Mary Elizabeth Bradford asked:


ask my clients to give me success stories of their various career achievements I often hear the following comments:

I can’t really quantify my successes

It’s just my job

I don’t think of myself in that way

I can’t recall accomplishments “like that”

It’s really hard for me to give you that information

Can you relate? Its okay first of all – you see, you are not alone!

But I will let you in on a secret: there is a simple trick to recalling and creating your accomplishments and once you master this little technique you too can create “jaw-dropping” accomplishments that will have potential employers really excited to talk with you!

So here are several tips to get you started:

Tip #1: Key Word Your Strengths

Start with a blank sheet of paper. Now begin to brainstorm on all the things you love to do the best. Just have fun with it.

If you are feeling stuck take a break for a day (which gives your subconscious mind a chance to bring these thoughts to the surface). These are the things you love to do and they are usually connected to those skills and functions you are doing when you are really doing your best work.

Tip #2 How to Turn Your Strengths into Stories

Now look at your list and for each keyword ask yourself “why do I feel this way?” For example maybe you wrote “Motivating” as one of your strengths.

Asking yourself “why do I feel I am motivating?” will trigger your memory of an event you are connecting that determined strength to.

Maybe it was the time you motivated your boss to let you take on a project that generated a certain amount of revenue for your company or perhaps you motivated a national sales team with incentives that increased the companies client base.

Tip #3: Write a Simple Template for Each Story

Your template is really easy and it goes like this:

Problem:

What I Did:

The Result:

A key here is not to make this complicated at all! Keep your answers short (think of how products are marketed…less definitely increases your impact!)

Bonus Tip:

Don’t be tempted to fall into the trap of thinking your successes aren’t important enough to write down or share! This is a common trap you definitely want to avoid. If it shows off your strengths is generally worthy of sharing.

It’s hard to be objective about our successes because of our internal rationale that “oh, that’s just what I do” or “anybody could do it really.”

If you catch yourself thinking this way then know you are devaluing the unique and honorable skills and strengths you bring to the table.

Give your aptitudes their due and you will find as you grow confident in communicating them – it can and will result in more interest and bigger offers from potential employers!

Would you like to learn how to quickly and easily get more interviews, shorten your job search and increase your salary? Check out my website:

Jennifer Anthony — Nationally Published Resume Expert & Career Strategist asked:


How many times has this happened? You see that perfect position so you put together a resume and send it off with the hopes of getting a call back for an interview. You wait and wait but no one calls so you scratch your head and wonder what you could have done better. Your well-intentioned friends or family members may try to convince you to believe that the position was already filled or that the company hired internally. Although these scenarios are viable possibilities, it’s more likely that your resume simply does not reflect what employers want.

So how do you get more calls for interviews?

You have to understand what hiring managers want to find in your resume.

Simply put, they want to find the best candidate with the qualifications and required skill-set for the job.

If you need an electrician to do some work in your house, you won’t pick up the yellow pages and blindly flip through the pages until you find someone who might be qualified. You are more likely to go straight to the “E” section and look up electrical contractors. Then you might narrow it down by using criteria that are important to you (e.g. licensure, years of experience, cost, availability, etc.) Basically, you have a need and you want it fulfilled.

Likewise, while writing your resume you should keep in mind the hiring manager’s main goal: to fill a need. It seems simple, but so many jobseekers seem to make the same mistake by using resumes that are generic without a clear direction or goal. It is extremely important to target your resume to the position you are applying for.

Some Tips for Targeting Your Resume

First, throw out that old objective statement and replace it with a headline followed by a skills summary or a profile.

Here is an example headline and profile for a sales and marketing manager:

—–

EXPERIENCED SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

Results-delivering senior sales and marketing manager with an exemplary record of leading organizations to exceed plan year over year. Currently lead $50M sales team for multiple product lines as a Regional Sales Manager for [Company Name]. Adept in developing and executing strategies that increase market share and generate record-breaking sales. Strong relationship-building skills, known for securing crucial partnerships with…

—–

As you can see, it is unmistakable what this jobseeker is looking for and what unique qualifications he or she has to offer a potential employer.

Once you get that part of your resume under control, make sure you are using industry keyword phrases throughout your resume.

Caution: Don’t go overboard with keywords because you may give the impression that you are fluffing your resume or “keyword stuffing” if you over do it.

Here are some example keyword phrases for the same sales and marketing manager:

client relationship management strategic alliance building negotiations and deal structuring customer acquisition marketing strategies key account management and retention P&L management brand development and management collateral design and development

Tip: A good method to find your own keywords for your industry is to take them right out of the job ads. Go to indeed.com and type in the kind of job you are looking for and check out several ads. Write down they key phrases that repeatedly appear.

Once you learn to write your resume around what employers want, you will significantly improve your odds at getting a called for interviews.