Bland Resumes

I spend a lot of time each week revising and editing resumes, as well as teaching clients how to write successful, eye-catching resumes. I see a common theme for most resumes I see--they are boring and only speak to the specific tasks someone performed in one position. Ex.

Burger King

• Flipped hamburgers and prepared food items
• Cleaned restrooms and tables
• Took orders for customers
• Used cash register

While these tasks can be important, unless an individual is applying for, let's say, McDonald's, these skills will do very little for the internship or career position an individual is applying for. Instead, it is important to focus on accomplishments and transferable skills.

Ex.

Burger King

• Collaborated with team of 12 individuals to efficiently prepare customer orders, ensuring customer satisfaction
• Used listening skills, problem solving, and mediation to de-escalate angry customers and resolve complaints
• Took initiative to devise new cleaning procedures, increasing efficiency by 25 minutes per night and improving overall cleanliness of restaurant
• Accountable for over $20,000 each night, counting, reconciling and depositing till at closing

With this new version, new skills and qualifications emerge (as highlighted in red), even though we are speaking about similar tasks--i.e., flipping burgers, cleaning the restaurant, and working the cash register.

Make your resume stand out more by incorporating transferable skills and focusing on what you really did to make a difference. If you are not proud of something you did at a job, leave it off your resume!

Please contact me if you have questions or would like help with improving your resume. More resume tips later.