumes make clear why it matters that you were in the role. The best resumes set you apart. The best resumes remind the reader that you are an above average performer. The best resumes attract and inspire the best bosses and the best companies to want you on their team. Finally, here are the sample bullet points as written on the best resumes:
- Analyzed client travel expenses, made improvements in planning trips, resulting in streamlined travel planning process benefiting executives and administrative assistants, and a 10% decrease in travel expenses, saving $1 million annually
- Refocused efforts of business development team, improved proposal processes, delivered $10 million in new revenue in one year and a $50 million pipeline, allowing executive management team to meet strategic growth goals.
- Revamped recruitment process for IT support staff, reduced time to fill jobs from 40 days to 14 days, and improved IT support response time from 10 hours to 30 minutes resulting in 50% increase in employee satisfaction scores regarding IT support.
Does your good resume identify you as a merely average candidate? Does it compel the best companies to focus on recruiting you? If not, you need to make it better. Does your better resume show a potential employer how you have delivered improved results? If so, you can still make it the best resume. Your best resume will show why investing in your talent is a great option for the best companies. Your demonstrated record for delivering results, especially financially measurable results, will inspire the best companies and the best bosses to compete for you.
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.
