Boston Career Counselor Blog

Whether you wish to improve your current resume or you’re starting from scratch, try this 10 minute exercise to get those creative resume juices flowing and your mind on the right track.

10 Minute Resume Exercise

Sit down in a comfortable place with a notebook and pen (or laptop). Your goal is to brainstorm answers to the following questions. Don’t worry about having complete answers; just jot down whatever springs to mind. If you get stuck on something, move on. This is meant to be a starting point, not a comprehensive account!

1. Jot down instances at work where you’ve really felt proud and excited. These could be particular tasks done well, compliments for things you do habitually or specific accomplishments you’ve achieved.
2. Write down any awards or formal recognition you’ve received in your industry and/or at your workplace.
3. Think about numbers. What kind of figures can you think of that relate to your past work experience? Think of clients gained or kept, money earned or saved, employees managed or hired, new initiatives accomplished, percent efficiency or employee morale gained or improved. Make up numbers for the time being if you don’t know them off the top of your head.
4. Now, imagine you were your boss. What does (or should!) your boss value most about you?
5. What things do you do, or have you done, that show how you live up to #4?

Now step back and think about how you can incorporate this information into your resume. Remember, a resume is about showing what kind of value you can bring to a prospective employer. It is not a place to write comprehensive job descriptions. That’s for human resources! So use the information you gained in this exercise to demonstrate your true value on the resume. And if you feel like you don’t have enough to write a great one yet, keep these questions in the back of your mind and repeat this exercise in a few days.

My favorite resume critiquing exercise is to ask a client to read his/her own resume and see what they think.  If, for example, the resume sounds boring and uninspiring to YOU, how could it possibly sound better to a potential employer?

Now I know that resumes are never really going to be anyone’s idea of pleasure reading, but they can be attention-getting and they can inspire an employer to hire you!

So how exactly do you write a resume that won’t bore employers to tears?  No, I wouldn’t suggest wacky fonts, colors or resume cartoons.  Instead, writing an engaging resume is about proving to the employer, through past results, just how valuable you would be to them.

As you write your resume, don’t try to comprehensively list your job responsibilities as one might do in a job description.  Rather, ask yourself:

1. What measurable results have I achieved in past jobs?  How much  money saved, efficiency gained?  How many clients attracted, employees trained, customers returned?

2. What unique things did I do that make me a superstar?  Did I catch an error which saved the company money?  Did I land that company-changing client?  Did I improve the process by which things are done?

3. What are my greatest strengths?  What concrete accomplishments can I point out that “prove” just how great I am at these things?

4. What skills, strengths, abilities would make me invaluable to an employer?  How can I demonstrate, through my actions, that I have done and can do these things?

Instead of trying to give a complete picture of your every job responsibility, focus on the things which can prove just how valuable you are.