Joyce Richman: Does your résumé sell you better than you sell yourself?
Joyce Richman: Does your résumé sell you better than you sell yourself?
If you’re getting interviews but not getting any offers, it may be that your résumé is doing a better job speaking for you than you are speaking for yourself. If that’s the case, you’ll want to know how you’re missing the mark. Those answers can come from a combination of soul-searching, self awareness and candid feedback from people who know you best. To jump-start your thinking, here’s a sampling of comments from interviewers whose business it is to separate résumés that work from the people who don’t.
• “The applicant’s résumé was spot on for what we wanted. We were ready to make an offer before the interview began. Luckily, we waited. Instead of the self-confident person we envisioned, the applicant appeared uncomfortable, insecure and unsure of how to answer any question we asked. In order to stop the pain we stopped the meeting after 20 minutes. We may have missed out on a real star, but we needed a solid communicator who, right out of the box, could interact easily across functions, and manage up as well as down.”
• “The applicant’s résumé seemed too good to be true. And it was. We might not have checked, had he been able to articulate what he had done as well as his résumé said he had done it. So, out of curiosity, and because we don’t appreciate getting duped, we fact-checked. He made up 80 percent of what he wrote and exaggerated the rest.”
• “The résumé was well-written, well-organized and contained the experience we wanted. We interviewed the job candidate and concluded that she was intelligent and capable, but less assertive than we needed in this position. We questioned her about her ability to push back when needed, and to ask for what she wanted. She demurred on both counts. She said that she preferred to work in an environment where that was not necessary. That an aggressive workplace created too much stress for her, given her emotional makeup. We respected her position but passed on her candidacy.”
• “The résumé was representative of exactly what we were looking for, so we invited the applicant to an interview. Within the moments of our meeting we realized he was far more than what we wanted. He took over the room in ways that can work well at a sporting event or fraternity party, but he clearly was not a good match for our rather stuffy board room culture.”
• The résumé was a great match for what we advertised. The candidate arrived right on time, was well-spoken, well-educated, well-groomed and culturally sensitive. He had a keen awareness of how he could add value to whatever company he joined. What became increasingly evident, as we discussed a variety of issues, was that this candidate was more interested in changing career direction than he was in staying the course. We did not make him an offer.”
As always, it’s up to you as the applicant to match how you describe yourself to how you present yourself.
Joyce Richman is a speaker and career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of “Roads, Routes &; Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Richman’s latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during “The Good Morning Show” on WFMY News 2. You can find this column online by visiting www.TriadCareers.com/whois/joyce_richman.
