Page 164 - Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Resume

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Part 2 ➤ Six Steps to a Perfect Resume

5. What awards, commendations, or publications have you achieved that relate to your
job objective?
Example: Awarded “Top Salesperson” for three consecutive years.
6. How is success measured in your field? How do you measure up?
Example: Selected by the NIH to represent the United States at the International AIDS
Conference in Brazil.
7. Are you good at using the skills required for this job? When have you demonstrated
that to be true?
Example: Used advanced CAD tools to create a totally new look in video game
modeling.
8. What activities, paid and unpaid, have you performed that used skills you’ll be using
at your new job?
Example: Offered academic counseling to 40 students at “Make It Happen,” a volun-
teer program at Sanford High School.
9. When did someone sit up and take notice of how skilled you are?
Example: Commended for achieving 97 percent of production goal in an industry
where 85 percent is considered high.

In addition to filling out this worksheet, you might want to browse through the resumes in
Appendix B and other chapters to see which phrases trigger ideas in you.

Bonus Check
Name-dropping is the name of the game. Look for opportunities to enhance your image
by slipping in names of impressive people, companies, or organizations.

Warning! Functional Resume Ahead

Many times functional resume writers make the mistake of writing accomplishment state-
ments without indicating where the achievements took place. This practice makes potential
employers uneasy because they have no way of confirming the experience. The solution?
Give each accomplishment credibility by saying where it happened. Here are three ways to
indicate where your success took place:
1. Incorporate the name of the organization or your position into the sentence:
Managed Harrington Department Store’s $1.5 million budget.
Collaborated with executives to create a new marketing strategy, as member of the St.
Francis Board of Directors.

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