Resume Writers' Secret Revealed

Would you like to learn a secret that professional resume writers use to save time and create compelling resumes? They use a ladder strategy, rather than a parachute approach.
 
Before I explain, let’s take a moment to review the basic anatomy of a resume: The assertions section makes specific claims that you are capable of doing the job while the evidence section provides a record of your accomplishments.
 
The assertions section includes the headline, tagline, and professional profile statement. Place your assertions in the top one-third to one-half of the first page. The evidence section includes your education, certification, professional associations and, of course, your employment history with performance highlights written in bullet points using the PSR format showing the:

• Problems you faced.
• Solutions you enacted.
• Results that directly benefited your employer.

Think of the PSR format as the structure that houses the other writing prompts that you’ve learned such as STAR (situation-task-action-result), CAR (challenge-action-result), or PAR (problem-action-result). 
 
To write your resume like a pro, start from the bottom of your resume and work to the top, saving the headline, tagline, and professional profile for last. Think of it as starting from the bottom rung of your career ladder and climbing up. This is much more effective than taking a parachute approach and writing from the top down for two reasons: The ladder strategy gives you an easier starting point and an overall view of your employment history. 

Here’s a step-by-step plan for writing your first draft using the ladder strategy:
 
1.  List memberships in professional organizations along with dates of membership and any leadership roles you held. Save your document and scroll up.

2.  Above professional organizations, type in your education, certification, and any professional development courses. Save and scroll up.

3.  Next, list your professional experience. Start with your oldest job (typically your first job out of college). Why? With the passage of time, you have gained a better perspective of your contributions to the company.

• List the employer’s name, city, state, your job title, and the dates you held that job title.
• List 2-3 bullet points with your achievements/accomplishments using the PSR (problem-solution-result) format.
• Answer the “so what” question. Why was this achievement important? Remember, brevity is key in writing bullet points.
• Use qualitative and quantitative metrics in your accomplishment statements (each 1-3 lines maximum). Be specific. Let the results of your actions communicate your value. Save your document and scroll up.

4.  Repeat the process scrolling up and working backwards to your most current job where you will expand the description of your scope of responsibility and include 5-7 achievements using the PSR (problem-solution-result) format. It will be easier to write about your current job from the vantage point of having written about your previous jobs.

• Expect to write more about your current role than previous professional roles unless you feel that your current experience is not as relevant to your targeted job as a previous professional role. Then, you may want to group your experience by function (e.g. Strategic Planning, Business Development, Project Management, HR Management, etc.).
• Highlight only those skills that are applicable to your next professional role.
• Omit superfluous information. Keep it concise and to the point. Save and scroll up.

5.  List your top 9-12 professional skills in a three-column table in the top 1/3 of your resume or create a functional listing of specific skills under each job description, or both.

• Remember you are writing for two audiences: computers and humans.
• Newer ATS systems can calculate number of years/months experience in a given skill set mentioned based upon your length of employment. This is an important strategy for sailing past the initial computerized screening.
• Focus on technical skills and hard skills. Avoid or minimize soft skills. Demonstrate soft skills in your accomplishment statements. Save and scroll up.

 
6.  Next, create a professional profile statement. Remember, your profile should be future-focused and position you for the next rung on your career ladder.

• State who you are, what you do, and the value you bring to your next employer. Some questions to ponder: What are the three most important deliverables of the new professional role? How has your experience prepared you to do the new job? What problems do you solve? Once implemented, how do the solutions you provide have a positive impact on the company?
• Only describe experience and skills that are relevant to your next job.
• Limit the use of adjectives. ​Noun-based keywords perform much better both in an applicant tracking system and with recruiters and hiring managers, who screen resumes on a daily basis and tire of reading baseless superlatives.

7.  Write your headline, which includes a targeted professional role in a given industry or with a specific company. Customize this section for each job application.

• New college graduates could write “Applicant for <job title> with <company name>."
• By now, you should have noticed a trend in career achievements that will help you develop your tagline. Hit enter to take you to the next line down. Below the headline, write the tagline. 

8.  For the tagline, write your unique selling proposition, core value proposition statement, or competitive differentiation statement (similar concepts with differing terminology). Answer this question: How do you make a difference in the workplace?

• The tagline is the hook that will grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. It is similar to developing a one-line elevator pitch. State what you do, who you help, and how your actions have a positive impact on the company.
• After the job title headline, start the tagline with a gerund (an “ing” verb):
  “Global Supply Chain Manager – Leveraging technology to achieve operational efficiency” or
  “Customer Service Manager – Creating and implementing business process improvements to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.” You get the idea. 
• New college graduates could write "Applicant for <job title> with <company name> with a strong interest in __, ___, ___.” (Insert the top 3 hard skills needed to perform the job that your university studies have prepared you to do.) Save your document and scroll up.

 
9.  Create your letterhead with your contact information and your headers for subsequent pages of your resume. Make sure your page breaks fall at appropriate places. Save your document and print.
 
10. Google the top 20 worst words to use in a resume. Now, scan your resume to see if you have used any of the overly used words and delete them wherever possible. 

• Don't write you are hardworking, innovative, or a team player. Prove it.
• In your accomplishment statements, you could write about the number of contracts won and the total revenue generated, the percentage of productivity gains due to business process improvements, the cost savings from reductions in manufacturing expenses, or how you contributed to operational efficiency that resulted in increased profits by a certain amount over the previous fiscal year.  

11. Proofread thoroughly.

• Read it aloud.
• Rewrite any awkward wording that caused you to stumble when reading it aloud.
• Next, check the punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
• Have a trusted friend proofread your resume.
• Some resume writing services offer resume reviews or proofreading. Expect to pay for these services if you want something more than a generalized critique with an offer to purchase writing services. 
  ​

12. Take time to create a targeted resume and cover letter customized for each job opening to generate more interviews.
 
Job Seeker, knowing these 12 tips and tricks from the pros will take the mystery out of writing your resume. However, if you find that writing about yourself is mind boggling, we’re here to help you strike the right balance between assertions and evidence and take the guesswork out of writing your career story. Starting with an in-depth interview and fit/gap analysis, we’ll create an authentic, purpose-driven, and focused resume that paints a positive yet realistic portrait of who you are and the value you bring to your next employer. Our mission is to help you land your dream job fast. Call us today at 912-656-6857.

​© 2016, Sharla Taylor, Written by a Pro. All rights reserved.