Positioning Yourself on Paper for Your Job Search
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In this episode:
I’ve heard a lot of negative talk about how the job market has become so de-personalized. One of the biggest criticisms is that who people are “on paper” is prioritized over who they are in “real life.” As someone who has both hired employees and now helps people get hired--I don’t think this argument is worth the time. It’s just complaining about the fact that things have changed.
And… Complaining won’t get you very far in your job search.
That’s not to say I don’t understand the frustration. I hear push back from clients all the time about if spending their time writing customized resumes and cover letters is really worth it. Their past experiences tell them it isn’t, and I have to ask them to trust me.
What they find is, learning to position themselves on paper is actually very rewarding, genuine and gets results. Compared to the average job searcher who sends out dozens of job applications, my clients, on average, only need to apply to two jobs before being offered an interview.
Maybe the best part is, when they get that interview offer they feel ready. The effort they put into their “paper” application prepares them to kill their interview and do so confidently.
In this episode I share:
Why writing tailored resumes AND cover letters is worth the time investment in your job search
How to identify resume-worthy achievements & write about them
What a cover letter’s real purpose is and how to write one that stands out
Psst! I made a free downloadable guide
complete with fill-in-the-blank style templates!
Positioning Yourself On Paper--How to Succeed in Your Job Search
Why writing tailored resumes AND cover letters is worth the time investment in your job search
With the increase of people looking for work since the pandemic began, there has been an uptick in people talking sharing their experiences with the job market on social media. I primarily see this on LinkedIn.
Understandably, a lot of people are frustrated, burned out, feeling neglected and really struggling to make sense of why they aren’t getting the interviews or offers they feel they deserve. My heart goes out to people--maybe you--who are experiencing this.
But at the same time, I want to make it clear that blaming applicant tracking systems, HR staff, or the “depersonalization” of the job market isn’t going to help. Rather than putting your energy into identifying everything that is wrong with the current state of hiring, channel your energy in a positive direction.
Specifically, use your energy to understand how to work with the “system” so that you can realize the outcomes you want.
With that said, YES!, tailoring your resume and cover letter to each and every job you apply for is worth the time and effort.
As someone who has been on hiring teams at a company, and who has hired my own employees, I can promise you--hiring managers want the best fit possible. They extend interviews to people who they believe have the qualifications and ability to perform the job and the interview is to confirm that and ensure they would be a good addition to the team.
So if you choose not to spend the time to make it clear that you can perform the job, or that you have the skills and drive to learn to (if career changing), why would you expect a hiring manager that is already incredibly busy to spend their time interviewing you for a position you haven’t made clear that you are serious about?
That may sound harsh, but it’s true.
Think about it this way: the person (or people) who is doing the hiring is likely personally invested in the hiring decision at a high degree. They have a spot to fill on their team, and their (or their team’s) success in part depends on how well the new hire is able to acclimate to the new position and perform their role.
When you apply for a job that you feel you’d be a perfect fit for and don’t hear anything back, it’s not really that you are being rejected. Rather, it’s that other candidates have done a better job showing that they are a great fit and therefore earned the chance to interview.
I’ve found working with my clients that their resistance to tailoring their resumes and cover letters dissipates quickly once we get started. In fact, many of them start to really enjoy the process and find it empowering!
Here are some helpful tips to make your resume writing more fun and effective.
How to identify resume-worthy achievements & write about them
The first step is to brainstorm as many projects, tasks and processes you were responsible for in your past roles. Creating a “master” list can be a major time saver when you will be applying to multiple roles. That way, you can choose just the most relevant experiences or achievements to include on your tailored resume for a specific job.
Here are some ideas to start brainstorming:
Ask yourself: What was I good at?
Helps you identify strengths and clues you into types of work you'll likely continue to excel in
Broadens your experience beyond your job responsibilities
Beneficial when reviewing job postings, "Is it worth it to apply to this position?"
Ask yourself: What did I achieve?
Helps you come up with quantifiable data to put on your resume
Sparks stories you can share about projects and accomplishments in interviews
Develop a list to choose from so you can select the achievements that most closely match the job you're applying for
Rewrite responsibilities as achievements, outcomes or processes
One of the biggest mistakes people make on their resumes is that they list the responsibilities of their job rather than communicating the impact they made on the organization. This is what I call the “backwards job posting resume.”
I also think this is why so many people claim they are tailoring their resumes but not seeing results. If you simply list responsibilities without clarifying results or impact, it doesn’t create a very compelling resume.
Here’s an example from a recent resume I reviewed:
Customer Experience Advisor
Assisted customers in a seamless ordering experience through problem solving, effective communication via chat, email, SMS, and phones.
Do you see why I call it a backwards job posting resume? It sounds like the verbiage was copy and pasted directly from the original job posting, but it tells nothing about how well the person performed the job or what unique skills they bring to the table.
To help this person identify more “resume-worthy” aspects to focus on, I asked them to answer the following questions:
How many clients, on average, did you support each day?
How did you prioritize answering client questions/concerns?
What was your client satisfaction rating?
How quick was your average response time?
How do you find answers to questions you were unfamiliar with, or problem solve with unhappy customers?
As you can see, the answers to those questions would be either a quantifiable result, or an explanation of a process that the person developed--which shows problem solving and transferable skills--rather than just listing it without any proof.
Asking yourself questions like these for every job you’ve held will help you find the golden nuggets that actually make a difference on your resume.
The tailoring aspect comes by deciding which achievements to mention on each resume, and what words you use to describe those achievements.
Doing this work will make you a much more compelling candidate on paper.
What a cover letter’s real purpose is and how to write one that stands out
Now you know how to position yourself well in your resume, so what about the cover letter?
I recently had someone ask me a question about cover letters that I think excellently summarized what’s wrong with most cover letter advice out there.
She said, “I don’t get the point of the cover letter. Isn’t it just a repeat of your resume in paragraph form?”
Well, it shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, that’s what most people are doing on the job market, if they even take the time to write a cover letter at all.
This is how I like to think of the role of a cover letter. It’s your chance to express your genuine interest in the organization and role you are applying to. It’s less about you, and more about your connection to the company.
Why do I suggest this approach? Because this is what will actually make you stand out from the rest of the applicants. It shows you put in the effort and attention to learn about the company and understand what they’re looking for in a hire.
Also, by showing genuine interest and passion for the work you’re applying to do, you present yourself as a potential employee that would be a great team player and someone who would be easy to manage!
Here’s what I recommend you include in every cover letter you write:
Short paragraph explaining your genuine interest and any connection you have to the organization
Short paragraph explaining how you are qualified and why you want to contribute your skills, knowledge and expertise to this particular organization
Short paragraph thanking them for their time and asking for an interview opportunity
I know this might seem like a lot to do for each job, but I promise it gets easier after the first application. I typically write my client’s first resume and cover letter with them, but by the second round they’re excited and able to do it quite quickly by themselves. They just send it over to me for review!
And to come back full circle in this episode… Remember all of those complaints people are making about the job market becoming too impersonal? Well, there’s a growing number of employers who are prioritizing the cover letter in their application review to remedy that exact situation!
If you want to let your personality or intangible qualities shine--your cover letter is the best place to make that happen!
