Career Cube Blog

The most problematic part of a resume for people seems to be crafting their accomplishments. The confusion between an accomplishment and a responsibility is the difference between generating excitement by selling what you can do, and making a bland statement that elicits the question “So what?” It’s the difference between being invited in for an interview…and getting no response at all.

A responsibility reads as if it was taken from your job description. It fails to distinguish you from any other person that held that title before you, or holds that title at any other company. It says your function, but it doesn’t speak to your ability to perform that function.

By contrast, an accomplishment is what differentiates you from any other person that does, or has done, that job. It not only indicates how well you perform your job, but what type of person you are.

How does a factual accomplishment reveal something as subtle and subjective as a personality trait? Measured with the length of time you were at a company, your number of accomplishments indicates the degree to which you are a go-getter. It says if you’re motivated to go beyond the average job, and how much pride you take in your work.

It tells the hiring authority if you look for problems and find ways to solve them, or if you are content with saying, “That’s good enough.” And it also tells him how well you know your job by how well you solved those problems. Let’s look at a basic example. If you’re a teacher, a responsibility might read:

* Developed innovative, education-based curriculum

Which leaves the following questions:

* For what classes did you develop a curriculum?
* Why did it need to be developed?
* What was going on before it was developed?
* What was the result of the development?

Interviewers want answers, not questions. Since the responsibility statement doesn’t indicate how well you performed your job, it’s easier not to invite you in for an interview. Interviewers don’t know if you have accomplishments hiding behind your responsibilities. They assume you don’t have anything to say, because you didn’t say it. They don’t care that perhaps you didn’t know how to say it. If your resume doesn’t sell you, it’s not their problem. It’s yours.

By contrast, the accomplishment version of the same statement might read:

* Created and implemented innovative, education-based curriculum that engaged students more actively, resulting in 75% of student body raising grades by average of a full point.

This says you’re worth talking to. Then at the interview, it opens the field for the interviewer to ask you for more information about what types of programs you implemented and how you implemented them.

An accomplishment is a results-oriented statement. It shows the benefit of hiring you by telling what you can do. What you’re saying is, “I know what you want done, and I’ve done that. I’ve done it successfully for my previous company; therefore, I can do it successfully for you. When you hire me, you aren’t risking an unknown. You’re hiring someone who has a proven ability to do the job successfully.”

That’s what interviewers want to know. That’s what they want to hear. They don’t want to wonder, and they don’t want to figure it out. And if your resume leaves them wondering and causes them to ask questions, the won’t figure do either. So if your resume doesn’t indicate what you’re capable of, the chance of an interview in which to sell yourself is very slim.

If you’ve been sending out resumes and getting nothing in response, take a look at your bullets under each company name. Do they just say what you did, or do they say how well you did it?

You’re selling a product, and the product is you. The interviewer is the buyer, and your resume is, in effect, your marketing brochure. But if the buyer isn’t interested, you can’t close the sale. And that’s your problem, not theirs.

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It’s very common to be hesitant to attend a networking event or party when you don’t know anyone. You want to be able to confidently work the room, meet everyone and have a good time. Instead you end up hanging out by the bar and eating your fill of cheese and crackers.

It’s OK. Everyone feels that way, and everyone has their own way of getting around it. Here’s a few tips.

Make it easy for others to connect with you. If you’re a woman, wear a piece of interesting jewelry, or a noticeable scarf. You don’t want to be the one wearing the pink cowboy hat, but you do want to be tasteful. If you’re a man, wear a class ring, pin, or an interesting tie. Give people something to talk to you about and ask you questions about as an easy icebreaker.

When you go to an event compliment others on what they’re wearing. (Secret:you don’t need to LOVE it) However, everyone does love a compliment and will instantly be your friend. That’s a great way to start a conversation and put someone in a friendly state of mind to network with you.

Share a slice of humanity with people. If you’re nervous–admit it to somoene else who also seems to be hugging the wall and have a nice laugh. If the food is above average, make a comment to the person in line with you.

50% of networking is the attitude you bring to an event, and 50% is the attitude that other people bring as well. If you’re talking to someone but they just don’t seem to be that into you, politely excuse yourself and move on. They might have had a bad day, may not be in the mood, could be coming down with a cold, anything! You don’t have to stay in a one-sided conversation. Which brings me to…

You need to have some conversation exit-strategies in mind, or bring a networking buddy with you. If you find yourself talking to someone for too long, simply say: “It’s been great talking to you, but I don’t want to monopolize your time. Is it OK if I follow-up with you next week?” You were polite so they didn’t feel like you were abandoning them, and you’re free to meet other people. A networking buddy can help rescue you, or you them, if you see that they’re stuck talking to someone too long.

If you want to be the person who “works a room”–then be that person. Have that image in your mind of a confident, funny, entertaining person who smoothly moves between different groups at an event. That person would make everyone feel important, get to know a little bit about everyone and then move on to another. He or she would always have a smile and a friendly attitude. They would also know when they needed to move on from a conversation–(HINT–improv trick–usually at the highpoint), and have several exit strategies at the ready. That’s it. That’s all it takes. It’s your attitude, and being aware of connecting with others.

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Ah tis the season to start gearing up for a job search for the new year. Maybe some of you have been on the fence with your current job playing the stay-or-go game, and perhaps some of you are actively on the prowl for your next big opportunity.

Take advantage of the holiday parties you’ll be attending over the next month to kick start that job search into high gear. Think about what duties you enjoy in your current job or past jobs, and your achievements. What qualities would you like your new career or job to have?

And also be honest with yourself-what are you trying to stay away from. Not just the bad boss (duh-nobody wants one of those in their Christmas stockings), but what skills are not your true talents? Not one person on the planet is great at everything. Everyone has a weakness. You need to be aware of what yours is, and avoid those positions that don’t let you shine. If you’re not good with numbers, then don’t take a position where part of the job is looking at reports and analyzing data. If you prefer to work with a group, then don’t accept a position where you’re expected to be self-motivated. Sometimes jobseekers can get so excited about getting out of the situation they’re in, that they jump without honestly assessing where they’re going. Bad move, very bad move.

So when you’re chatting with friends this holiday season, tell them that you’re thinking about looking for a new job. Let them know what skills you really enjoy using and what ones are really not your strong suits. ( If you’re talking with people you just met, it’s probably a good idea to not bring up the weaknesses, just so that’s not what sticks in their mind.) Then see what they suggest. You may get some ideas of companies or jobs that you hadn’t thought of. If you’re really lucky, they may even know someone to connect you with. But you need to know basically what you’re looking for, and you need to ask. People can only help you when you ask for help-the world’s funny that way.

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