Take the Leap! Going Beyond the Job Description
Once again I received a resume with a copy and paste of a client’s job descriptions for the past 8 years; this is a very common occurrence. I provided her with questions to uncover the scope of responsibility, accomplishments, and all the ways she excelled in each position. After a 20-minute interview with my client, we uncovered numerous golden nuggets showing how she went above and beyond the job description. After all that detective work, the client asked me, “Are you sure this is going to make a difference? Is it good to show these numbers and details?” After a long internal sigh, I exclaimed, “Yes, this is what will earn you an interview.”
The job description is a legal document that defines an employee’s job duties and responsibilities. It is a forward-thinking document that covers everything expected of employee in return for compensation. While it covers what a person does, it does not even scratch the surface as to the true value of an employee. Here are some examples. What improvements did the employee make? What ideas did the employee conceptualize and implement? What were the results of those initiatives? How did the employee’s sales compare to goals? How much did savings did the employee achieve by consolidating operations? We must go beyond the job description.
The good news is that so many candidates in the job search market simply re-phrase their job description when writing their resume. Some even do a word-for-word copy and paste. Why is the good news? When you submit your artfully-worded document complete with concrete accomplishments and measured results, you will stand head and shoulders above the rest. Why? Because you took the leap and went beyond the job description to showcase your talents with EXAMPLES.
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.