Now that I’m not looking for a job, I often find myself providing feedback on a resume. I no longer have to play the game and it’s given me a different perspective. This is the game of getting hired.
I’m not playing the resume game
As a business owner, I have to get hired but I’m not playing the resume game. I make offers that are accepted. Not once, but many times in a year. I have come to realize there is a big difference between making an offer to a prospective client and sending in a resume to a prospective employer.
When I make an offer, I have already identified what the buyer really cares about. They might be stuck and need to see their way forward. Whatever it is, there is an unmet need. And that is what I offer to address.
What’s missing?
Most resumes I see are very different. They don’t talk about the cares of the prospective employer. They don’t talk about what the person actually does and its impact. Instead, they start with a summary of their skills. Nothing is unique about their skills. There are many project managers, CIO’s, designers, etc. What is unique is the value they create. What they can do for a hiring company.
When we look at resumes this way, jobs become an opportunity to make a difference. To address an unmet care. To play a much bigger game. When we look at jobs this way, their potential is unconstrained. You can design the job to meet the need.
Rather than tell me you are a project manager, tell me what you will do for me. That you take on chaotic situations bringing clarity and structure to help the team deliver results such as…
Who would you rather hire? A brick layer or a cathedral builder?