For the sake of argument, what if your resume isn’t as perfect as you think?

That’s right. It’s not your weak handshake, it’s that 10-page labor-of-love/monster holding you back from landing an interview. I had the opportunity to chat with Jean Leggett— a coach, speaker, resume writer, standup comedian, yoga instructor, professor, game DEV, and CEO (butcher, baker, candlestick maker… is there anything she doesn’t do?) who's been helping people and their resumes stand out since 2008.

Why keep doing things the same way and expecting different results. Jean’s journey to resume building started, simply, when someone asked her to take a look at their resume. Her life coaching brain set in, and she realized that hiring managers are usually in pain and suffering mode. Wouldn’t you be after looking at potentially hundreds of resumes? You need to make it easy for them to see your potential within 6-8 seconds. That’s right, seconds. That means if you hide the perfect kernel of info needed from your skill set on page 3, no one is going to see that. So why waste potential doing things chronologically? Lay it all out there for them in order of importance. Jean suggests using the VIP non-chronological method:

• V- Validation
  • Defining expertise that you would be hired for
• I- Integration
  • How you’ve used these skills; your strategy and execution
• P- People
  • How you’re going to fit this into the team

Our resumes are our unapologetic brag sheet. You should feel amazing about your skills and talents. It’s not bragging if it’s true. Just make sure you put them in the most efficient order. And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel here, folks. The actual job posting is a great place to pull and reword content to make sure your resume hits all the points a hiring manager is looking for. Expert level: identify the top three pain points in the job posting and make sure you highlight your solutions in your cover letter.

Turn ‘soft skills’ into bold statements. If you just slap on the phrase “great communicator” 1) ironic. and 2) what a wasted opportunity to talk about your achievements. Try subbing these short phrases out with specific examples.

great communicator = managed a team of 50 people on projects 12-18 months in duration with a budget of 4 million

This isn’t a first date, this is a job interview.

Prepare. Your resume is just the Cliffs Notes version of your career, right? You need to be fully ready, line by line, to expand and tell a story for each item you’ve listed. Curate and practice a prepared story, because there’s a 97% chance the hiring manager will ask the most open ended question of all time, “so tell me about yourself…” Don’t stress, just impress.