When it comes to a job search, being able to quantify your skills is one of the biggest elements. Having viewed a lot of resumes at ClearanceJobs.com one of the biggest issues is seeing a resume and having no idea the kind of position an applicant is applying for.
Being specific, direct, and making your qualifications for a career immediately apparent is one of the most important steps you can take to land a great job. It’s also a key reason we frequently tell applicants that it’s not just important that you have a great resume, it’s also extremely important that you label it something other than “John Smith’s Resume.”
In addition to being clear, quantifying your skills is incredibly important. Each time you apply for a job you’re being measured against every other applicant. How you stack up to the competition is what will win or lose you the job.
One of the biggest disadvantages veterans, in particular, face in this situation is not knowing how they measure up in a hiring environment. Being given an unfamiliar set of criteria and trying to make a deployment or military career match isn’t easy. But it is vital if you’d like to get the job…
There should also be a story behind the words and numbers on the page. Demonstrate growth or advancement over time, improving outcomes, or what’s in it for the employer if they hire you. The reader should feel like they just found a rising star or a diamond in the rough.
Good post, Lindy. 🙂
Another thing that I have found is fairly important is to tailor the resume to the specific job, especially for someone who has more experience than what will fit on a one or two page resume
I agree with both David and Henry, and thanks for your comments! It’s critical to paint a picture with your resume, and you can only do that by tailoring it to a specific job. For veterans – who I had in mind in writing the article and who often come away with a lot of broad, marketable skills – this is absolutely critical. It doesn’t matter if you can “do it all” – you need to show what you can do in the scope of a resume in order to actually get hired!!