Flaunt Your Value on Your Resume

When writing a resume, you need to communicate your value to a potential employer. You need to do this clearly and concisely, as hiring managers don't have much time to spend reading your resume. Make sure your value jumps off the page as soon as someone picks up your resume. Here are some tips to help you make this happen.

Employers are looking for an answer to the question "What can you do for me?" when they read your resume. You need to answer this question quickly when writing a resume, preferably in the summary section that appears at the top of your resume. This summary should be three or four lines long and summarize the experiences and skills you have that are relevant to the advertised role.

Use facts and figures to support your claim that you can provide value to the employer. For example, if you have worked in sales, then you can quickly communicate your value as a salesperson by stating that you exceeded your sales quota every month during your last sales job. In other roles, you might be able to communicate your value by explaining how your innovative idea cut costs for the organization, or how you worked on a product that made huge profits. Use numbers wherever you can, as they allow you to communicate your value to the employer in terms they can easily understand.

Try adding a capabilities section to your resume. This section should include your key skills and qualifications. When drafting this section, it is a good idea to take a look at the job posting. If the posting calls for proficiency in using a particular software package, and you have this experience, then you should list it explicitly in your capabilities section. Including key terms from the job posting not only helps to communicate your value to employers, but also helps you pass automatic screening software, which some employers use to look for key qualifications on applicants' resumes.

Resumes need to be concise and to the point. If your resume spills over more than two pages, it is unlikely that any hiring manager is going to read all the way to the end. Cut your resume down by removing details of irrelevant work experience that doesn't help to communicate your value. For example, if you are applying for a job as an IT manager, the retail job you had while you were in college can probably go if you are trying to save space. A resume is not a biography. Instead, it is your opportunity to tell a story that communicates your value to the employer.

Optimize your resume by making sure that all the information it contains is relevant, quantified, and concisely presented. This approach can help to communicate your value to potential employers and improve your chance of getting an interview.

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