The Ultimate Materials Checklist for Writing a Standout Resume
Two ways to induce resume writing panic: A blank page and a blinking cursor. But I don’t have to tell you that. They both tease and taunt your fingertips when your career growth hangs in the balance. But the resume writing process doesn’t have to start that way. Before the writing block hits, arm yourself to face those two writing bullies with the ultimate materials checklist to set yourself up for success before resume writing begins.
Ready to Resume Write
Deciding you’re ready to job search doesn’t mean resume writing is your next step. Your first priority is to know what role(s) you want. If thoughts like “I’m keeping my options open,” “I have so many interests I can’t narrow it down” or “My skills apply to a lot of roles” are like pinging notifications in your brain, you’re not ready.
Your resume is a marketing tool that postures your unique skills and experiences as the must-have solution to a prospective employer’s problems. Get down with marketing 101: Know your offer and your audience. Understanding a decision maker’s work woes and professional problems helps you tailor your career narrative to resonate with their needs, plus it sets you up with a targeted job search strategy and message.
So, if you aren’t sure what direction you’re headed, gain clarity first. You’ll thank me later.
Materials you need: 1-3 complementary roles/titles (+job ads) that highlight the work you want to do.
Who’s Who in Resume Writing
I’m talking about you. Your contact information is essential to your document. You may be the most qualified candidate in the market, but if hiring managers can’t reach you, you’re toast.
I’m stating the obvious here, but include your first and last name, cell phone number with a squeaky-clean voicemail inbox and an email address that nods to your tech prowess and professionalism (see your way out yadayada123@aol.com).
Your LinkedIn URL is also an important part of your content details. List and hyperlink your custom URL to a robust profile that speaks to your unique value promise to complement your application materials. Research shows candidates who listed their LinkedIn profile link on their resume were 71% more likely to land an interview than those who didn’t according to a ResumeGo study.
Materials you need: Modern email address, Custom LinkedIn URL, Cell number.
Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels
Career Facts in Your Resume
Your resume file consists of the nuts and bolts of your work experience. No surprise there. Make sure you have all the facts before you sit down to write. Nothing stunts resume writing like going down the rabbit hole of your email to nab a missing date or detail. The hunting and gathering take place before file creation.
Gather the particulars about your current and recent work, professional development and education that may be missing on your resume. You'll need the cold hard facts like years of service, geographical location, position titles, who you reported to, budget and direct/indirect report numbers, P&L responsibility, etc.
Also, consider rallying the deets about your industry and community involvement and/or board membership and leadership positions to strengthen your file. Even if work is unpaid, it doesn't mean it isn’t important to bolster your candidacy.
Materials you need: Facts about your work history: Company names, job titles, dates of employment, job title of direct supervisor, applicable numbers related to supervision/leadership, budgets and direct reports.
A Resume Riddled with Impact
Don’t let your resume become a hiring manager’s good excuse for a nap. Resist the urge to copy and paste second-hand AI content or your job description in your resume.
Instead, round up your accomplishments for each role. Think organizational impact: Profitability, productivity or efficiency, for example. Decision makers want to see how you’ll make a difference for their company if you’re on their employee roster. Hook ‘em with high-yield influence so they’ll invite you in to learn more.
Career Impact for Resume Writing Success
This is an alphabet soup kind of game. There’s CAR, STAR, CARL and SOART, but no matter which letter combo you use, you’ll get to the heart of what you bring to the table.
If you’re unsure how you uniquely contribute to your workplace, consider these 3 questions to distill your achievements and articulate your competitive edge:
How do I make the company better, stronger, more competitive, efficient or profitable?
What ideas have I come up with and what was the impact?
How do I benefit others?
Now, think of a proud work moment (or success). Let’s break it down using the C.A.R. method.
Taken from Hinge Resume’s Resume Branding Workbook
Here’s two real-life examples to get your juices flowing:
Taken from Hinge Resume’s Resume Branding Workbook
Now, I get it. Our memories don’t serve. This is where tracking down materials that tout your difference is essential. If you don’t have a one-stop storage shop, you’ll want to start one. Consider a Google Folder to drag, sort and organize your career wins going forward.
Materials you need: Past performance review, emails, Slack (or other internal) communication, slide decks, project notes, etc.
A Strong Resume Game
Consider your strengths. They’re not just something you're good at but what gives you that Mountain Dew jolt of energy when you exercise them at work. And it’s the star power in your personal branding!
Most women have a bad habit of naming their weaknesses with ease much more than their strengths. If you can relate, consider taking an assessment (or look back at the ones you’ve already taken). Try Clifton Strengths or StrengthsFinder for rich data that’s affordable, too. You can also dig into your DISC, MBTI or Strong to give yourself clues on how you are wired and your unique strengths.
Don’t rule out feedback from your areas of influence either. Survey friends, colleagues, leadership, etc. to get at how you shine.
Materials you need: Assessment results, feedback, kudos.
Skillfully-Woven Resume Writing
What skills do you use that make you feel like you can take on the world? Know them. And if you’re at a loss, hit the job boards. Not for application, but to mine the job postings that magnetize you for clues that hint at the skills you want to use.
LinkedIn’s Career Explorer and skills auto-populating search bar can aid your collection of a top 6 skills list that describes your work and reflects qualifications in your target role. Pointed questions within artificial intelligence is another complementary avenue for this data collection.
Materials you need: Performance reviews, feedback, Online research tools: LinkedIn O*Net, AI.
Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels
Your Resume High Five
What people say about you matters. Don't let others just take your word for the type of professional you are in your resume. Give them a 360 view by infusing social proof into your application materials. For example:
“Emma makes things go...She runs with whatever ‘it’ is and gets it done. She pulls massive amounts of data and acts as the puppet master for the tools and execution. In short, she moves mountains.”
Intrigued about this candidate? 100%! This is a real-life quote from a client’s performance review (adapted for anonymity) that was inserted in her resume for that extra edge and evidence.
So, layer in social proof to bolster your personal brand and career successes in your resume. Dig up past performance reviews and reference letters. Search your email for client or colleague kudos. Then, excavate the text for testimonials to share in your career collateral.
Materials you need: Performance reviews, reference letters, LinkedIn recommendations, kudos via email or internal communication channels.
A Resume Showcase
Work samples and/or a portfolio is primarily for a niche of professionals in the arts, tech and creative industries. Collect and organize all your assets in one place with a streamlined link to showcase in your resume.
For professionals not requiring a portfolio, think of your LinkedIn profile as a way to give evidence to your candidacy. You can pin your LinkedIn prose like thought leadership posts or articles, web content and/or other media like photos, .pdf files of work samples, certificates/awards, videos and presentations, assuming it’s not revealing any proprietary info.
Materials you need: Digital portfolio or work samples (as applicable) - Web content, articles, awards, press releases, photos, etc.
Your Resume Writing Materials Checklist
Without further ado, here’s your official checklist to break down the battle fatigue of writing your resume:
Want a trusty guide to continue to walk you through the resume writing process? I’ve got you. Download The Resume Key digital course where I divulge my award-winning resume strategies that land my one-on-one clients meaningful work. From the foundations of resume best practices to how to seamlessly weave together your unique value and job target keywords, you’ll have a resume that pops—and gets results.