Will This Get Me Hired?

It is impossible to know ahead of time if what you have written for the resume will get you hired.

But you can use a process to systematically interrogate your content. This will help you to know you gave it your best.

I do not me "best" like a participation trophy.

I mean "best" as in you did the work.

And if you are like me such a process does not come natural or after a few hours it feels like a giant mess.

To overcome these feelings and rock-out relevant content with confidence be in the habit of asking the reporting questions.

Do this for each and every experience statement and data-point in your resume.

Do it for each word if necessary!

Yes, this means work.

But nothing calms the nerves like taking discreet action. Nothing helps a resume more than a structured review.

In the beginning it will feel laborious and time consuming. But with a little practice you will develop a rhythm or feel for doing this quickly.

How?

Your brain will find the better expression once it knows you are going to be deliberate about a thing like this.

The brain will push back at first. It is hoping you will surrender.

It is hoping you will go back to auto-pilot.

Push-back!

You won't break it.

The benefit will be resume content with greater specificity. It will also help you to adjust your resume content for different job submissions on the fly with sureness.

The reporter questions are: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.

The more details for each of these the better. You can skip some of these where you are not sure. But it is best not to make a habit. Write the answers down. This should take less than 20 seconds, yes, 20 seconds per item being reviewed.

Once you have answers to the reporter questions you do another pass with these questions and record your answers without filtering:
1. What are the noun and verb forms for these topics or word choices?
2. Which form expresses my experience the best?
3. What are 5 synonyms I could use instead?
4. Do any of the synonyms make the content or concept clearer?
5. Will this the resulting statement get me hired?

If you do not get a resounding “yes” from your inner-self on that last question, then you have more work to do.

Decide if this work it can wait. If you need a break – go for a walk. Literally go for a walk. A two-three-minute walk even. Do some exercises. Call a friend. Write a thank-you note. The trick is to do something to re-fresh and come-back ready to do more.

Make this writing session a party – invite people over and get their help on sections you are tired of looking at.

And yes, leverage Google by asking it to define your words. Borrow a Merriam-Webster dictionary if you prefer the feel a book in your hand. Find the dictionary for your industry. Find a glossary and leverage those insights.

“Will this get me hired?” is a quality check or nudge. You have to check yourself. You have to nudge yourself.

Why?

Because you can do this.

Learn to see your-truth.

Learn that you can do this!

This is my lead-page for the book www.resumepsychologythebook.com

This jumps to the book on Amazon http://www.Amazon.Com/-/dp/0692525602/

This is the author page on Amazon www.Amazon.Com/Author/DirkSpencer

Save some money buying the book here https://www.createspace.com/5714917
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The book is called Resume Psychology Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed- Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! by Dirk Spencer. ISBN-10: 0692525602 and ISBN-13: 978-0692525609 available in print and Kindle eBook.

My Twitter is https://twitter.com/dirkindallas

Connect to me on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkindallas

My online content is here http://www.slideshare.net/dirkspencer

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