Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Ive applied for many jobs without getting a single interview. What am I doing wrong
I've applied for many jobs without getting a single interview. What am I doing wrong I've applied for many jobs without getting a single interview. What am I doing wrong My guess is youâre making the same mistake most people do: youâre making your resume about you instead of about the reader!Shock is the reaction I usually get when I say, âYour resume is not about you.â Hereâs what I mean:A few weeks ago, I was working with two different people to help them polish up their resumes. One was a client seeking a pay raise and promotion.The other was one looking for a new job following a downsize.Resumes for both clients had the same common mistake: they were void of any results or accomplishments from their past jobs or positions.This is a HUGE mistake because thatâs the one thing people reviewing resumes are looking for the most!When I first suggested to each client we add in some results of their past work so their resume doesnât read like a generic job ad, one said, âI was just there to do a good job, I wasnât seeking any kind of glory.âWhile this is a wonderfully humble approach to good work, job seekers have to understand that in cluding accomplishments on their resume is not about them.The moment you say, âI donât want/like to brag,â is the moment youâve made it all about you.Resume truth: Itâs about them!Including results of your past work on your resume and talking about those results in an interview or a performance review IS NOT ABOUT YOU!Itâs about what you can do for the companyâs bottom line, which is all the hiring manager really cares about (typically and mostly).Your resume should always speak to your audienceâs pain points by showing how you can solve their problem. The way you show this is including the results and accomplishments youâve had when solving similar problems in your previous jobs.The reader knows that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Theyâll want to learn more about you if you can show how youâve excelled in the past in problem solving.But you have to speak their language.And you must connect the dots between your past experience and your audienceâs current needs.How to make it all about themIn order to do this, you must know something about your audience. This is why you must research the company youâre applying to. This is also why you canât rely on one blanket resume for each job.Itâs important to really analyze the job ad to figure out what they need from the new person in that role.Start by looking at what are the top 3â"5 skills listed in the requirements for the job. Can you think of a specific time when youâve demonstrated each skill? What was the result? Can you quantify the result? How did it impact the companyâs bottom line? Did it increase profit or revenue? By how much? Did it decrease spending? By what percentage? Did it save man hours? How does that translate to dollars saved? Did it increase customer satisfaction or decrease customer complaints? By what percentage? Did it make processes more efficient? How much time did this save? Did it boost staff morale? How much did productivity increase with this boost? By showing the byproducts of your good work, the hiring manager can infer that you can and will produce similar results for them.Not sharing those results will leave the manager wondering if youâll be a productive and valuable addition to the payroll. Donât leave your audience in the dark!The result of including resultsDefining your results and being able to articulate them tactfully is one of the biggest challenges of a job search or promotion negotiation, but there is help.I work in depth with my clients on how to properly word their results and accomplishments for both their resumes and their responses to interview questions.By doing this, my clients gain a better understanding of their skillset and greater confidence in their net worth, resulting in successful salary negotiations, higher salary offers, and better promotions.Lori Bumgarner is the owner of paNASH, a passion and career coaching service, and a certified life coach and certified transformational coach. She has ove r 15 years of experience as a career adviser.This article first appeared on Quora.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.