Gauri Chhabra
The good old resume that was as wordy as it could be- is long dead. Yet, almost every new admission and job search starts with a resume. Some resumes make you yawn at the way they seem to be so similar. Imagine if your job required you to read other people’s resumes all day long? You’d go out of your mind. Well, mine is, and I tell you it is a cumbersome process to walk through stuff that is as dry as a toast. At times I think- “It would be fun reading resumes if people wrote interesting things about themselves, but almost all of us have been trained since childhood not to do that”.
We write our resumes in a horrible zombie (we call it corporate) language, instead. We write our resumes as though the goal of a resume is to sound exactly like every other job-seeker on earth!
So, what makes your resume stand out- what is it that prevents it from going into the black hole- never to return? That is- the art of telling a story.
Yes, your resume should tell a story. It should weave a spellbinding narrative that is so compelling and relevant that it propels you ahead of your competition and guarantees you an interview for the jobs you most desire. That is the power that storytelling can have when applied strategically to your resume.
Now let’s be clear: It is not a suggestion about weaving a fictional story into your resume. Rather, I’m suggesting bringing yourself alive on paper by telling your authentic, branded story in a way that creates a connection with your reader, makes you memorable and intriguing, adds credibility to your accomplishments, and evokes a desire in your reader to meet you.
How can you transform your resume in this way?
Some guidelines to follow:
Think about your story:
We all have a story to tell. Before, you put it in words, identify the common threads in the things you have done till now. Something that defines you as ‘you’. These common threads inform your overall value proposition and provide you with the material you need to craft a compelling summary section to begin your resume. Your summary section provides an intriguing hint and high-level overview of what is to come in the rest of the resume. It helps to frame the conversation, reveal your brand, and set the tone and focus for the rest of the resume. In other words, it is your professional summary.
Begin it well… Looking for a job isn’t about being appealing to every single employer. Don’t be afraid of ”pigeonholing” yourself. When you focus, you draw in opportunities that are appealing while repelling those that are not. Be clear about what you want and what you don’t want: the type and level of job, the industries that interest you, the size of the company and company culture, among other factors that are important to you. Now put yourself in the mind of that “ideal” employer. What are their most pressing concerns, problems and challenges? Keep these in mind as your write.
Beef it up:
The most obvious character in your resume story is you, but other characters may be your boss, your co-workers, customers or employees. The setting for your story may be the company or organization you worked for, or it could also be a division, department, a region or territory, even a team you worked on. The plot for your story is the storyline that wraps it all together. There are a number of ways you can structure this, but most often the plot of a resume story follows one of the patterns like Monster Slaying where all the odds are against you, but you pulled out all the stops, solved the problem, and achieved great things regardless of the obstacles. Or the quest- a journey, often involving working with others to achieve some major goal while overcoming a series of challenges along the way Or Rags to Riches- how you grew and went up the ladder Or Rebirth- a story of turnaround or transformation from one career to another or coming back after a gap year.
Think of a story, and beef it up…
Numbers matter:
What were the results that you produced? What did you increase? Improve? Enhance? Strengthen? Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments. Employers like numbers. Think in terms of your individual results, but also think in terms of overall strategic impact. How did all of these results together solve the big picture problem and overcome the conflict?
Tell your story concisely:
The goal is to tell your story concisely. Get to the point using plain, simple and direct language free of clichés and fancy prose. Resume stories do not need to be long. They need to be relevant and engaging. Use bullet points and key words. Today, most of the resumes are tracked by the ATS- Application Tracking System using buzz words and key phrases are imperative. “Use some of the same words and phrases that appear in the job posting in your résumé “The computer will then recognize them and move your résumé toward the top of the pile because you will be a match. But don’t just cut and paste the job posting into your résumé or cover letter. If the computer doesn’t catch it, the hiring manager definitely will, and it could hurt your chances of moving forward with an interview.
Market your story:
Once you built your resume, make sure it is seen by people. The best way to make sure your résumé seen is by networking into the company. Let your networking contact know that you have applied for a position, and ask that person if he or she would send your résumé to the H.R. department with an endorsement of you as a candidate. Another way is to try to determine who the hiring manager is and send a résumé directly to that person, with a letter asking for an informational interview.
Cut the crap:
Resume is not only about telling a story but a story well presented. If you have the usual sugar and spice, you are just knitting another story- a story that makes the reader sleep. Avoid those yawn inducing phrases like Results-oriented professional, Bottom-line orientation, Cross-functional teams, Strong work ethic, Met or exceeded expectations, Proven track record of success, Team player and ‘Y- A – W-N’ other such dead phrases. For instance, Superior Communication skills is another awful, done-to-death resume staple but the phrase also makes no sense. Anyone who really has excellent communication skills wouldn’t talk about their skills – they’d use those communication skills to communicate with the employer, right in the resume!
Cut out the old dusty and empty resume fillers. Leave it out. Tell a story about yourself, instead!
Summing up:
Remember, your resume isn’t about you. It isn’t about how great you are. It isn’t about bragging and it isn’t about your ego. Storytelling can help you transform a resume that may otherwise be perceived as such by removing the emphasis on self-promotion to engage the reader with a credible, engaging narrative that shows exactly how the skills you bring to the table can be of service.
The old resume rules are changing fast, just to complicate your resume-writing or resume-updating task even more. Instead of a dusty and lifeless document that puts the other person to sleep, go ahead and tell a story about yourself.
The wordy resume is dead- long live the resume that weaves a story…
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