Want to know one of the biggest mistakes we see from our clients? Focusing on job responsibilities instead of their own professional accomplishments. It can drastically cut time on resume writing when you copy and paste information from your current job description, right? I mean, how many different ways do you need to try to find how to say something simple like “Answered Phones”?

Let’s think about this from the perspective of a recruiter reviewing 100 resumes for a remote customer service position and assume that every applicant has at least 5 years of customer service experience in some capacity. If you were the recruiter, which of the following candidates would you call first based on their resume bullet points?

Candidate One:

·        Answer phone calls

·        Help customers with questions

·        Escalate issues when necessary

·        Other duties as assigned

Candidate Two:

·        Complete inbound and outbound phone calls from customers

·        Answer customer questions to complete satisfaction

·        Resolve customer issues to maintain satisfaction

·        Support managers with extra projects

Candidate Three:

·        Exceeded KPIs for call volume, effectively handing up to 60 phone calls daily

·        Acknowledged by peers as a Subject Matter Expert on company policies and the ability to quickly identify customer needs and recommend products

·        Received recognition from 16 customers on surveys for going above and beyond to resolve issues

·        Selected by management to participate on a special committee responsible for designing process improvements to enhance customer experiences

Can you see the difference between these three candidates? Candidate one only listed the bare minimum required to describe what they do daily. They did not include anything that allowed them to stand out from their colleagues who held the same position. Candidate two offered more information but wrote bullet points that read like a job description. Candidate three provided examples of how they personally owned their responsibilities and achieved something unique. Who would you hire if you were a hiring manager presented with these three candidates?

When working with clients, we put a huge emphasis on including accomplishment-focused highlights on your resume. Remember, a recruiter or hiring manager wants to see YOUR impact within a role. You should aim to paint a picture of what they can expect you to achieve once you become employed with their organization. In today’s job market, you could be competing against hundreds or thousands of applicants for one position. Our general rule is that if a bullet point reads like something found in a job description, either rewrite it or remove it.

If you need support or additional help when it comes to creating accomplishment-focused points for your resume, we offer a variety of services to meet the needs and budgets of every job seeker.  Send us an email to get started today.