resume as rhetoric
Hey there, I’m really enjoying all the re-connection conversations I’ve had. Get yours soon! I’m sorry I don’t have a calendly link to share, y’all. That would require a higher level skill rating in calendar-ing, and come on, this is clearly an area where I do not shine. I’m working on it. I remind myself I am good at other things.
In all of my conversations lately, whether with hiring authorities, folks engaged in job searches, friends, or estranged contacts reconnecting, there have been common themes. We are all a bit tired, stretched a little thin,and our capacity for attention is somewhat lessened by events in the world at large and often in our own lives.
Our exhausted prefrontal cortex and smoldering amygdalas make doing everything harder including our jobs, or looking for a job. Looking for a job is itself a job for many people and honestly looking for work may be the most difficult job of all. Folks doing that difficult thing? I’m happy to give you a pep talk, because that usually helps me as well. Hit me up!
I’ve been talking a great deal about resumes lately with folks who read them and folks who send them. It may not surprise you to hear I have opinions about resumes and how we use them, and I think the general state of tired means we have to be especially careful with how we communicate in general, but especially when looking for work.
My position: Instead of thinking of your resume as a representation of yourself and your career, please think of your resume as a rhetorical device, a carefully crafted argument with the goal of earning a conversation. This is my approach all day every day as a recruiter and it makes me successful.
Folks who are not sending resumes but are reading them, do me a favor. Please give me your feedback on my advice here. Let me know if you think it is helpful. I think asking prospective candidates to think like a recruiter in crafting their resumes will drive better behavior and more success for us all. But as always, if you think I am off base I want to hear about it!
Here is a brief summation of much of what I’ve been discussing - and it seems to hit the mark.
Make a list of things of which you are most proud in your career. Include times you exceeded expectations, where you made a difference, where you fixed problems, prevented problems, accomplished goals, or saved the day. Think of what you did, what you used to do it, and with whom you did it. You are going to make sure you use all these items on your resume. A good exercise is making sure those accomplishments match up to the roles for which you are applying. If they don’t match up…don’t apply, find roles that do. This is a living list, add to it when applicable. Keep the list handy, and refer to it often.
You need a Professional Summary block. Many resumes I see do not have this section which is a missed opportunity to anchor how great a match you are in the perception of the viewer. I like putting it at the top of your resume just under your contact information. This area is where you employ your rhetoric skills to persuade the decider you are worth a conversation in regards to the specific role they are working to fill. It is okay to persuade, in fact that is the whole point. Be the persuader. Imagine objections and argue them into dust by showcasing your relevant skills and experience effectively. You’ll tailor this block for every role.
Take a look at your Professional Experience block and make sure you add granular accomplishments to every role that back up the argument you make in the professional summary block. Depending on the role you may want to use numbers – folks like those as you know – but you could also talk about harder to quantify things of which you are most proud. Again you’ll add additional detail or tweak the accomplishments based on the role you are seeking and applying to new roles might help you add new accomplishments to your list.
I hope this was useful. If so, please share it with friends who are struggling in this job market, and remember: Our well-being is bound together, we need to help each other thrive. This is a thing I believe.
Cheers!
Lisa