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WRITING ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTED RESUMES

Any company will hire any employee if they feel that employee will add value to their business. So, the core of a strong resume is this: proof that you have made an impact on previous employers.

In my practice as a professional resume writer, I constantly meet people who have made a great impact on the companies they worked for, but just didnıt see it that way. Itıs common for people to say ³that was just part of my job.² But, a resume without accomplishments is not going to help you blow their socks off. If your resume simply lists responsibilities, what have you really told an employer. Responsibilities are simply things that you were supposed to do. They donıt tell the employer anything about what you did do.

Most of us are so busy doing that itıs hard to step back and see what we have accomplished. Once we start talking, they are amazed at what comes out in conversation. And I donıt mean people who found a cure for cancer Š these people are from all walks of life and all levels ­ from CEOs to clerical workers. Here are some of the more recent examples:

Programmer for animation studio

• Developed tool to enable modelers to diagnose and correct modeling problems before rigging. Prior to development of this tool, modeling problems were only identified during animation, resulting in expensive charge-backs and loss of productivity.

Event Planner ­ not-for-profit

• Conceived, managed and publicized regional Earth Day partnership with Whole Foods Market which resulted in record breaking sales and extensive media coverage, including The New York Times and WABC. As a result the two organizations formed an ongoing national partnership.

HR Manager

• Negotiated a renewal of health benefits at 10% below nationwide average increase while enhancing employee benefits.

Product Development Executive

• Redefined product strategy and production processes for (company name withheld) resulting in a 40% increase in revenue over a two year period, from $140M to $200M annually.

Executive Assistant

You can see that that achievements vary depending on the seniority and length of experience but all address a frequent problem experienced by the hiring managers in that industry/profession.

To come up with your own stories, ask yourself: what have I done to make things better for my employers? Write out the story. Start with the problem, then describe your action and the result. For example, a recent client was looking to stay in retail customer service with a major retail chain. We talked about her past experience and I asked her to describe a problem she had solved.

Client: ³The customer service desk was horribly disorganized which meant that customers had to wait on line while staff hunted for the information they needed.²

I asked what she did to fix this: (Action)

Client: ³I stayed late every night for a week after the store was closed and reorganized everything. Then I conducted a training session for the customer service team so that everyone knew where to find what they needed.²

What was the result?

Client: ³Lines were much shorter and we won the companyıs customer service award 2 quarters in a row. Our mystery shopper ratings went up significantly.²

I summarized her story using the problem-action-result formula:

• Turned around ineffective customer service department by reorganizing customer service desk and training all associates. Result: Mystery shopper ratings improved by 75% within two months.

By telling this story, my client showed that she has problem solving skills, takes the initiative and really cares about excellence in customer service ­ which is a critical concern of retail hiring managers.

To create high-impact stories, think back over each position you have held and the things you did to help your employer. Describe the initial situation, what you did to fix the problem and the result of your efforts. Then summarize your story into no more than two or three lines.

By filling your resume with stories of Problem-Action-Result achievements, you will do more than attract the managerıs attention to your resume. You will also provide her with a source of interview questions. She can ask you about each story you told and if she doesnıt, you can use them anyway as you answer her questions. So, the work you do on creating compelling stories for your resume is also preparation for acing your job interviews.

Louise Fletcher is President and Co-Founder of Blue Sky Resumes, which provides job search assistance, resume writing services and online portfolios. To find out whether your resume is working for you, contact a Blue Sky resume writer today.

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