Written by David Fulton

Companies and recruiters want to get rid of resumes. Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba, chief executive of Japan’s Recruit Holdings, which operates both Indeed and Glassdoor, has said, “Let’s Get Rid Of Résumés.” In December 2020, the Business Roundtable launched an initiative backed by over 80 member companies – including General Motors, Bank of America, Walmart, and Hearst – to reform the hiring process. Their intent is to do away with using keywords to weed out applicant resumes.

Still, 90% of employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) with filters programmed by humans to search for keywords in resumes. These systems also weed out resumes that do not match user settings, such as job titles, education, work gaps, and other factors. A few companies have stopped or reduced using resumes to hire; however, eliminating resumes is a complex problem and will not go away overnight. A Google search for “resume writing services” returns 2,410,000 results. Also, what will replace resumes in a system that has evolved around their use? For now, resumes are a fact of life. So how do we make resumes more effective?

What is the Purpose of a Resume?

Resumes are a marketing tool, not a legal document. For many people, a resume is the only marketing tool they possess. The most common purpose is responding to job openings. The ultimate intention is to highlight your relevance and value. The first step toward building an effective resume is to understand your value and who (and who is NOT) your potential customer. This provides a framework for what to include and emphasize. Deloitte found that most brands are mulling over how to reposition themselves and best serve their stakeholders. Some, however, are positioned to remain steadfast in one key dimension—their purpose. These companies inherently understand why they exist and who they are best built to serve.  

Fixing CARs

I was asked by Momentum, Inc. to lead a project to improve their consultants’ resumes. I was amazed by the diversity of approaches being used. Some resumes had substantial detail going back for decades, while others were extremely Spartan. Many resumes focused only on tasks performed and lacked details on what was achieved. Nearly all failed to include how actions delivered results to clients. This is like writing a story but leaving out the ending. We applied a principle known as Challenge, Action, and Results (CAR) to improve the resumes. On each resume, we took every role and endeavored to emphasize:

• What was the business need, i.e., Challenge?
• What actions and approaches were used to resolve that need, i.e., Action?
• What was accomplished, i.e., Result?

Using this formula, you can create several CAR modules to emphasize different competencies. Such modules can quickly be assembled to customize and prioritize your best features for each intended audience.

Slaying Monsters

For a position to exist, there must be a need. What factors warrant the business spending money to hire someone? Think of Challenge as the “pain point,” and you’re the doctor. Before you were hired, where did the business hurt? This provides a starting point for the hero’s journey to tell in your resume and interview. In “To Effectively Use Storytelling In Interviews,” the authors of this blog outline how storytelling can help distinguish you and your approach during interviews. Once you recall the business monsters you faced, what specific Actions did you take to overcome the Challenge(s)? Did you charge boldly in with your programming skills or cleverly apply a strategy that had never before been attempted? Perhaps your Hydra sprouted new heads, and you had to adapt your plan to overcome an even direr situation. Then what was the Result? How did you, our hero, overcome the monster? Was the village saved, were no more innocent people eaten? The result doesn’t always need to be spectacular but emphasize how your specific Actions were essential to overcome the Challenges.

Be Bright, Be Brief, Be Gone

You may feel uncomfortable extolling your accomplishments – many people do! However, the purpose of a resume is to intrigue and start a dialogue with the human beings who need your help to overcome a challenging pain point. It’s your job to help them see why you are the solution they need. Decide strategically what clear and undeniable expertise you want to emphasize. Across your career trajectory, what has been the consistent theme for your greatest achievements? What industries and business functions have you notably advanced with your growing body of knowledge? Highlight your competencies in specific situations and functions where you excel over the competition.

Don’t Bury the Lead

You may cringe and rank sales next to public speaking as activities you dread. As you craft your resume and associated marketing collateral, such as a LinkedIn profile, don’t be afraid to add a little sizzle.

Restaurants have been wafting the smell of grilled onions for centuries to attract customers. McDonalds could say that they put processed protein between sections of polysaccharides enhanced with cellulose and flavoring agents heated with polymerized fats. It is more attractive and compelling for them to market the “experience” of eating a Big Mac with a large order of fries in a “Happy Meal.” Most people buy cars based on features and anticipated pleasure, not the type of drive shaft.

A resume should highlight benefits. What are your features? It helps to think of your body of knowledge as a product and promote your best features. Control where and how much attention you give features by adding or removing details so that your outstanding features stand out as relevant for each opportunity. Don’t make them wonder, “Where’s the beef?”

Call Me Ishmael

Many recruiters spend less than 10 seconds scanning potential resumes. Don’t waste their time. Your opening summary should grab the reader’s attention in the first sentence, like a good book. Don’t bore the reader with cliché, unsubstantiated claims such as “great communicator, proven leader, or wealth of experience.” Instead, tell the prospective employer what’s in it for them and, like a good novel, quickly make the reader want to know more. In many ways, the opening summary is your elevator pitch. What might intrigue someone like Oprah Winfrey during an elevator ride and motivate her to invite you to chat over coffee? That is your resume summary.

Ask For Feedback

One strategic way to strengthen your resume while expanding your visibility and pipeline is to ask respected professionals in your field for their feedback on your resume. Remember that this is not a sales call. Most professionals are extremely busy, so be respectful and appreciative of their time. Any smart marketer knows that it is highly effective to engage potential buyers in shaping the product. Don’t expect a response from everyone. Focus on seeking input from those who understand your areas of expertise.

LinkedIn is a great place to approach professionals. You may have more success asking them to look at only a small portion of your resume, such as your summary or a specific section related to their expertise. It’s much easier to digest a short piece of a resume than an entire resume. No one enjoys reading resumes. A simple invitation to connect might include a snippet from your resume that respectfully and gratefully asks for their informed feedback. Their insight is valuable, but starting a dialogue is priceless. The best time to consider doing such resume enhancement is while you are employed, so you don’t come across as having ulterior motives.

Get Started Today!

There is an art to writing a good resume. Do you think I’ve captured this art? Do you agree or disagree with the trends today? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Connect with Momentum on LinkedIn to share your feedback.

Written by David Fulton

With over thirty years of experience, Mr. Fulton is a seasoned consultant, serving as a project manager on large-scale, highly visible projects for several government clients. He has a proven track record of overcoming barriers and turning around troubled projects. Mr. Fulton is also an experienced speaker and has shared his expertise with multiple audiences including the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.