3 Qualities You Need To Convey On Your Resume

Robotically laying out your skills and experience in a word document is slowly becoming ineffective. Nowadays technical requirements & skills are in abundance; what company’s are missing are the right players for their team.

Think about that one co-worker you had. You know the one. How the heck did he get hired? You and he held the same position but he always somehow managed to get away with doing less. Sad thing is if you are using a conventional resume, if you both have spent the same amount of time in your positions then employers will look at you two the same based off your resume.

Pretty scary, right? You can’t tell much about a person from a resume, employers are constantly looking for qualities for that can’t be conveyed by a conventional resume. You can give yourself a chance to stand out by beefing up your resume with the right type of information.

This article will go over 3 crucial points you need to convey in your resume and how to lay them out on your resume.

Career/personal logic

Employers want to know how you think. They want to get a sense of how you move to see if you would be a good fit for their team. They want to understand what motivates you. Through this they are able to get a clearer picture of how you got to be where you are.

To show them this focus on create a strong summary for your resume. Focus on the “why” behind your decisions. This “why” will probably be along the lines of a personal quality. Your summary should be organized, clear and concise; it should reflect the qualities that you want to be known for.

Decision making

Employers want to know how you arrive at the decisions you make. As previously mentioned they want to know how you think – from this they can tell how you might react to situations you may encounter on the job. Employers only want a certain type of person working for them. They will not waste their time with people who they feel don’t fit their mold.

On your resume it’s important to show off the transitions in your career life. For example if you were recommended to a new job (or promotion) by someone you need to highlight this co-sign. If you can be clear on the reasons behind your moves between positions (be it volunteer, school, work) you can get employers to feel that they understand you and are better able to see you for what you are.

Capitalize on this by using bullet points in your resume to your advantage. For example after listing your skills and responsibilities for a job that you quit/fired – use a detailed bullet point to include a reason about your departure.

This reason should cover where you were when you started with the company, what you learned during your time there and where you moved to.  Then show how all this  culminates in you moving on towards a new position. Try and keep the points short. You shouldn’t need anymore than 2 bullets explaining your departure.

What are you like to work with?

Employers also want to get a sense of what you would be like to work with – how you would fit in the team. All successful companies employ people that work together in harmony. They also hire based off this principle.

Show what type of employee you are by lacing your resume with action words. Show that you are a “do-er”. Enthusiasm is always a welcome quality when joining any new time. In these action words also show that you welcome & enjoy change.   The better you handle change, the easier transition into a new position will be.

Focus on conveying the type of person you are in your summary. As said above focus on the adjective that describe your work ethic. Show employers what you bring to the table personally in your summary, your resume will cover the technical.

A good resume balances both the technical and personal attributes that make a exceptional employee.

Combine these tips with research that you do on potential employers – catch them off guard by aligning yourself and your resume exactly with their needs and wants.

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One Response

  1. fernando lagonera September 26, 2014

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