Resume writing is a second-cousin to de-clogging the shower drain, cleaning the trash can after the leftovers spilled over, or emptying the vacuum bag of nasty hair and string.

It’s one of those things that we generally dread doing but needs to get done (and can sometimes be a hairy process, pun intended). About a year ago I reviewed 150 resumes in a one-week period for a leadership program. After resuscitating myself, a few consistent gaps became apparent that, if altered, could maximize the impact of a resume.

Aside from this 150-resume-binge, I have sat on numerous search committees and coordinated multiple programs that require resumes as part of the application. In fact, I fancy myself a pretty good judge of quality resumes. From personal experience, I can tell you that, in general, a reviewer will not spend more than 60 seconds reading through an application. So here are seven ways to really make those seconds count:

1. Identify your skills.
   Start by asking yourself the question, “What are two skills or abilities that I excel at?” These could be anything, but should be skill-based. For example, you may be a skilled strategist, communicator, public speaker, organizational guru, researcher, mathematician, or bow-hunter. These take some time to identify, so don’t hurriedly put down something generic that you think people want to hear. Once you identify those skills, be sure they are referenced throughout your resume. After all, a resume is a snapshot of your experiences and the skills or abilities you have developed.
2. Identify who you are.
   Just as the resume shows your skill-set and background, the cover letter complements it with a “this is who I am” focus. In other words, ask yourself the question, “Who am I as a person and what do I value?” The cover letter is all about your character. Again, list two things you would want a reviewer to understand about who you are. This could be that you are a hard-worker, a people-person, or that you believe integrity is the greatest virtue. These are typically things that don’t generally show up on a resume, but that are an important piece of your identity. Regardless of what you come up with, the goal of the cover letter is to succinctly explain who you are by citing examples from what you’ve done on your resume. By the way, showing the reviewer that you are a people-person through a powerful story is better than simply saying, “I’m a people person.”
3. Quantify your experience.
   “Coordinated leadership programs for the campus” sounds pretty cool. But “coordinated 12 leadership programs for more than 1,200 students, faculty, and staff” sounds even better. Whenever possible, plug in numbers to give your resume reviewer some context. Remember, if I’ve never coordinated a program, worked with your committee, or produced widgets before, I have no context for understanding the true nature of what you accomplished. Make it count by including some numbers!
4. The devil’s in the details.
   There is really nothing worse than coming up with a fantastic resume and then blowing it with misaligned margins, erratic punctuation, or 17 fonts. Make sure all columns line up, you are consistent with periods, and you use no more than two fonts. A graphic designer once told me to use a sans-serif font (lacking the little tails on the letters) for headings and subheads and a serif font (has tails to guide your eyes when reading) for the actual text. Sans-serif fonts such as Arial and Helvetica make the headings pop. Serif fonts like Garamond and Times make it easy for your eye to follow the text.
5. Prioritize.
   The order that you list experiences speaks to their importance. If you list a professional job above a volunteer position, this would say that you want the reviewer to focus more attention on the things you learned from that professional experience. If you are applying for a volunteer job, you may want to flip-flop those experiences.
6. Give it the 30 second test
   My colleague introduced me to this test. Once you are done with your resume, give it to someone to review it for 30 seconds. Take it away and ask them to regurgitate what they believe are your skills. Ideally, they should recite the skills you identified in step one. This simulates the actual resume review process and can provide some unbiased feedback.
7. Keep a “Wins” list.
   For the past several years I have kept an ongoing “wins” list on my desktop in a Word document. This is pretty self-explanatory. Every time I experience a “win” — something I achieve or some way that I add value to the organization — I write it down. When the time comes to update my resume, I have a power list of things I’ve accomplished while working at this organization. This streamlines the process in the future and makes “cleaning the drain” much less painful.

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What other tips have you come across that may be helpful to someone preparing a resume?? List them below in the comments and add value to this article — then list that on your resume!

I’ve done it before as well. You start thinking about changing jobs so you open up a Google search and type “jobs in ____________.”

You’ve already failed.

You’re going to spend countless hours perusing random job boards and reading hundreds of job descriptions, only to get discouraged and more confused and end up right back where you started.

Searching for your next job is like going on a roadtrip. You would never research places and weather and road conditions and then set out on the journey without first looking at your car to figure out if you’ve even got the wheels to get you there.

I’d love to go to New York, but I’d never drive my ’03 Honda Civic to get there. Better to first analyze my car, it’s advantages and disadvantages, and then pick a place.

Instead of diving headlong into your search, first take some time to figure out what you’re driving — who are you and what do you do best? What are your skills, talents, values, ideal environments, financial needs, and passions? Then use this information to narrow your search.

If you don’t know who you are, you run the risk of stalling out prematurely and not making it to your destination.
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Get to know you. It’s the best investment you can make.

I talk to many people in any given week who have brilliant, transformative ideas that they want to launch into the world, but who don’t know where to start.

I get it. It’s overwhelming.

Here’s the formula I’ve discovered that works for me for starting an initiative.

Note: this is not a comprehensive plan for launching a business but it will get you started. And starting is usually the hardest part.

Step 1: Take something you do — something you believe in — and tease out the system. What parts can be replicated by anyone, anywhere?

EXAMPLE: I was talking with someone last week who believes in building culture in schools. I asked how she does this and she described her method. Without realizing it, she followed a number of steps, albeit intuitively. I coached her to pull out the 3-5 steps and describe them in detail with a principle (such as “Step 1” above), an example, and next steps for someone else who wants to implement the steps.

Step 2: Identify the audience.

EXAMPLE: Who needs it? Who wants what you have? Resist the temptation to say, “everyone.” Who is the low-hanging fruit — your specific niche who needs what you have now? In her case, the target audience was anyone who has “culture-building” as part of their actual role in schools. This is likely principals, assistant principals, deans of students, and grade level chairs.

Step 3: Connect what you have to the audience.

EXAMPLE: What’s the easiest way to reach them? Email? Social media? A presentation? For her, a simple email would work. Draft the email, include the steps, and send it along! What’s the structure of the email? Here’s what I would suggest:
1. “Hello” and intro.
2. “For the past several months we’ve been building culture in my school. I wanted to share what we’ve done and the outcome, as well as a few tips that may help you in your effort.”
3. Share what you’ve done, the tips, and a few ways to execute.
4. Ask for feedback and other ideas. “I’m hoping to open up the conversation and hear what’s working for you!”
5. Thank them. If appropriate, send along a link or other method for them to provide feedback.

Step 4: Get feedback.

EXAMPLE: Ask for their thoughts. What works for them? What have they tried? What do they think about your proposed steps? Encourage them to implement the system and give feedback.

Step 5: Offer more.

EXAMPLE: Offer additional assistance in the form of a video, in-person meet-up, coaching, newsletter, emails, or some other mechanism. The more value you can add to your audience, the more they will come to you as the expert. You will build tremendous influence and credibility.
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Now keep up the momentum! Starting is just that — the beginning. Most initiatives live or die by momentum, which comes from consistently adding value over a long period of time.

From True North by Bill George:

“Citing a recent visit with business school students, Dave Cox, former CEO of Cowles Media, quoted one as saying, ‘Maybe I have to get my satisfaction someplace else and I’ll just do the business part to make money.’ Amazed by the comment, Cox raised his eyebrows quizzically, ‘Why would you want to spend your time doing work you don’t enjoy? These should be the best years of your life. There is so much energy that results from feeling valued and connecting with what you’re enthusiastic about. That is when you add the greatest value.'”
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If this is you, I beg you to reconsider. Start by reading chapter 6 of this book:

Sincerely,
Dustin