Resumes Aren't As Hard As You Think

I Know Why You Clicked on This Article

Yes, I know how to beat the ATS.

Yes, I will show you a straightforward way to beat the ATS.

But you'll have to wait until the end. Because it won't matter unless you follow the rest of these steps.

Skipping to the ATS section basically ensures that the human reading your resume will ask themselves "what in the world is this," before sending an automated "we don't think you're a good fit" email to your inbox.

So read through the entire article. Please.

Before we go through each resume section, let's zoom out and look at three major big picture items.

This Isn't Really About You

It took me forever to figure this out. I remember getting this advice five years ago and having no idea what it meant.

But it's like sales. Nobody cares about what you can do unless they can benefit from it. Your resume needs to read the same way.

Research the company and research the role.

Every item in your resume should reflect something they would find appealing.

Every item in your resume should make them say, "Hey, this person seems like a good fit here."

Your resume shouldn't say, "I'm perfect." It should say, "I'm perfect for you ('you' being the hiring manager)."

What does that mean? There will be some really cool, impactful stuff you've done during your military career. If you can't connect it to the role you want, it should not make your resume cut.

It's not fun. I personally hated that process. But the faster you come to peace with it, the better your resume will be.

How do you know which bullets to pick and which ones to leave out? It depends on the job you want, and...

You Have To Pick *Something*

I think it's a rite of passage to make a Linkedin account as a brand new transitioning veteran and have a headline that looks something like "Operations Manager - Program Manager - Director - CEO - All-Around Veteran Badass." I understand. I've had a similar headline myself.

But you have to pick a lane. Hiring managers don't hire for past accomplishments. They hire for proof that show you can do the job *they* need at a high level. Because, again, this isn't really about you.

If you have no idea what you want to do yet, start here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-figure-out-what-you-want-do-when-grow-up-shawn-gregoire/

Until then, follow the general advice of making a Master Resume where you put every cool thing you have ever done in the STAR format. It will come in handy once you figure out what you'd like to do for a living.

Until then, making a tailored resume will be a waste of time and energy. Wasting time and energy is bad!

What Do You Want Your Reader to Know About You?

People don't hire lists of skills, education, and professional histories. They hire people. Those people may have skills and past accomplishments attached to them, but they're still people at the end of the day.

Your resume should give an idea of what kind of person you are and you'd be a good fit for a role. Whether you want it to or not, your resume gives the reader insight about who and what you are. This is your chance to actively frame what you want the reader to know about you.

That's the reason the professional summary is really important. It sets the tone for what you want the reader to know about your skills and qualities.

This is also the reason choosing a role and researching it is important. There are some universal qualities that veterans tend to have, but which ones best apply to your future job?

I don't know that answer. But you should!

Professional Summary

This is your first and best opportunity to let your reader know what to expect from your resume.

Are there ways to convey your qualities without a professional summary? Yes!

Should you try it if you're changing careers? Absolutely not!

Let's say that that you're applying for a data analytics role out of the military.

Aside from your hard skills (SQL, Excel, Power BI), you should notice that they're looking for certain qualities. In this case, they're often looking for someone who is a fast learner, coachable, and adaptable.

You may have a million appealing qualities about yourself, but what should you put in your professional summary? That you're a fast learner, coachable and adaptable!

You can apply this method to any role you're applying for.

Of course, your professional summary is a start. The key for it to be effective is to give evidence of your summary through your...

Professional Experience

Let's follow through with the data analyst example and assume you put that you're a fast learner, coachable and adaptable in your summary.

Each of your bullets should show that you're either a fast learner, coachable and adaptable. You stated a bold claim in your summary. Now you have to show the proof through your experiences.

If you want to talk through a project you've done (great idea for a future analyst), put that you accepted feedback from a mentor to improve the quality or results in a measurable way (this shows that you're coachable).

Talk about how you had to learn a new system on the fly to deliver on a project (this shows that you're a fast learner and adaptable).

Each bullet should have a common theme, and that theme should prove what you claimed in your summary.

Hopefully you know to use the STAR method. Design is good and I don't have any preferences, as long as it's clean and not distracting. One page is preferable, but never go over two pages unless you're going after a research role.

Pretty straightforward stuff.

But what if your resume doesn't give enough insight into the kind of person you are? What if there is something in your background that was huge in your development and you need to mention it somewhere? Well, you can put it in your...

Notable Interests

This is the perfect place to put unrelated projects or experiences that shape who you are as a person. I don't think this section is used nearly often enough, and I'm sure that it's rarely ever used well.

But you can turn it into a powerful way to stand out from the sea of resumes your friendly hiring managers look though every single day.

Don't be scared to get unique here. If gardening for several years honed your patience and turned you into a detail oriented person, then say so.

If you volunteered for a nonprofit that reflects your core values and principles, put that here. It matters.

This is the closest you should get on a resume to talk strictly about yourself, and it's really helpful if you use it correctly.

But you can make this about your reader too. If you know who will read your resume, look up some of their hobbies and interests. If one of your interests match, then put that front and center in your notable interests!

Some quick hitters before getting to what I'm sure you're waiting for:

Education - list your GPA if it's high, leave it out if it's low.

Core skills - don't overload your resume with these. Six that directly apply to the role is often enough. You have to prove these in your professional experience too.

Technical skills - you should spell them out somewhere in your resume. Yes, even Microsoft Word.

Let's Beat the ATS!

So assuming you've read through the rest of this article, you should be ready to ensure a human actually reads your resume. Here's how:

1. Take 5-10 job descriptions of the role you're looking for.
2. Copy them and paste them into a single Word or Text document.
3. Go to wordclouds dot com and put that document into the scanner. The words that pop up most often will be big. Ignore the obvious connector words (a, an, the, etc.).
4. Sprinkle the words the pop up most often throughout your resume and Linkedin profile where appropriate.

That's it!

But starting at the ATS is missing the forest because you're focused on a tree. Worry about the big picture. Know your target company. Know your target role. Prove that you're a good match in your resume. Then worry about getting past the ATS.

Hope this was helpful! I would love feedback on what you found insightful or any questions you have!