Resumes - How to Standout As a Superstar and Get the Interview

Posted on November 18, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

Most superstar candidates cheat themselves out of the interview because they write their resume as if they were a regular employee. Their unique abilities to work closely with others and solve problems are never mentioned. These abilities are called “soft-skills” and employers love them.

This can happen for a number of reasons. Most often, it’s because writing about what you did is hard enough. Writing about how you did your job can seem nearly impossible. Some completely overlook the fact that soft-skills are important to employers. Others make the huge mistake of waiting until the interview to make any mention their soft-skills.

Candidates lose job opportunities when they write strictly about what they did, rather than how they did it, failing to mention their soft-skills.

Don’t cheat yourself. Incorporate these skills into your resume, and drastically improve your chances of landing the job you want:

1. First show that you have the core skills for the job. The core skills, also known as “hard-skills” are the first thing employers look for, so put them right at the top of the first page in the Career Summary or Core Qualifications section of your resume.

2. Communications skills. How well can you convey difficult or complicated ideas? Have you written a new employee manual, or become the go-to person for questions? If so, then you’re a person that can make things happen faster. Every employer wants that right now.

3. Teamwork. Do you pitch-in to help others when they are struggling and the project deadline is fast approaching? Do you take the time to really understand the full scope of a project and become a resource for other people? Yes? Then stress your personal reliability, and the fact that management can rely on you to get the job done.

4. Management. You don’t need to give performance reviews and raises, in order to demonstrate management skills. Do you manage a “virtual team” with members drawn different groups or departments? Do you have responsibility for a key process or deliverable? Let them know that you’re a person that can bring people together and coordinate large, complicated projects all the way through to completion.

5. Leadership. Do you make suggestions about how to do the job faster and better? If so, you are a leader. Highlight the suggestions that were implemented, and the improved results. Were the customers, team members, or managers happier? Why? Highlight just one example of an improvement that you made and you’re a leader.

6. Problem Solving. Do you research, analyze, and solve problems at work? Managers face a lot of problems, and they love to hire people that can help solve them, especially problems that happen repeatedly.

Ready to learn more about how to get more interviews for each resume you send out?

Download my FREE 12-page report, “Anatomy of a Perfect Resume,” at http://www.magneticresume.com so you can learn:

The 4 most common deadly mistakes that people make and how to fix them! How to create the perfect Career Objective & Career Summary sections How to maximize your resume so you’re the candidate your next boss wants to meet! Scott Shane Holt has seen it all while hiring over 100 people on Wall Street, in good times and bad, and as an executive coach helping managers and other professionals accelerate their careers.

© %FIRST Vick - visit the resume help area for more great content.

Comments

Leave a Comment

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Comments