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I agree with Toni, that one needs to show prospective employers / hiring managers how one used one's skills and expertise in real life, as listing responsibilities alone doesn't show how one used one's knowledge. The very fact that a job-seeker can state his accomplishments proving his competence in his Resume shows that he is result-oriented. Providing a laundry-list of one's responsibilities doesn't mean anything to a recruiter. The world respects and remembers those who delivered results, not those who made the efforts. Does anyone remember who 'tried' to scale Mount Everest before Sir Edmund Hillary did it with Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay ?
A list of responsibilities is what happened to the applicant - what the employer imposed upon the worker. Meaningless! (Except that it shows me the applicant is an average joe or jill with no spark of imagination or drive.)
I'd rather see a QUANTIFIED set of accomplishments - how much time, money, chalk, and marbles did their efforts either bring in to the company, or save for the company, based on exactly what they did and how they did it. Follow that with a list of KSAs and any pertinent licensure. All the rest is wind-blown dandelion fuzz!
I'd rather see a QUANTIFIED set of accomplishments - how much time, money, chalk, and marbles did their efforts either bring in to the company, or save for the company, based on exactly what they did and how they did it. Follow that with a list of KSAs and any pertinent licensure. All the rest is wind-blown dandelion fuzz!
Robiisan, I agree with you but with some exceptions. Some roles just dont have a good set of quantifiable accomplishments. I am in a lead technical support position and my tasks are client driven. I spent four hours last night upgrading our software's medical interfaces and had to troubleshoot some of the installation issues. It is difficult to state that I saved the client or my own company money or time.
While your actions may not be measured in a dollars or time they are definitely quantifiable, just move up on the impact chain. By that I mean what you did impacted a system (yours or the customers). That enabled them to do something. That something probably contributed to their overall business or mission effort or goals. Think about how you enabled the project to be completed on schedule or how your actions returned a dead system back to service or how you contributed to maintaining a 99.99% SLA. Given that you were working on health care systems, the patient care spin is wide open.
Actions are always measureable. Sometimes you just have to step back and look at them from a bigger perspective. The further up the impact chain you can track your actions, the more impressive they sound. It also shows that you understand the business and your part in it.
Actions are always measureable. Sometimes you just have to step back and look at them from a bigger perspective. The further up the impact chain you can track your actions, the more impressive they sound. It also shows that you understand the business and your part in it.
@MaSysAdmin: While I understand your position and I somewhat agree with the idea that it can be difficult to quantify accomplishments, I tend to agree more with @mckinnej that actions - positve or negative - are almost always measurable. Even if the results seem to be intangible and therefore "unquantifiable."
From your comment, it appears that perhaps you are not giving yourself credit where credit is due. @mckinnej brings up a good point: that four hours you spent upgrading the software's medical interfaces "impacted a system (yours or the customers). That enabled them to do something" - probably a great deal. So ask yourself the what if question. What if you had not accomplished what you did? What would have been the impact? What you did was allow operations to continue and it had a positive impact on business continuity. That my friend is quanitifiable.
From your comment, it appears that perhaps you are not giving yourself credit where credit is due. @mckinnej brings up a good point: that four hours you spent upgrading the software's medical interfaces "impacted a system (yours or the customers). That enabled them to do something" - probably a great deal. So ask yourself the what if question. What if you had not accomplished what you did? What would have been the impact? What you did was allow operations to continue and it had a positive impact on business continuity. That my friend is quanitifiable.
What's the cost if those interfaces are NOT working. A physician can't see the records\labs\xrays\other results? That same physician then has to rely on what?? And at what cost? Or perhaps the echo can't be read and the physician misses something and the patient goes to another provider. Or worse you cancel a days worth of patient appointments because of the "down interface" while some tech with no institutional experience fumbles around trying to sort out the problem.
You sell yourself short.
You sell yourself short.
SO... If I wrote on my CV: "I ran a retail outlet totally on my own 6 days of 7, for 7 years with virtually no lunch breaks and did EVERYTHING a small single retail outlet requires including mopping the floors at night, and maintained an average of 350k turnover with a profit of 200k +, only took 3 days sick in that entire time; and even went to work when I got knocked off my bike that morning, OR during the year I got addicted to pain killers because I was suffering from a hernia (probably brought on by heavy lifting of the stock) while I waited for an operation which the owner was not prepared to pay for because I couldn't prove it...because there was no-one else to run the shop - I did all that and I didn't even own the shop or company, I was employed as a manager for less than 17,000 a year... and even after my "redundancy" the company is STILL in business because of all the procedures, goodwill and everything else I put into place.
Would that get me a bloody job? Because frankly nothing else has worked.
If I were allowed to list all of my personal abilities and accomplishments, my CV would be 3 pages... but everyone says I'm only allowed 1, maybe 2 at a push so a portion of who I am and what I can bring to any position is lost - OR I look like a self inflated egomaniac that anyone reading my CV thinks it MUST be bull****.
Would that get me a bloody job? Because frankly nothing else has worked.
If I were allowed to list all of my personal abilities and accomplishments, my CV would be 3 pages... but everyone says I'm only allowed 1, maybe 2 at a push so a portion of who I am and what I can bring to any position is lost - OR I look like a self inflated egomaniac that anyone reading my CV thinks it MUST be bull****.
Oh and did I mention I saved that sorry PoS's company as when I joined just 6 months after inception it was already almost 50k into debt, almost all suppliers had cut him off and the bank was threatening to foreclose on the mortgage the business resided in. Yeah I did all that and more.
Your dedication (except of course for the addiction part) needs to mentioned somewhere. I would strongly suggest career counselling because you obviously bring a lot to the table and would be of benefit to any organization that required dedication and skill. Obviously you can't include it all on a CV - but then, the bulk of what you mentioned would be excellent material for an interview. Action words for CVs, and details for the interview - that's how I do it anyway. And those action words (managed, coordinated, assessed, etc.) would have to be mentioned in the context of what the potential company is looking for - which obviously requires research on your part. There's a *lot* to consider, not the least of which is: learning how to see CVs in terms of the employer's needs and requirements, rather than your own. I've seen resumes come across my desk, indicating excellent work accomplishments that had nothing at all to do with the job being advertised and, sadly, had to discount them. If an employer has to read between the lines to figure out if you're a good fit, you've lost before you begin.
Your disgruntlement at your former employer, while understandable, would have to be let go. If any of it was given the light of the day for a potential employer to see it, you would not be considered. (I suppose my saying that is redundant, and you probably already know it.)
Your disgruntlement at your former employer, while understandable, would have to be let go. If any of it was given the light of the day for a potential employer to see it, you would not be considered. (I suppose my saying that is redundant, and you probably already know it.)
Yeah - this hit a bit of a nerve for me, I guess I'm a little more hmm aggravated than is good - for reasons I didn't fully go into. I do try to tailor each application to the company and what I think will be relevant, and I don't of course add any of the above 
.
Having said that I think your advice on trying to add the parts about the dedication is good, although trying to do so without sounding like a self inflated gasbag might take some finesse.
.Having said that I think your advice on trying to add the parts about the dedication is good, although trying to do so without sounding like a self inflated gasbag might take some finesse.
Lost on Mt. Everest? Ya that would be rather meaningless to an employer! 
I was going to say letters of commendation speak for themselves, but I like you answer better!
I was going to say letters of commendation speak for themselves, but I like you answer better!
Your point is very good, though actually I would have nothing against "responsible for" and "experienced at"; the more precise explanation can come in the interview. What I found annoying as I read >3000 resumes for a recent employer were words like "Excellent communication skills" and "Good team player". EVERYONE (with a very, very few exceptions) put those phrases down. I just ignored them (and similar claims) completely, except with "excellent communication skills" was misspelled; then it became a strong negative (!).
I DO have "excellent communications skills" - almost everyone I meet remarks how I speak with a posh voice (almost no accent), well enunciated, calm, clear and precise, no-one ever has to ask me to repeat anything, and I use words according to the situation (and dumb them down a bit if I have to) - my voice is the kind of type you hear on TV documentaries, with some bottom end timbre to add a bit of weight to it. If someone has screwed up, I don't need to shout; I can make my feellings VERY clear with precise modulation.
Should I write that instead?
Should I write that instead?
Braggadocio - who knows? Some employers might be shocked enough to hire you just because you were different that way! Hmm! Brazen self promotion - Why not!? It works in the TV ads, maybe for the job hunt as well!
I've heard where some bosses like prospective employees who insult them! You never know!?
I've heard where some bosses like prospective employees who insult them! You never know!?
You might be a perfect fit as a voiceover professional. One of my acquaintances has a voice such as you describe, and he's been auditioning.
Seriously though - I have read so many similar blogs recently - all going on about how words used today are so, well, 1980's or something - and yet surely we can 'feel' the depth of a CV enough to give a person an actual interview (or not!) and then at that juncture lets see if they shine or lack that necessary spark.
I agree somewhat with mail2ri above who states actions speak louder than words - so let those 'actions' be elaborated upon during the interview.
I agree somewhat with mail2ri above who states actions speak louder than words - so let those 'actions' be elaborated upon during the interview.
Sorry but that's rubbish - either all recruiters have no viable sense of "depth" when they read CV's or they do as another said - dismiss half of it as "the usual claptrap", even if what has been said IS an actual facet of that person; who has no choice but to use those words or publish a novella of who they are and what they can do for you.
Trust me; from BITTER experience I have very little belief in what you have just stated as true, because if it were I would be at work now, somewhere, NOT reading yet another article on how to try to refine my CV so I actually get a callback and interview.
Trust me; from BITTER experience I have very little belief in what you have just stated as true, because if it were I would be at work now, somewhere, NOT reading yet another article on how to try to refine my CV so I actually get a callback and interview.
every one of my Euro-friends that have moved over here, has found a new life and prospered in the US. That is if you can stand to leave the Fatherland.
If you manage a team then how can you demonstrate that your team was important to the company without saying what they did - and that dreaded phrase "responsible for" must come into it. Likewise if you have been in a role like Support where your successes aren't noticed but your failures damn well are - if you've done your job well there is little concrete to show for it and you are left with just being able to point out the area of the company where disasters were avoided.
"Experienced in" also used to mean just that, but presumably word inflation means attending a course is now experience. However it's not always possible to give real examples, if your work has been in areas of jealously guarded IP then you risk breaking confidentiality agreements by being specific.
The context in which these terms are used matters
"Experienced in" also used to mean just that, but presumably word inflation means attending a course is now experience. However it's not always possible to give real examples, if your work has been in areas of jealously guarded IP then you risk breaking confidentiality agreements by being specific.
The context in which these terms are used matters
I think that saying that you "managed a team that did something specific..." or "lead a team that.." is always go going to be better than saying "responsible for something vague..."
Likewise, even if you are in support, reference quantifiable measurements of success "lead the systems support team that provided 99.99% system availability, meet 100% of service level agreements, and reduced mean time of problem resolution by 35%"
Likewise, even if you are in support, reference quantifiable measurements of success "lead the systems support team that provided 99.99% system availability, meet 100% of service level agreements, and reduced mean time of problem resolution by 35%"
Or add to that, 'site inflation.' There have been several recent sets of articles/comments about LinkedIn - the once useful professional site, pre-social networking. The current move of 'endorsing' others for often-phantom skills in hope of similar endorsements in return makes use of the site as a reference on a resume a bit of a hazard.
Right, and a few years from now we'll see posts like this saying that the stuff people put in resumes now is outdated and offer up yet a new nomenclature without which unemployment is assured.
Interesting: so, do you think things don't change or do you think things shouldn't change? Either way, of course you are wrong. Things will change and very likely they will change faster than you think. My guess is resumes will soon be nothing more than interesting antiques from a time when employers did not have more accurate measurement tools, like Virtual Job Tryouts. Likewise, college degrees, long considered a bastion of the resume, will finally mutate into something meaningful to an employer, probably replaced by certification systems that measure recent and relevant academic knowledge of a specific desirable and applicable subject area. Everything points to this....but maybe you're right. Maybe nothing will change....
Surely these expressions are relative. Sometimes there appropriate, sometimes not. You can't really see what people are like until you employ them. If someone says they were responsible for something, your reference from their previous employer will verify whether these were fulfilled or not. Sometimes you just have to gauge it from the interview. If your a good interviewer, you will draw out the personality of the person and reveal what they are really like.
Few previous employers will offer any job reference beyond date hired and date terminated. The immediate supervisor may choose to do so, but will usually do so as an individual and not as a representative of the company. Too much risk of lawsuits, dontchakno?
Totally wrong. There is nothing wrong to use all these 'Responsible for', 'Experience at', and 'Team Player', just that you also need to include some examples such as 'I am responsible for the re-structuring of our operation team, reducing the overtime work from 20 hours a month to less than 8 hours on average, saving more than $30,000 overtime payment.....'.
Seems like "I led the team for the re-structuring of our operation, reducing the overtime work from 20 hours a month to less than 8 hours on average, saving more than $30,000 overtime payment.....'. "- sounds better to me. I tend to agree with the author on this - If you want your resume to stand out, using tired old euphemisms will not garner you notice.
Well then I guess you should also add these in your list:
1. Multi-tasker
2. Hard-worker
3. In-charge of
Otherwise, further elaboration would be necessary.
1. Multi-tasker
2. Hard-worker
3. In-charge of
Otherwise, further elaboration would be necessary.
From personal experience sometimes all you get is:
"Here's the problem...fix it - I can't tell you how, because if I knew, you wouldn't be here"...
That's essentially how I got my last job - retail management wasn't even my previous field, I had to learn stuff; and set up stuff, from scratch, but that's one of my many talents, I can join the dots when others can't see how.
How would you otherwise describe that, or should I use the above paragraph, adding to the aforementioned novella instead?
"Here's the problem...fix it - I can't tell you how, because if I knew, you wouldn't be here"...
That's essentially how I got my last job - retail management wasn't even my previous field, I had to learn stuff; and set up stuff, from scratch, but that's one of my many talents, I can join the dots when others can't see how.
How would you otherwise describe that, or should I use the above paragraph, adding to the aforementioned novella instead?
And being a little less specific about knowing, responsibilities and team playing might be the difference between getting your foot in the door or left with no response
The word is resum - without that accent on th efinal 'e' it's a completely different word with a different meaning.
Of course, over this side of the pond we call it a CV (curriculum vit??)...
Of course, over this side of the pond we call it a CV (curriculum vit??)...
You're right and it was a nice try, but your accented character didn't make it. On my browser your post says "resum", which IMHO is worse than giving in to the flaws of technology and just using "resume". At least my spell checker doesn't freak out. It's the same problem with "cafe". Hardly anyone writes it with the accent, but we know how to say it. However, on a hardcopy resume (or CV in your case), I would make sure those details are covered.
It's the same problem with "cafe". Hardly anyone writes it with the accent, but we know how to say it. However, on a hardcopy resume (or CV in your case), I would make sure those details are covered. 
- Perseverance
- Willing to deal with staff of all levels
- Technical experience and how can it contribute to the job that is being applied for....etc..
- Willing to deal with staff of all levels
- Technical experience and how can it contribute to the job that is being applied for....etc..
When I first saw the title, I laughed.
Made it sound as if there were actual meaningful words in resumes.
You know, words that would guarantee getting an interview at least.
Most people have about 2500 words in their vocabulary they share with others (speaking and writing). How each person use those words is one of the ways we try to distinguish amongst them and decide who might be the most useful (profitable) worker.
Made it sound as if there were actual meaningful words in resumes.
You know, words that would guarantee getting an interview at least.
Most people have about 2500 words in their vocabulary they share with others (speaking and writing). How each person use those words is one of the ways we try to distinguish amongst them and decide who might be the most useful (profitable) worker.
"Collaborated with accountants to determine what their needs were,"
Is this really any better, in my opinion collaborated is no better than responsible for the difference is, like someone else said, it is one of the current trendy words while responsible for is considered out of date. There still isnt really any solid information there about what you actually did. I mean seriously how did you collaborate, and doesn't everyone today collaborate, so big deal. Hiring managers must all be idiots the way you portray them.
Is this really any better, in my opinion collaborated is no better than responsible for the difference is, like someone else said, it is one of the current trendy words while responsible for is considered out of date. There still isnt really any solid information there about what you actually did. I mean seriously how did you collaborate, and doesn't everyone today collaborate, so big deal. Hiring managers must all be idiots the way you portray them.
If you're just starting out, you might have a small enough list of accomplishments to fit on a resume. Eventually, if you're actually accomplishing things in your job, you list of accomplishments will outgrow a manageable resume. That also may not display the wide range of things that you can do. Just because my major accomplishments revolve around architecture, might not mean that I can't write HTML. Accomplishments are good, but employers want to know what you CAN do to match you up with what they need done.
I was once part of a group that built software for satellite phones, which means I could have been anything from the manager of the group to the person who cleaned fingerprints off of the computer screens.
Who is to say these words are outdated, you have 2 pages max to tell the prospective employer about your working life, if you are responsible for things then you need to put responsible for and so and so on. If we listen to all the CV gurus who want to make money off the backs of the people who want to find work then a CV would consist of your name, oh and don't add abreviations it is pretentious you know.
I find most of the articles on how to build the "perfect" resume laughable. A resume is first and foremost an avenue to get you in the door for an interview. Managers are so busy these days that they take a cursory glance at a resume, assure it meets the minimum qualifications for the job and then makes a snap decision on whether to interview the applicant. Of course, grammar and spelling are HUGELY important, but whether you use the words "responsible" or "collaborated" doesn't mean squat, in most cases. We all haven't worked projects that meant millions of dollars in new revenue to a company; many of us are just extremely well-versed in keeping the day to day operations of a company running. Stop putting pressure on people to come up with these grandiose resumes. Shine in the interview... be matter of fact in your resumes. This is the kind of article that just encourages people to lie on their resumes, as it paints an unrealistic expectation of what a resume should be.
"A resume is first and foremost an avenue to get you in the door for an interview. Managers are so busy these days that they take a cursory glance at a resume, assure it meets the minimum qualifications for the job and then makes a snap decision on whether to interview the applicant."
And that's EXACTLY why a compelling opening statement is effective. I posted a few lines from a friend's resume, a copy writer, and you would have read it in detail if it was 10 pages. It was like reading a motivational book, captivating in fact! I deleted it though as it was so unique, copying just on or two lines had Google popping it up as the #1 hit.
If you think for a split second that a simple attention grabbing resume will get you in the door, you better be one hell of a copy writer.
"Stop putting pressure on people to come up with these grandiose resumes. Shine in the interview... be matter of fact in your resumes."
Missing the point? You can't "shine in the interview" if your resume isn't unique and simply DRAWS someone into reading it in detail. If you have a 'matter of fact' approach, you better be sure that your skill set is so unique and unmatched that the reviewer is amazed, in order to GET that interview for you to shine in to begin with.
There's no need to LIE about anything, just learn how to write and how to SELL YOURSELF. The interview is for negotiating and closing a deal, not getting past the secretary's desk.
Finding a job is no different than selling a product, in this case, yourself.
You have to either get to the top contact right away and PITCH THE BUGGER, or you have to get past the gatekeeper (secretary/HR) and then go and pitch the boss.
If you think for a split second that you can write a resume, the way techs write brochures, you are in for a shocker. Techs write technical information, I have yet to see a tech write a proper brochure that actually SELLS something as opposed to just being informational, to the point....matter of fact.
Without a proper presentation, you wont get past the secretary, you won't see the boss and you won't be "SHINING" for anyone in person.
And that's EXACTLY why a compelling opening statement is effective. I posted a few lines from a friend's resume, a copy writer, and you would have read it in detail if it was 10 pages. It was like reading a motivational book, captivating in fact! I deleted it though as it was so unique, copying just on or two lines had Google popping it up as the #1 hit.
If you think for a split second that a simple attention grabbing resume will get you in the door, you better be one hell of a copy writer.
"Stop putting pressure on people to come up with these grandiose resumes. Shine in the interview... be matter of fact in your resumes."
Missing the point? You can't "shine in the interview" if your resume isn't unique and simply DRAWS someone into reading it in detail. If you have a 'matter of fact' approach, you better be sure that your skill set is so unique and unmatched that the reviewer is amazed, in order to GET that interview for you to shine in to begin with.
There's no need to LIE about anything, just learn how to write and how to SELL YOURSELF. The interview is for negotiating and closing a deal, not getting past the secretary's desk.
Finding a job is no different than selling a product, in this case, yourself.
You have to either get to the top contact right away and PITCH THE BUGGER, or you have to get past the gatekeeper (secretary/HR) and then go and pitch the boss.
If you think for a split second that you can write a resume, the way techs write brochures, you are in for a shocker. Techs write technical information, I have yet to see a tech write a proper brochure that actually SELLS something as opposed to just being informational, to the point....matter of fact.
Without a proper presentation, you wont get past the secretary, you won't see the boss and you won't be "SHINING" for anyone in person.
@Toni Bowers: The use of "kind of" in the line "Being responsible for something also sounds kind of passive" is in itself passive. Or was that your intention? It would be better stated as, "Stating that one was responsible for something also sounds passive."
Turn this around and apply to most job ads and you'll see the same phrases so people respond in kind.
I read then re-read this article and it occurs to me that Toni should not be writing for technical people (IMHO). I can't "quantify" my dollars and cents value to the company because I'm so engrossed in learning Exchange 2010 or Citrix XenApp 6.5 or Server 2012!! BUT, when a server or servers go down, when a network communication is lost......one guess who's phone lights up? Guess who has people lining up at my cube? Yep Toni - I keep things running and, if possible, keep them from ever going down. I supposed that is an "accomplishment" but most who read resumes don't have a clue about this.
What about the places where resumes are parsed by software before a human even sees it? You HAVE to have the proper buzzwords or terminology otherwise it just gets kicked out without being read by a real person.
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