Working The Dream

Writing Your Resume

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Eric Kelly (Host)

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Series Code: WTD

Program Code: WTD000002A


00:30 Hi there and welcome to "Working the Dream"
00:33 I'm your host Eric Kelly,
00:36 and today we're going to be examining the best way
00:40 to write an effective resume.
00:43 Now most of you are going to do this at least a
00:47 couple of times in your lifetime; in fact, there are
00:50 stats out that say we change jobs every 4 to 7 years.
00:54 Well, let's take a look at some hiring managers
00:59 and their ideas about resumes...
01:03 Yeah, I would say proper contact
01:05 information. Do you see mistakes on that?
01:07 I do, I see emails only with no phone number
01:10 and I would really like to pick up the phone and call the
01:15 applicant and have a discussion, so that would
01:19 also delay the process of an applicant
01:23 possibly getting hired.
01:24 I think that one of the things that we see are
01:27 the formatting problems in resumes and you want to make
01:30 sure that you have a really well-formatted, clean resume
01:34 for employers to look at because they're only going to
01:35 look at it for a few minutes, maybe even 30 seconds
01:38 they'll give each resume.
01:40 I think that that's probably the biggest issue we see.
01:42 One of my biggest pet peeves on a resume is
01:44 when they put it in comic sans.
01:46 So, it's something you see a lot, so avoid putting your
01:50 text into comic sans and that could help you out a lot.
01:54 Now think about it... Millions of resumes
01:57 going from one company to the next, from one resume
02:03 aggregator to the next... to the company
02:05 that you want to be hired in.
02:06 There is so much energy around resumes,
02:10 we want to make sure that you get it right.
02:13 Now let's check on our friend, Ron...
02:16 Ron is building his resume and he is educated,
02:20 he is gifted, he is enthusiastic...
02:22 He's looking forward to building a strong career,
02:26 but he is struggling on how he can get his prospective
02:30 employers to see how good he is actually going to be.
02:33 Why he is going to be an incredible asset
02:36 to their organization.
02:37 So, let's watch and see how he handles it.
02:44 Looking for someone who understands how to use the
02:47 Microsoft Office Suite - check.
02:49 I can do that.
02:51 They want someone who understands
02:53 business analytics - check.
02:56 I definitely got that.
02:58 They want someone that has a basic business
03:01 accounting skills, I'm great with numbers - check.
03:06 I definitely got that covered!
03:10 They're looking for someone who could do forecasting.
03:13 I've had two courses in business forecasting - check.
03:17 Wow, this is a pretty good job fit.
03:21 Most of the stuff they're looking for
03:23 I can do pretty well.
03:24 Now let me make sure that my resume shows them the
03:28 same thing.
03:29 I'm about to get paid.
03:32 I am about to get paid and pay some of these bills
03:36 that have been piling up.
03:37 Let me call The Prophet and make sure I'm on the right path.
03:43 Dialing and the phone is ringing...
03:52 Okay, now some of you out there may be contemplating
03:56 the best way to write a resume.
03:59 Now, you want to be sure that your prospective employer
04:03 knows about all the good things that you know and can do.
04:08 All the good things you've done!
04:10 Now while this is partially true, the true secret
04:14 to resume success is to match your resume to the specific
04:18 things that the employer is looking for.
04:22 Now today, we're going to show you how to write a resume
04:25 that gets the attention of the recruiter or the
04:27 prospective hiring manager in the companies
04:30 that you want to work for.
04:31 We're going to make sure that you can do it right.
04:36 Now, let me give you some insight into recruiting
04:38 and hiring managers.
04:40 They have an incredible task, it's daunting.
04:44 They've got to review hundreds, if not thousands of resumes
04:48 sometimes for one particular job.
04:51 Now here's the process, follow this...
04:55 resume, phone screen, interview.
04:58 Once again... Resume, to the phone screen,
05:03 to the interview.
05:06 So, these companies have thousands and thousands
05:09 of resumes coming in.
05:10 There's no way they can spend time interviewing
05:13 all those people.
05:14 So they look through the resumes to see if they're up to snuff
05:18 and then they have a phone screen,
05:20 then they talk to those hundreds of people on the phone screens,
05:24 and they narrow those down to actual job interviews,
05:29 fact-to-face interviews.
05:31 Now your job is to get a phone screen call and impress the
05:36 recruiter to give you a chance at an actual
05:40 face-to-face interview.
05:41 So here's how it's done...
05:43 Re-read the job posting, make sure there's an example
05:48 of each job requirement on your resume.
05:52 For instance... let's say on the job posting, they say,
05:56 "Must have 5 years accounting experience,"
06:00 you need to be able to say, on your resume,
06:02 "I've had 5 years accounting experience."
06:07 If their job posting says, "Must be certified in Microsoft
06:11 Office," you need to be able to show, on your resume,
06:16 that you are certified in Microsoft Office.
06:20 Now Ron is going to work through building is resume.
06:23 He is also going to touch base with a mentor, a smart guy,
06:28 to give him a few tips.
06:30 Let's see what happens.
06:33 Phone is ringing...
06:36 Hello... The Prophet, is this you?
06:41 Brilliant deductive reasoning...
06:43 Sir, you called me, what can I help you with?
06:45 Well, I found this job that I think I would enjoy doing,
06:51 but I need help creating a resume for it.
06:54 How do I do that?
06:56 Ah sure, sure - first of all, you need to look at the
06:59 job description and look at what they say are the job
07:03 requirements and duties.
07:04 Ahhh, are these things you really want to do
07:07 and would enjoy doing every day? I think so.
07:11 Okay, well if we've got that, now you need to show that
07:14 you are everything they are looking for.
07:17 I want you to look at the job requirements again...
07:20 Can you give an example of you doing each one of these
07:24 in your resume?
07:26 I think I can. Okay.
07:29 Now it's time to write it.
07:31 When you write it, next to each accomplishment
07:34 write a business impact statement or
07:37 a "so-what statement."
07:39 It kind of goes like this...
07:40 Instead of saying, "Designed a software program
07:44 for accounting." That has no weight to it.
07:47 Say, "Designed a software program for accounting
07:50 that saved the company $400,000 annually."
07:55 So make sure that you write one of those types of
07:58 statements next to every one of your accomplishments
08:01 on your resume.
08:03 Got it Mr. Prophet, what else can I do?
08:05 You have spell check? Yes
08:07 Use it... there's nothing that will get your resume
08:12 moved to the "no pile" faster than bad spelling
08:16 and bad grammar.
08:18 Sadly resumes have been giving HR departments
08:23 and recruiters joy and entertainment
08:26 for a long time now.
08:28 Let's see... do you have anybody that can
08:31 proofread your resume?
08:33 I think so, yes.
08:36 Well if you do, make sure you choose someone who is a
08:38 professional, someone that might be able to even
08:41 act as coach or mentor later on.
08:43 Bribe them, give them lunch, event tickets, whatever.
08:46 But you want to make sure that a professional
08:49 in that area would think that your resume
08:52 projects a candidate that's worth interviewing, got that?
08:56 Got it Mr. Prophet, any other advice?
08:59 All right, I don't think so right now, my friend,
09:02 I believe that you can be well on your way after this.
09:05 Call me back when you get called in for the interview.
09:08 I have a feeling that you're going to be very successful.
09:11 This is "Prophet Motivational Hotline," thank you for calling.
09:19 Okay, are you ready for a couple of secrets?
09:22 I'm going to share with you how recruiters
09:25 sort resumes - here it goes...
09:28 They make three piles; the first pile is "Yes,"
09:33 they read it, they like it, they want a little bit more
09:37 about this person that's applying.
09:39 The second pile is "Maybe."
09:42 Hmm, not quite sure, there are a couple of good
09:44 things - hmm, a couple of things not too sure about.
09:48 The third pile is "No."
09:50 Whatever they saw, uh uh, we don't want to talk to them.
09:53 Now, shorter is better, "War and Peace" is not
10:00 appreciated by recruiters.
10:02 If it's too long, they're going to put it down
10:05 and go to the next resume.
10:07 I'd submit one page or as close to one page as possible.
10:13 Now remember, they're sorting all the time and all the things
10:17 that they find that don't work, all the things that they think
10:21 tell them about you in the resume that they don't like,
10:25 they call them "knockout points,"
10:27 and as they're sorting through,, it becomes a funnel
10:29 and they'll look at one and move on.
10:31 They don't spend time looking at a resume once they see
10:36 something that they hmm don't like.
10:38 Here's a couple of situations that recruiters
10:42 kind of.. they grimace at...
10:45 Email address: Partyman@gmail.com
10:51 I mean, what does that tell you about the person?
10:54 It doesn't mean they wouldn't be a good worker,
10:56 but if they didn't even take the time to change their
10:59 email address to something a bit more business-like,
11:03 I don't know - do I really want to hire Party Man
11:08 to come work in my accounting department,
11:10 How about this one... Divadiva@at&t.net
11:15 I'm sure she is a complete joy to work with.
11:19 Here's one... thequeen@att.net
11:24 Yeah, and on the resume it says "I work well with others,"
11:27 "The Queen," really?
11:29 Bigdaddy@gmail - is this size or is this ego - no idea.
11:38 And recruiters are reading this and they're going...
11:40 "Uhh, maybe I'll put this on the "maybe pile"
11:43 or even the "no pile."
11:45 How about: Prettygirl@hotmail
11:48 I mean I'm looking for somebody to work in strategic planning.
11:52 I couldn't care less if she was pretty or not.
11:54 Prettygirl@hotmail - what is that actually saying about me?
11:57 Mr. Smooth - yeah, that's a good one.
12:02 I'm going to hire a Mr. Smooth at a job here.
12:05 Now even though those things may seem minute,
12:09 they may seem not really that important,
12:13 as recruiters and hiring managers read their resumes,
12:17 they basically are knockout points through things
12:20 that make them put them in the "no pile."
12:23 Do you really want your resume put into the "no pile?"
12:28 Here's one for you... "grammar"
12:32 I was working for one client, I came down the hall...
12:35 I think I was in a meeting and I heard in the boardroom
12:39 on that floor - I heard peals of laughter - they were howling,
12:44 and a good time at work is great
12:46 in any company that you work for...
12:49 So one of the folks that I did work for - she came out
12:53 and I said, "What are you guys doing in there?
12:55 You're having WAY too much fun at work!"
12:58 She said, "We were reviewing some resumes."
13:01 Well I knew they weren't the recruiting department...
13:04 I said, "Why are you reviewing the resumes?"
13:07 Well a couple of the recruiters had brought some resumes
13:11 to the meeting and were reading them.
13:13 Sadly, the resume that really sent them over edge
13:19 began with: "I looking for a company..."
13:24 Now I don't know if you know this, but people that
13:27 write resumes poorly have been providing humor for
13:31 human resources departments for many, many years.
13:36 "I looking for a company..."
13:39 What pile do you think the recruiter put that on?
13:43 Yeah, it probably wasn't the "Hey, we can't wait to
13:47 interview this person on the phone."
13:50 Another of the knockout points that keep resumes
13:54 from being accepted is job-hopping.
13:57 Now, you look and see this person - they worked here
14:02 8 months, they worked here 6 months,
14:06 they worked over here for a year and you start to look at
14:10 a 5-year employment history and notice that they've had
14:16 four jobs.
14:18 Now, does that mean absolutely that this person is
14:21 not a good worker? No, it does not.
14:24 However, the recruiter is looking at the job-hopping
14:29 and saying, "Hmm, if this person got here,
14:32 how long would they stay?"
14:34 Because remember - if they don't stay long in that job,
14:37 the recruiter has to do the same thing over again
14:40 in a few months.
14:41 So job-hopping does not suit well.
14:44 Now someone asked, "What is too much job-hopping?"
14:47 It varies by industry, but if you've been around
14:51 and you've seen, hmm, 3, 4, 5 years of experience,
14:55 and you're moving up - not too bad.
14:58 However, if I look down and see months or maybe only
15:01 1-1/2 years - that may go to the "maybe pile" despite
15:06 the rest of the qualifications being stellar.
15:10 The next issue that can be a knockout point are gaps
15:14 in employment.
15:15 It doesn't necessarily mean that this person isn't a good
15:19 employee - it simply means that, "Where were you
15:23 during this time?"
15:24 And, yes, many times we make up the worse case scenarios
15:28 in our mind, so be ready to explain that to a recruiter.
15:33 Where were you for the last 1-1/2 years?
15:36 Some of them are easily explainable...
15:37 "I went to make sure my kids were okay in elementary
15:40 school before I came back to work or I moved
15:43 to another country or there was military service.
15:45 There are so many reasons to explain that...
15:47 But be prepared to explain because recruiters
15:51 are definitely looking at the gaps in service.
15:55 Another factor that influences recruiters is "layout."
15:59 Now, bad layout versus good layout...
16:02 Bad layout is if I read your resume and I've got to
16:05 read through it to hop over to this to that - to kind of
16:08 figure out what it is you're good at.
16:10 First there's a good layout, now, a good layout
16:13 may be chronological.
16:15 You may say, "In 1995, I did this, in 2000, this happened,
16:21 in 2005, I worked here and you may show me
16:24 kind of on a timeline what you've done.
16:26 A lot of people that have been in the workplace
16:28 for many years use an achievement layout.
16:31 which pretty much says, "I have this skill and it was
16:34 manifested on this job and here's
16:36 where I was when that happened."
16:38 "I have this ability and it was manifested on this job
16:42 and here's what I did," because the list would be
16:44 rather long sometimes if they laid theirs out chronologically;
16:48 however, whatever layout you choose to use,
16:51 please make sure that it has a flow to it and it's easy
16:55 for the reader to follow you.
16:57 Now, the next area is where recruiters sometimes get
17:02 some humor, sadly at the expense of someone
17:06 applying for a job and that is dealing with past issues.
17:11 Sometimes on an application, they'll be an area that says,
17:14 "Why did you leave your last job?"
17:16 An interview will definitely ask you that.
17:19 "Why did you leave your last job?"
17:21 Okay, here's some that I've actually seen...
17:25 "I left my last job because my boss was an idiot,
17:29 just like the two bosses I had before him."
17:32 Now think about that a little bit.
17:34 "I left my last job because my boss was an idiot
17:39 like the two bosses before him."
17:41 Now, the recruiter is reading that and so far,
17:45 you've got a pretty good track record of thinking
17:47 your boss was an idiot.
17:49 I saw one the other day that was absolutely hilarious.
17:53 It said, "I left my last job to make room for the
17:56 vice president's girlfriend."
17:58 Now at that point, that person had gone over the edge
18:02 and no recruiter is going to touch that.
18:04 So when they're asking you why you left your last job,
18:07 it's better to say... "For more money."
18:10 It's better to say, "Because I wanted to grow and develop."
18:14 Any reason that's not negative.
18:17 Any negative phrase or words used to describe
18:22 why you left is going to cause the recruiter some pause.
18:26 Now, here's a tip... If your name is hard to
18:30 pronounce, use initials.
18:32 Someone said, "Eric, that's not fair," and I hope
18:35 that we took care of that in the first episode.
18:39 "Fair" is the word we're going to get rid of
18:41 because if your name is hard to pronounce,
18:43 or if it's one that the recruiter may not feel
18:46 familiar with, they could possibly take that
18:49 and put it on the "maybe pile" or even the "no pile."
18:52 So at any point that you think - maybe this could
18:56 cause a recruiter problem, simply use your initials.
18:59 Is it fair? Who cares.
19:01 We want to make sure that you get to the phone interview
19:04 and that's where it all pays off.
19:07 Whatever you write, painstakingly proofread it.
19:13 I mean, they've got spell-check, they've got all sorts of
19:18 apps and all sorts of software that will help you
19:22 make sure it follows the form, use it and also be totally
19:27 honest on your resume.
19:29 Now there's a reason for that...
19:32 You're going to get up in the morning, have your devotion,
19:34 ask God to bless you with the job that you're looking for,
19:38 and submit a resume...
19:40 Does God require you to be totally honest? Absolutely!
19:45 God is not going to bless a lie, and you don't have to lie
19:48 to get God's blessings.
19:50 So be 100% honest on your resume, never lie.
19:56 A couple of things happen here...
19:58 If you do lie on a resume and you're not honest,
20:02 once you get that job, if they can determine that
20:07 you were not truthful, they have the right to fire you
20:12 because you got the job under false pretenses.
20:15 Never ever say something on a resume that's not true.
20:19 You don't need to impress another human being
20:22 for God to bless you.
20:24 Now, if you know anyone that's a professional in the field
20:29 that you want to be in, get him to review it for you.
20:32 I mean, there's no way that you're going to know
20:35 absolutely everything that's needed to get into a
20:38 particular company without having some advice.
20:41 So, do your absolute best and once that's done,
20:45 then leave it up to God.
20:48 Let's listen to another hiring manager about what
20:52 is important on a resume to them...
20:55 I see a lot of resumes with people explaining what their
21:00 duties were at jobs.
21:02 I could care less - I don't care what you did
21:05 at your other jobs, but what I care about are
21:06 transferrable skills.
21:08 What did you learn? What are you bringing
21:11 to my company from your past experience.
21:15 I don't care where the experience came from.
21:16 It could have been paid, unpaid, volunteer, babysitting,
21:20 dog walking - I don't care.
21:22 What is the skill that you're bringing to me
21:24 rather than, "I made copies on a copier, I filled out this
21:28 report" - and doesn't really care.
21:30 Now we must always remember that while these are the
21:35 technical things we need to do for our resumes to be accepted
21:40 and looked at favorably, there's still one recruiter
21:44 that's above all recruiters.
21:46 There was a young lady that came up to me one time
21:49 in church and she said, Mr. Kelly, I'm having some
21:52 problems getting into the field" that she was getting into.
21:58 I read her resume - it was awesome!
22:01 She was bright, she was talented, she was gifted,
22:05 she had a graduate degree.
22:08 There was no reason, based on who she was as a
22:11 person, that she wouldn't be accepted in that industry.
22:15 Somebody, somewhere there should hire her.
22:18 However, as I read her resume, it was just kind of
22:23 hmm bland - I did this, I did that.
22:27 So the tip that I was impressed to share with her
22:30 is something I'll share with you...
22:32 It's called, "the so-what."
22:36 So on the resume she said, "I managed whatever, whatever
22:42 for this period of time," that is so bland to a recruiter.
22:49 The recruiter is thinking, "So what."
22:52 Now what we did was change her statements into
22:55 power statements.
22:57 The "so what" is the impact statement "I managed
23:00 this and this fund for so many dollars and here's the
23:04 "so what" - "that allowed our company to move from
23:08 third to second place in the industry."
23:10 WOW - does that get a recruiter's attention.
23:14 So every entry on her resume, I believe she had coordinated
23:19 something in one department and the impact,
23:22 when she shared it with me, was she had saved over
23:25 $11,000 in a year.
23:28 So we wrote it this way, "Coordinated the activities
23:31 in this department and saved the organization $11,000 annually."
23:37 Now think about a recruiter, think about a hiring manager...
23:42 and at the list of everything that you've done,
23:45 there is a "so what" statement and it's a business impact.
23:50 It almost doesn't matter what you've done,
23:52 the impact statement says, "I made the company money,
23:56 I saved money, I made the organization
23:59 work more efficiently."
24:00 So when we're writing a resume, don't just write
24:03 what you did - write the "so what" statement...
24:07 Because of this, here's what the company was able to achieve.
24:12 It was interesting, at the end of it, we chatted about it,
24:15 we prayed over it - she took the resume and left,
24:18 and I didn't see her for a few more weeks.
24:20 When she came back, she was smiling,
24:22 obviously I could figure from across the room,
24:24 she had gotten the job and she said, "They hired me,
24:27 they put me in a good position, I'm happy, I'm blessed!"
24:30 Well a couple of things had happened...
24:31 First of all, she had prepared herself for advancement.
24:37 She had prepared herself for success.
24:40 Her resume was there, she just needed a little
24:42 tweaking to get it where it needed to be.
24:45 I want to share a personal story with you...
24:48 I remember writing a resume and actually reading it
24:54 and saying, "There's no way they're going to hire me."
24:58 I mean, I had the basics down but I think I saw
25:01 some gaps - I saw some things that umm - this will be a
25:05 miracle if it gets through, but I really, really
25:09 wanted this job and, over time, I got a little discouraged...
25:14 But I remember opening up my Promise Book and reading,
25:19 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
25:22 Now I don't have the power to do all things by myself,
25:25 but the God that strengthens me does,
25:29 and interestingly enough, I sent the resume
25:32 in and I was as surprised as anybody that I got a call back.
25:36 But a manager called me and said, "Hey Eric,
25:39 we were reading your resume and we want you to
25:42 come in and talk," I'm like "really?
25:44 based on what I sent in?" "Absolutely"
25:47 But I didn't discount the power of my Higher Power
25:53 to get me to where I needed to be.
25:56 It was interesting, we sat down, we talked and got past the
26:00 resume process into the phone call process and into the
26:05 interview and then I realized something...
26:08 God wanted me to be where He was putting me.
26:12 So even if it's not perfect, give God the responsibility
26:17 and the weight of taking that resume and putting you
26:21 where you need to be... the power is His.
26:24 You do your absolute very best
26:27 and He will definitely cover the rest.
26:30 None of us can do this on our own.
26:32 So, let's recap...
26:34 You're going to follow the resume process so that
26:38 you can get the phone call, so that you can get the
26:41 interview and all of this is going to be blessed
26:43 and protected by your God.
26:45 Now that's a powerful position to be in.
26:48 So in the coming weeks, no matter what you have in
26:50 front of you, no matter what jobs you're applying for,
26:54 don't give up, do not be discouraged,
26:56 write your resume out, follow the tips that
26:59 we've given you and I'll tell ya, you're going to love
27:02 the results and don't get disappointed if the resume
27:05 you sent in wasn't accepted...
27:06 That might not be where God wants you to be.
27:09 He's got a special place for you.
27:11 But if it is accepted, don't think just that you
27:14 did it by yourself.
27:15 Remember, there's a Higher Power - there's somebody
27:17 above you who is protecting you - who is going to make sure
27:20 that you fit in where you need to be.
27:23 So I want you to be encouraged and kind of go-for-it!
27:25 Don't slack up, don't tell yourself you're
27:29 not going to do well, give it to God.
27:31 Remember, always remember, you are powerless over
27:37 what THEY can do to you, but they are powerless
27:41 over what God WILL do for you.
27:45 Until next time, keep "Working the Dream."
27:47 This is Eric Kelly.


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Revised 2017-08-16