The results are in!
You're a Beginner Analytical Ace
Your Standout Resume Success Formula Is…
Own Your True Expertise
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Value Your Soft Skills
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Highlight Your Most Hireable Qualities
Congratulations, friend — by completing this quiz, you’ve proven your commitment to creating a standout resume and scoring your “just right” career. If you’re ready to earn the income you deserve while doing meaningful work and making a difference, let’s jump in!
You might be newer to the workforce, but what you may lack in experience, you more than make up for with your originality, enthusiasm, and can-do attitude. Think those traits aren’t sought after? Think again.
Potential employers can see that you’re willing to learn and adapt to their businesses’ unique culture. To them, you represent a fresh perspective — you’re more likely to ask innovative questions and challenge outdated work practices and methods.
Not only that, but you’re an expert with all things data, analytics, numbers, and spreadsheets. You love deep diving into all of the research and unearthing insights that other people might miss.
You’re meticulous and detail oriented and more than capable of putting your nose to the grindstone for as long as it takes to see a project through.
Here’s the thing: you’re the real deal. You’ve done the work. And your achievements deserve to be recognized and rewarded with a satisfying, fulfilling career.
If that sounds like a stretch, just know that that’s what I’m here to help you with. By putting your standout resume success formula into practice and learning how to own your strengths and translate them onto paper, you’ll be one step closer to hearing those spectacular words
“You’re exactly who we’ve been looking for!”
Ready to learn more about your standout resume success formula?
Let’s dig in!
"Dreams are extremely important. You can't do it unless you imagine it."
— George Lucas
Your Standout Resume Success Formula Explained…
You’ve studied up on your industry’s unique hiring practices, reconnected with your references, and streamlined your professional skill set.
Now it’s time to turn those successes into a resume — a resume that communicates all the valuable talents and traits that you have to offer...
Whew, that’s a lot of work.
But after writing and reviewing thousands of interview winning resumes over 14 years, I know that when you follow your unique success formula, finding your perfect fit position is more than a possibility.
It’s just a matter of putting the proven steps I’m about to share into practice!
1. Own Your True Expertise
You’ve poured your precious time and energy into perfecting your expertise. I’m talking about late night study sessions, relentlessly crunching the numbers, and coming away from it all with enough knowledge to go around.
Now it’s time to learn something new: how to sing your own praises, get some serious recognition, and clearly state what you bring to the boardroom table.
If you’re rolling your eyes and thinking “easier said than done,” I get it.
Putting yourself out there and proclaiming your expertise is scary.
Maybe you’re worried that you’ll set the bar too high and end up letting people down. Or that your resume will come off as braggish and get tossed in the bin. Better to play it safe than stand out, right? Nope!
When it comes to writing a standout resume, getting comfortable with self-promotion is necessary — how else are potential employers supposed to see what you bring to the table?
And (to state the obvious) your hard work deserves recognition.
By getting really specific about your expertise and backing it up with the metrics, data, and statistics that you hold so dear, you can set yourself apart from that virtual stack of resumes and boost your chances for an interview.
Your unique characteristics that make hiring managers do a double-take:
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Problem Solver
You know that for every problem there’s a solution, and you’re set on finding it.
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Work Ethic
You *happily* spend hours obsessing over your work.
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Meticulous
For you, no mistake goes unnoticed.
Psst… knowing your weaknesses is every bit as important as knowing your strong suits.
Based on your responses, you can stand out by detouring around the traits that detract from your brilliance...
Stop me if this sounds familiar, friend…
You’ve brewed yourself a big mug of spearmint tea and settled in at your desk. Today is the day — you’re going to write a standout resume that’s sure to secure your “just right” job.
But after typing in your basic information (email, phone number, and address — all the easy stuff), you hit a bit of a roadblock.
From technical expertise to slick spreadsheet skills, you know you have so much to offer…
But even if you’re just getting started, this whole “finding and winning your dream job” thing can feel stressful and overwhelming.
Have you ever thought about getting a little crazy with your job search? Maybe even having fun with it?! Because sitting at home scrolling through job boards all day is NOT the only way to find a job.
Sometimes, you’ve got to get out of the box and embrace some creativity. Especially if doing so feels outside of your comfort zone. Here are a few ideas for you:
– Use Technology, Branding, and Some Creativity
Like one ad exec who was out of work for so long he decided to do something lots of us would consider totally crazy and buy six Google ads, explicitly addressed to creative directors at companies he wanted to work for.
He was banking on the idea that these creative directors would one day Google their own names. When they did? His ads showed up at the top of search results and linked to a personalized landing page on his website.
He got four interviews and two job offers from that creative idea —and his days of sitting at home are over.
– Give A Helping Hand
As an Analytic Ace, you’re detail oriented and technologically adept. And you can take advantage of those strengths by also being generous. Just like this savvy programmer…
When he noticed an error on the GoGetFunding site, he contacted the CEO, pointed out the mistake and then proceeded to tell him how to fix the code.
The outcome? Let’s just say that he’s become one of GoGetFunding’s lead programmers!
– Mention Your Dream Employer On Your Own Website
Just like Mike Freeman, who created a website with an “About Me” page that started off with “I’m Mike Freeman and I want to work at Shopify.”
And his home page? It began with “So, I’ve noticed that Mike Freeman doesn’t work for you guys yet… “
Did it work?
100% He’s now very happily employed at Shopify.
Will it work for you?
It just might! It’s sure to be a lot more fun than another day of scrolling through job boards. And it will go a long way towards positioning you as a perfect fit for your dream job!
Branding doesn’t just help businesses attract their perfect fit clients. It also helps job seekers attract their perfect fit dream jobs!
Your personal brand is more than just a statement. It’s your reputation online and off. Not only that, but it’s still a relatively new concept in the job seeking market. Which means you get a competitive advantage if you use it.
And I’m here to help you use it well! Starting with…
Your Resume: Yes, you definitely should create a branding statement at the top. But don’t stop there! Infuse your entire resume with your personal brand. Then support your reputation with facts and figures.
Your Cover Letter: Emphasize your brand statement by adding quotes from previous employers and elaborate in a different and creative way why you offer something that others don’t.
Your LinkedIn Profile: 92% of employers are searching online for candidates. And you can bet they’re starting with your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it matches your personal brand and goes deeper to show who you are than your resume or cover letter.
Your Google Profile: This is the easiest way to make sure that what you want your employers to know about you shows up first when they Google you. So create one and make sure it’s cohesive with the way you’re positioning yourself online.
Your Twitter Profile: Be concise, crystal clear, and make your mark. You’ve got 200 characters in that bio and it’s a great way to tell your dream employers who you are and what you have to offer.
Your Thank You Letters: Get used to sending them after every interview. Most people don’t so it gives you the advantage. And it’s an excellent place to emphasize who you are and what you do.
Your Email Signature: Make sure you include your branding statement as well as links to your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google. That way you can lead your dream employers to compelling information about you — that you’ve curated to perfectly fit your personal brand. Bonus points if you’ve included recommendations written by past employers or clients showcasing their out-of-this-universe experience with you!
Your Blog: What’s that you say? You don’t have a blog? Well, once you finish reading this quiz — get on it! They’re so easy to create and one of the best ways to position yourself as a subject matter expert or industry and thought leader.
When you leverage your personal brand and make sure your Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, and blog are all perfectly cohesive with your resume and cover letter, you’re opening the door to more opportunities.
Before you know it, recruiters and hiring managers will start finding you — instead of you searching for them!
If it’s easier for you to succeed than to turn around and tell others about your successes, you’re so not alone...
We tend to celebrate traits like modesty and humility while looking down on “boastfulness.” But when it comes to your career, minimizing your achievements can be a major issue.
How will potential employers know what a catch you are if you don’t tell them?
To sidestep around this, try getting outside your head by thinking about how others have described you and use their words instead of your own.
Here's your homework:
Reach out to three people from different areas of your life, and record their responses.
2. Value Your Soft Skills
Are you the king or queen of concentration and complex thinking? Can you while away hours searching for answers and asking innovative questions? Come up with solutions no one else can see?
Those traits matter to hiring managers!
While hard skills demonstrate your experience and industry-specific training, without the soft skills, like problem-solving, empathy, and open-mindedness, to back them up, your growth potential is limited.
On top of that, soft skills are essential to a happy, healthy work environment. They make the tough stuff, like negotiating interpersonal conflicts, possible — no wonder they are so sought after.
Because you’ve spent your whole life honing your soft skills, it may be difficult to take a step back and recognize them, let alone list them out on a resume...
But, hey, that’s why I’m here to help.
Based on your responses, I know that you’re an incredibly insightful and curious person. Once you find something that truly interests you, you’re willing to give it all your time and energy, learn it back and forth.
So what does this mean for your resume? You’re most hiring managers’ dream researcher! To communicate this, try including an example of how you’ve used your soft skills to achieve awesome results in a bullet point on your resume.
3. Highlight Your Most Hireable Qualities
Not to add one more thing to your milelong list of resume writing to-dos, but deciding on your resume’s format is almost as important as deciding on the information it includes.
Think about it, Human Resources Representatives spend an average of 6 seconds scanning your resume before deciding whether or not it’s worth passing along to a hiring manager...
So burying your selling points in a bog of long paragraphs, irrelevant experience, and flowery language, isn’t in your best interest.
What is in your best interest is top-loading your resume with valuable information and highlighting your many skills and accomplishments — sound good? Let’s get to it!
There are two primary resume formats: chronological and functional. Chronological resumes are organized by date while functional resumes are organized by skills, accomplishments, and career highlights.
Here’s the thing though, because you’re near the beginning of your career, you may not have enough experience to fill out a chronological resume, and functional resumes are a bit of a red flag to Human Resources Representatives.
But fear not — that’s where a hybrid resume can help…
Hybrid resumes are the best of both worlds. They shine a spotlight on the hard and soft skills that make you a perfect fit for the position you’re applying to and present the chronology of your past jobs later in the document.
Check out how it all comes together in the 2-page example below:
Average Resume:
Stand Out Resume:
P.S. Want to hear me dive a bit deeper into resume formats? Listen to this LinkedIn Live interview I did with LinkedIn News Editor Andrew Seaman right here!
What most people don’t know about hiring processes in 2021
(+ how a few resume tweaks can help you dramatically increase the number of interviews you get)
Gone are the days of dashing out to Staples for a $40 ink cartridge (how are those things so darn expensive?!), so you could print out a hardcopy of your resume and hand-deliver it to your dream employer...
Because everything — including the job market — has moved online.
I’m talking about employment sites like CareerBuilder, Indeed, and, my personal favourite, LinkedIn (psst… you can follow me for more resume writing tips right here), which a whopping 92% of recruiters use to post positions and screen potential candidates.
And this digitalization of just about everything has made for some serious changes in the hiring process.
Now, more than ever, it’s vital that your resume speaks not only to your accomplishments and achievements, but also to who you are as a person. Because you won’t have the opportunity to speak face-to-face with a hiring manager unless you are part of the lucky 20% of applicants actually called in for an interview.
Those odds aren’t encouraging. Sheesh.
But thankfully there are tweaks you can make to dramatically increase your chances — that’s where personal branding comes in...
Personal branding is the practice of marketing yourself, your talents, and your career as a brand.
It’s an ongoing process where you establish a professional image and leave an impression on others about who you are, what you can do, and why they should work with you.
Put it into practice:
Write a targeted, personally branded career statement, which will allow you to differentiate yourself from the crowd and market your unique skills and abilities, so prospective employers know you can meet their needs.
In need of inspiration? Check out this example career statement I wrote for an Entry-Level Human Resources Administrator:
“Dynamic and performance-driven human resources administrator with robust organizational, customer service, and communication skills. Multidisciplinary industry expertise with emphasis in records management, payroll processing, and accounts payable and receivable.”
Sounds pretty good, right?
But before we dive any deeper into personal branding, I want to introduce you to another concept at the core of my resume writing strategy:
The modern 3-step hiring process
It will give you insight into all the bells and whistles your resume needs to have to secure your job seeking success:
Once you submit your resume, it’s uploaded into the Applicant Tracking System.
For those blissfully unaware of ATS, it’s a software that 97% of large companies and 80% of small to midsize companies use to scan incoming resumes and determine whether they are worthy of moving on to human scrutiny.
The applicant tracking system parses out the information included on your resume and scans it for keywords and key phrases that the company has assigned value to. Then it gives you a score and decides whether or not you’re a good match.
This means it’s ABSOLUTELY necessary for you to include industry specific keywords in your resume (psst… if you’re wondering what that means, read my article How Do I Use Resume Keywords?)
Once the applicant tracking system works its technologic magic, a Human Resources person will do a 6-second resume scan for keywords, past experience, dates and job longevity.
This is why it’s so important that your resume is skim-friendly with the most important information in its top-third.
If the Human Resources person likes what they see, they pass it along to the hiring manager.
The hiring manager takes over. They look at accomplishments, results, how you impact the bottom line. They’re looking for those quantifiable metrics, the proof you can do what’s needed...
And then, and ONLY then, will they contact you for an interview.
That’s a lot of boxes to tick and gates to jump over, but what’s waiting on the other side — your perfect fit career where you can earn what you deserve doing work that really means something — is well worth it.
Don’t worry, I’m going to do everything I can to help you make sure your resume and cover letter are interview winning ready!
“Who's the Resume Writing Whiz Behind This Quiz?”
(Besides the gal LinkedIn News calls the “go-to resource for people looking to land their next job”… )
Hello there and welcome!
I’m Jessica Hernandez, the founder of Great Resumes Fast.
I remember the exact moment the idea for Great Resumes Fast first emerged in my mind:
I was at my desk in my former career in HR as a recruiter, and I was sitting across from a person who had stopped by to drop off her resume. A few minutes into our chat, I knew she was a perfect fit for the position.
Then I glanced down at the resume she had handed me.
And I was shocked.
Nothing on her resume conveyed the professional she really was in person. None of the incredible skills and accomplishments I had discovered in a five-minute conversation were in writing.
Had I not happened to be there when she stopped by, I would never have called her in for an interview based on her resume.
We would have missed out on this amazing team member, and she would have missed out on this position that was so perfect for her. All because her resume wasn’t doing her justice.
That’s why our mission at Great Resumes Fast is to make sure you get an interview where you can really shine.
With almost 2 decades of experience directing hiring practices for Fortune 500 companies, I’ve developed proprietary, innovative, and success-proven resume development and personal branding strategies that generate powerful results for my clients.
I’ve hand-selected, trained, and mentored a team of twenty-five exceptionally talented, credentialed, and ambitious resume writers who’ve ALL worked in hiring departments.
Our team is laser-focused on putting client needs first and creating unique resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles that make our clients outshine their competition (plus they’re all industry specific keyword pros!)
Our exclusive resume consultation and collaboration process is the secret behind our success — and the reason we offer a 110% satisfaction guarantee.
Let me tell you, I’m so happy you’ve taken this quiz because everything you’ve learned so far will position you light-years ahead of most other applicants. There’s just one kicker — you need to put it into action!
I’m here to help you do just that. So get excited because each step we take together will bring you that much closer to finding your perfect fit position.
All my best,
Jessica
Curated Resources From the Great Resumes Fast Blog to Set You Up for Resume Writing Success
Tune into this episode of my podcast Called & Equipped: What Your Resume Needs to Look Like in 2021. It’ll set you up with 7 actionable strategies to do away with Applicant Tracking System anxiety and align your resume with the modern hiring process!
Learn how to position yourself as perfect for your dream job by using your resume to Make Your Skills A Match for whatever HR is looking for.
Instantly upgrade your resume and hook hiring managers at first glance with this article: 33 Stand-Out Phrases to Freshen Up Your Resume. You’ll learn how to speak to your skills, talents, and strengths and increase your odds of scoring an interview.
Your dream job is just around the corner...
Now that you know your resume success formula, it’s time to take the next step and start implementing it. And whether that means starting from scratch or rewriting your existing resume, I’m here to help.
Make sure to check your inbox because I’m sending you a list of 178 power words and phrases, so you can share the stories of your successes, challenges, and strengths that employers want to see on your resume!