Part of what makes writing a resume so challenging is that it’s difficult to separate yourself from the daily grind and see yourself as a hiring manager would. A resume should present you as someone who goes above and beyond, never hesitating to jump in and help out whether or not it’s in your job description.
Your resume should provide a brief snapshot of what you do everyday, with an emphasis on any quantifiable assets like budgets or team size. Following that, launch right in to your accomplishments, results and key contributions. Don’t think you have any accomplishments? Think again! Ask yourself how you’ve improved your organization since you’ve been there. Any answer to that question is an accomplishment. The best way to frame your accomplishments is the lead with the benefit to the organization NOT what you did.
For example, if you created a filing system that eliminated processing delays or implemented a new customer service training program that improved the customer experience, lead with what the benefit was. This is tricky for jobseekers – since you spent so much time creating the training program, that’s what you want to talk about…but remember, this is a resume! A resume is a user-centered document that is designed to tell an employer why they should hire you and what you will do for them.
Plus, this is a great way to incorporate buzz words you find on the company’s website. Are they big on operational excellence? Awesome! This is a perfect opportunity to indicate how you “Demonstrated commitment to operational excellence with the conceptualization and implementation of a (fill in your amazing project/accomplishment here).
Finally, when you’re all done, put the organizational benefit in bold to really make it pop!