The #1 thing an employer is looking for on your resume…
Can you guess what it might be?
Related: How To Create A Resume That Captures The Hearts And Minds (And Job Offers) Of Employers
A title that matches the position they need? A certain school? Perhaps their alma mater? The name of an impressive past employer?
Wrong. Wrong. And wrong. Sorry. The most important thing an employer is looking for on your resume, whether they're the recruiter or the hiring manager, is...
ROI.
More specifically, return on investment.
No matter what industry you're in, or where your expertise lies, every hire is an investment of time and money. Every employer wants to see a return on that investment and they want it to far exceed the amount invested.
If you think this only applies to hiring sales people or executives, think again. Every position brings value to the company that can be measured monetarily. How else would they be able to determine your salary or justify you on the books?
To make sure you show ROI on your resume, you have to understand the bottom line returns the employer is seeking for the posted position.
How Do I Affect The Bottom Line?
It's easy to see how sales positions affect the bottom line simply because that role is to literally bring money in to the company. But every position plays a role in generating revenue.
For example:
A Facilities Admin keeps track of utility bills, orders supplies, and sends bills to Accounting.
Accounting pays the bills, the electricity stays on, and the office supplies get delivered to employees.
Having electricity and supplies enables those employees to do their work.
That work includes sales, distribution, fulfillment, consulting, and all the other functions that actually bring cash into the company.
So, the admin's work is necessary for the company to have revenue.
How Do I Show ROI On My Resume?
Most often an employer is filling a position in order to solve a problem, make money, save money, and/or increase efficiency. Making sure you can show your value in that area requires a few steps:
Understand the job description
Research the company
Identify the “pain point" the position needs to address
Create a compelling case that you solve that pain point.
Understand The Job Description
Reading the job description carefully is key to presenting yourself effectively. Not every job description is created equal.
Beyond the basic requirements, look for clues as to what the underlying need might be. Do they ask for expertise in specific systems? Chances are they've invested in an enterprise system but don't have the right people to manage it. Does the description highlight a specific ability? They may want to grow their business in that area.
Understanding the job description goes beyond seeing the basics. Look for clues that identify the real need.
Research The Company
You know you need to research a company when preparing for an interview, but you should actually research before you submit a resume.
Questions you should be able to answer include:
What does the company do?
What industries do they serve?
Are they subject to government regulations, and if so which ones?
How large is the company? How many offices, employees, and/or customers do they have?
Identify The “Pain Point" The Position Needs To Address
A “pain point" is a buzzword in marketing used to describe finding your customer's pain or the problem they need to solve. Your resume is essentially a marketing document, so understanding the pain point makes sense.
Look at the job description and your company research. Think about what you know about the job and the industry, and try to figure out what the real problem is that needs a solution. What is the thing that the hiring manager will tell the boss that they'll get with this hire?
And don't cheat and say, “We need to replace Bob." Figure out what problems “Bob" was responsible for solving. What are the reasons for re-filling that position after Bob leaves?
Create A Compelling Case That You Can Satisfy That Need
Use what you've learned to understand what the job description requires and what the company's true pain point is.
To get attention and win you the interview, your resume must make the persuasive and compelling case that you can solve the problem and produce an ROI that is higher than your competitors for the same position.
Update your resume with quantified accomplishments, action-verb descriptions, and clear and relevant experience. Create powerful number-backed examples of how you've satisfied the need in your past experience and produced results for past employers.
And show me that ROI.
Do you need help transforming your resume to showcase accomplishments with numbers and create a stronger ROI case? I have been writing resumes professionally for 20 years and can help!
Michelle Dumas founded Distinctive Career Services, LLC (formerly Distinctive Documents) in 1996, one of the Internet's longest-standing resume writing, personal branding, and career marketing firms. As one of only a handful of multiple certified professional resume writers, including the prestigious NCRW, CPRW, CPBS, CEIP, and JCTC credentials, Michelle is widely respected as an authority in the resume writing and employment services industries.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.