The One Resume Tip You Need

I am always asked about what resume format is best, how long a resume should be, how much work history should be included.  In short, it seems that most of the time when I am asked about resumes, it is all about format, but I think that is the least important ingredient to make your resume stand out in a crowd.  

War and Peace was a mightly long book---- but it was widely read and respected.  The Gettysburg Address was short and powerful and still studied today.  And there were plenty of books of varying lengths in between those two that were barely opened.  Why----because it is really about content.

So the answer to make sure your resume stands out is to focus on content.  It is really fairly simple:  When you write your resume, just be sure that it clearly tells the story of how you made a difference for every employer and how you left your unique mark on each position.  How do you do that?  I suggest you write the story of your career---as if you were writing your journal. Write about the highlights---where you solved problems, challenged the status quo, mentored and grew your people.  Write it all out-----then create bullet points for your resume that will best convey that story. 

Go over every bullet point and reread every entry and make sure that the take-away for the reader is that you have something completely unique to offer-----that what you do and how you do it cannot be done by anyone else in quite the same way and with quite the same impact.  Now, you'll stand out whether it is short or long, chronological or any other format.  Because substance is what matters---always.

A Leadership Approach: Write it Forward.

The movie “Pay it Forward” stuck with me for many reasons, including the fact that it was applicable to so many areas of life----including career.  Reflecting on that, it occurs to me that it can be applied to pre-scripting your resume.

I typically talk to candidates who never expected my call and were not actively looking for a new position. They usually request time to “update their resume”, which means adding bullet points to delineate what they have accomplished.  While usually tied to their company and departmental objectives, they are not always as deliberate as they could be.

What if you made those bullet points at the beginning of a new job or now as we are at the beginning of this new year?  What if you decided ahead of time what impact you would like to make, how you would lead and what your team would accomplish under your leadership, what legacy you would leave and what you would want to tell about your contribution?   When you “write it forward” you are stating your intentions and then living into them every day.  It’s personal, it’s powerful, and it means that your accomplishments are under your control, not just a by product of what opportunities happened to show up for you.  Try it.

Lessons from Coach Pat Summitt

I am a very big fan of college basketball AND a very big fan of the younger generation that has recently entered the workplace. 

For those of you who are not fans of college basketball, let me tell you a little bit about Pat Summit. Her stats since she became the coach of the Lady Vols’, Tennessee’s basketball team, are astounding:  18 NCAA Final Fours, 27-for-27 reaching the NCAA “sweet 16”, 14 Southeast Conference regular season titles in 27 years, and this week she is expected to win her 1,000 game.  Her overall career record:  998-186.

By any standard, you would have to acknowledge that she knows how to get the most out of her players.  In a recent interview published in USA Today, she revealed something that I believe all managers can learn from.

In the USA Today article (Tuesday, January 27, 2009 edition), her assistant coach for the past 24 years noted that Coach Summitt has changed her coaching style in the last several years, noting that Ms. Summitt’s style used to be “my way or the highway”  but “it’s a different way of motivating today’s kid----she’s adjusted to it”.

Pat herself describes her confrontations with her team members now as “informed challenges”.  In fact, her team members are given personality tests and they meet with sports psychologists so that Ms. Summit knows how to approach each individual to bring out the best in them. 

I have to believe that it wasn’t easy for her to move away from her old command and control mode to her new way of coaching, but I also have to give her a big pat on the back for adapting to the new generation.  It is paying off----her winning streak continues.

Every day I talk to senior leaders who are frustrated with the new generation that they find themselves leading.  Most of the time, their lament is the same one that we heard from our parent’s and from our parent’s parent----why can’t they be like us----why can’t they bring the same work ethic---and on and on. 

The next time you find yourself thinking that way---stop for a minute---think about Pat Summitt----after 27 years she doesn’t ask why----she just makes adjustments.  And guess what----it is paying off as she chalks up win number 1,000 and counting.

On-Boarding and the Game of Monopoly

Do you remember when you first played the game of Monopoly.  You opened up the box, took out the pieces----a top hat, paper money of many denominations, a pair of dice, cards with various instructions, deeds to properties and on and on.  Staring at the myriad of pieces, the exact way to play the game wasn’t immediately intuitive.  Then, you turned over the box top and read the directions, and within minutes you were setting up the game, rolling the dice and you were on your way.  Sure, it took a few games to figure out the best strategy to amass your fortune, but you were well on your way in the right direction once you read the inside of the box. 

Now, if you bought the game at a flea market without the box top, you could eventually figure out how to play the game---but it would take a lot longer.  You may also miss some of the nuances that the box top would have explained and you might leave some of the pieces out because you didn’t know exactly what they were for, but you would be able to play it in some way, albeit not exactly as intended.

That is a very simple way to look at what on-boarding is.  It is a coaching process designed to give the newly hired executive the “box top” with the instructions for success in his or her new role.  Having this guide enables the executive to accelerate their success in the new company.  Sure, without that guidance, an intelligent, highly qualified and well-matched executive would eventually figure it all out------but why not start with the “box-top” and compress the assimilation time.

 

Statistics indicate that 40% of leaders going into new roles fail within the first 18      months.  Even when the candidate has been carefully screened and brings the requisite skills, experience, strengths, has the right motivation, and is a good fit for the culture, there can be failure.  On-boarding can give your newest hire an edge to help keep them from becoming part of that statistic.  That’s why every candidate we place receives the services of a specifically matched coach.  We believe that accelerated success serves everyone best.

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