How to Write a Showcase Resume
WORTHWHILE NOTE: Writing a Showcase Resume is most effective when you first do some personal career exploration so you know that you are indeed pursuing your dream career. Your passion for the industry or job should show in your resume.
Imagine attempting to review hundreds of resumes in search of the perfect person for a new position. Even if you were resolved to find the best future employee, you would not have time to read every word. More than likely, you would scan the document, especially the experience section. If nothing captivated you, you would move on to the next candidate. This is the routine of hiring managers who sort through the applications they receive. So, if you want to generate interest, make your qualifications POP with these tips and tricks:
Use actionable, industry specific language that contributes to your personal brand.
Distinguish your resume headings by relating your background to the position you are seeking.
For example, you will grab the attention of your readers when they skim your resume by using the header “Marketing & Sales Experience” instead of just “Work History.”
Do not limit your experience to paid employment. Relevant experience may come from part-time jobs, internships, service-learning, volunteer work, class projects, jobs, military experience, clubs/student organizations, memberships, leadership experiences and other activities. Use strong action verbs. A specific title brings more credibility to a position rather than a generic title, such as “Intern.” Possible generic titles to consider include Aide, Assistant, Associate, Coordinator, Facilitator and Specialist. Emphasize only the skills that are relevant. You have innumerable skills and cannot include them all. Review the position description to identify the attributes they desire. Does all of the content on your resume relate to the position you are seeking? If you will not be performing the tasks you highlighted in this future role, eliminate it. Otherwise, your readers will need to search for your key qualifications. The example below illustrates this concept.
Content Specific Skill to Eliminate: Made sandwiches for customers.
Transferable Skill: Built rapport quickly with customers and worked in a fast-paced environment that required me to collaborate with my colleagues.
Include buzz words or keywords. Showcase your competency by using the terminology of your industry. Visit the organization’s website, Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. Identify popular terminology in your field by reviewing the information published by professional associations, textbooks or journals. Transcend personal adjectives. Anyone can say they are hard working. Prove it. Showing is always better than telling.
Example: During my internship evaluation, my supervisor complimented me on my attention to detail, positive attitude, and work ethic.
Distinguish yourself. In addition to the results of your activities and skills, what other unique attributes do you offer an organization? What have you done better than others? What awards or honors have you received? What leadership positions have you held? How have you improved the organizations with which you have been involved? When have you taken initiative, exceeded the call of duty or assumed more responsibility?
Example: Earned distinction through Dean’s list recognition and by securing highly sought after faculty-selected teaching assistant position.
Be specific. Replace vague words such as "assisted," "responsible for" and "helped" with words that produce powerful imagery like "developed," "researched" or "created."
Before: Assisted with after-school tutoring program.
After: Contributed to a 15 percent increase in the retention of at-risk students by marketing an after-school program to parents and launching a new tutoring program.or
Example: Produced the highest customer satisfaction rating of the year with my Verizon sales team by providing personalized follow-up and service.
Use numbers. Don’t simply pluralize your accomplishments.
Before: Trained new employees.
After: Authored a 195-page new employee handbook that was used corporation-wide to train more than 250 staff.
2. Address the organization’s needs.
Most applicants only list their activities. Take it a step further by outlining the value and benefit that these tasks provide to the organization. Demonstrate your ability to make money, solve problems, save time, build relationships, and provide quality service.
Example: Reorganized filing system in work study position, resulting in substantially improved efficiency and database management within our office.
Connect your activities to their desired skills. Do the work for your readers. Do not expect them to infer your qualifications from a list of activities. Draw out the skill that these tasks demonstrate.
Example: Exhibited strong work ethic, organization and time management skills by successfully managing co-curricular leadership positions, part-time employment and a rigorous course load.
3. Make It Visual, Organized, and One Page.
You should, use color, personal branding, and design elements to set yourself apart. These design elements should assist you in organizing your resume so that a hiring manager can quickly identify three critical sections: Experience, Skills, & Knowledge. Styling, such as bolding, horizontal lines, tabbing or tables will improve the readability and make your information pop. If more than three sentences are listed beneath each position, use bullets to help your readers skim the document. It is difficult to stick to a one page resume but it is appreciated by hiring managers and should force you to be as concise as possible. Eliminate grammatical errors. Your resume is a writing sample. Carefully proof it to avoid the impression that you are lazy or inattentive to details. Open or close with your strongest point. Lead with your strongest content. Your reader will skim the bulleted list of statements that are underneath each position and may miss items that are buried in the middle.