Your Resume Isn't A Job Description

A resume that reads like a list of duties doesn't tell your professional story.

Answer: cleaning bathrooms, having a root canal, and reading insurance policy documents.

**Buzz In What are things I’d rather do than write my resume? Oof, I know how you feel.

Maybe it’s not that bad, but I’ve heard many clients say that they don’t like to write resumes. Whether you find it uncomfortable to talk about yourself or you just don’t know where to start, writing a resume can feel like a chore. I’ve been known to speed-run chores, but the extra effort with resume writing is worth it because telling your story with intention will get more interviews.  

Here are some resume traps to avoid:

The Job Description Trap

If you find yourself struggling with where to start, avoid matching your job description to create your work experience bullets. Your resume isn't a job description. Job descriptions are created by human resources professionals, usually working in tandem with the hiring manager for a position. Job descriptions are not intended to be interesting or designed to reflect growth and achievement. They are meant to serve as a tool to define the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the job, to communicate basic requirements and expectations to job seekers, and provide a reference for employees in that role to be measured against.

While job descriptions are valuable, they don’t say anything about who you are or what you achieved. A resume stands apart from competition when it tells a story or paints a picture. If you are struggling to get started writing about your job, you could review your job description and use it to reflect on your successes but avoid the temptation of copying and pasting your responsibilities as resume bullets.

The Job Posting Trap

Hiring managers and recruiters often load job postings with phrases like “team player” or “manage competing priorities” listed to describe what’s needed to be a top candidate. It might seem like including these phrases in your resume would catch their attention, but these are too vague to describe who you are and what you’ve achieved. Instead, their job posting fluff language will become your resume fluff language. Recycling job posting language makes you sound like a human job board, not a professional with unique value.

Over Relying on Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a great tool to help you create your resume, but over reliance on AI can set you up for failure. The areas where AI can excel are helping to get started with what to include or exclude, formatting and editing, and choosing compelling language. Mitigating these struggles can help you build momentum and cut down on the time needed to create your resume.

Leaning too heavily on AI can have its consequences. You may lose the personal touch that writing in your voice delivers, or you may create a resume that comes across as having been created by AI. It’s possible that you may end up with misleading statements in your resume, as AI works to create attractive content without the full context of your lived experiences. If AI creates does all of the heavy lifting, you’ll have to play catch up in the interview. A great way to prepare for an interview is to reflect on and write down your accomplishments. Sounds like writing a resume, right?

How to Make Your Work Experience Stand Out

Those of you that struggle talking about yourself, this is for you. Your resume is not the place for modesty. That doesn’t mean get carried away bragging about yourself, but you are expected to tout your achievements.

Here’s what matters:

Show what you have done (with specifics), such as:

• Leading a team or work group

• Creating programs, policies, or procedures

• Developing strategies or budgets

Show how you did it:

• What tools did you use?

• What methods or techniques?

• While working with a team or independently?

What were your results?

• What goals or targets did you meet or exceed?

• How were your results measured?

• What measures show consistent performance and results?

Examples of Transforming Work Experience Bullets:

Sounds Like a Job Description: Maintain and monitor data dashboards and monthly reports

Sounds Like a Job Posting: I make data dashboards with visual appeal

Impact & Achievement Focused: Designed data dashboards and created monthly reports that highlight key performance indicators

Sounds Like a Job Description: Participated in various projects and workshops, as assigned

Sounds Like a Job Posting: I’m a team player with ability to manage multiple competing priorities

Impact & Achievement Focused: Led the voluntary employee engagement workgroup that delivered five actionable engagement strategies to executive management

Sounds Like a Job Description: Met monthly sales call and volume expectations

Sounds Like a Job Posting: I’m a self-starter and grew sales in my territory

Impact & Achievement Focused: Exceeded sales targets within territory for 8 consecutive quarters while improving customer satisfaction scores

The impact and achievement version in these examples shows how you can highlight impressive achievements while maintaining humility. The job posting and job description styles leave questions unanswered and are not memorable. To paint a full picture of your professional experience, you must show what you’ve done, how you did it, and how it turned out.

Read each bullet on your resume and ask yourself those questions. Recruiters and hiring managers will not fill in gaps on your behalf when reviewing your resume, so answer those questions for them and they’ll be left with a strong idea of who you are as a professional and what you can bring to their organization. They will want to invite you for an interview to learn more about you.

Remember, you are not a list of duties. You are a professional that has a record of growth and achievement, your resume should reflect that. Invest some time in creating a resume that shows what you have done, how you did it, and how it made a difference. Not only will you get the attention of the recruiter, you’ll remind yourself of how much you’ve grown and achieved.