I want to hire a coach but first need to get a solid first draft of my resume. Currently my bullets are formatted as “result, for who, and action taken to get result.” I put results first because then recruiters don't need to read far to understand the impacts of my work. For example “Decreased annual utilities by $xx through…” or “averted $xx penalty by…”Is this a good formatting?
Hi there,
for bullets related to your professional experience, suggest you swap the order to what can be considered standard in consulting resumes..
Recruiters are used to that format and frankly speaking they skim-read your CV anyways, hence complying with the norm helps them notice what's critical (your experience, rather than the outcome) more easily.
Adequate positioning of your experience, syntax and language used is exactly the part where qualified coaching can help you optimize your resume so I'd suggest you engage a coach rather early on in the process - the results will be better and it saves you significant time.
Feel free to reach out to me or any of the other coaches for an informal chat first, if you'd like to learn how to best work on your application materials.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Andi
Hi there,
Personally, I don't like this formatting.
It should be what you did and then the impact…in most cases.
The honest answer is that it depends on the specific bullet point as well as the hollistic resume.
Honestly, hire a coach now! Any coach worth their salt will do an offline review for you prior to (and after) the coaching call itself.
Additionally, most coaches should have templates for you etc.
For example, the way I run the resume review is:
No reason to wait :)
Hi there,
Don't put the cart before the horse, the saying goes.
For instance, I give my candidates everything for the CV - from template, to examples of CVs that have passed screening before to a guide on how to precisely write theirs. You only need to execute then.
So don't wait for your CV to be ‘perfect’ before you bring the coach in. It will cost you the same anyway regardless of where the CV is.
In terms of how to write the bullet points, the structure I've observed works best is saying WHAT you did, HOW and then quantifying the IMPACT of it. Of course, different bullet points require different things, but you can take it as a sort of rule of thumb.
Last but not least, it's great that you're putting a lot of emphasis on the CV. Not enough candidates are. This is one of the most important things that you can do and which are within your control in order to pass screening.
Best,
Cristian
Hi,
Others have already mentioned on a better way to structure your bullets.
But to explain a bit further - starting with result first in this instance is less intuitive to the reader, because the result at the start is without context so the reader has to read what comes after that and then circle back to the left to make sense again of the result.
Always make the life of your audience/stakeholders easier → this is an important formula for success :)
Hi there,
Q: I put results first because then recruiters don't need to read far to understand the impacts of my work. Is this good formatting?
I would recommend using a structure with Action → Result as I believe it could be clearer. Your approach could work as well, depending on how you structure it – it might be less clear though.
For more tips on how to have a great CV, you can check the following:
▶ How to Craft a Great CV for Consulting
Best,
Francesco
Hello,
I generally agree with Francesco, I think Action → Result usually reads better. However, this is generic feedback and it depends on what exactly you have there. I'm happy to do a resume review session to discuss this and other points with you if you like. There's no need to wait to get a “perfect” first draft before getting coaching - that's what us coaches are here for!
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