Resume writing is a pain in the ass. I know. But, if you’ve got a template to follow, it aint that bad.
Here’s my free resume template you can use that I made.
What’s the goal of writing a resume and what are they looking for?
The goal of your resume is to detail your achievements and to sell yourself. There are five things recruiters and founders are looking to assess:
- Your cognitive ability (ex: intellect + problem-solving abilities)
- Your domain expertise (ex: your programming abilities if you’re an Engineer)
- Your communication skills (ex: your ability to convey your challenges, actions, and results through writing)
- Your leadership skills (ownership you’ve taken within companies / on projects)
- Your values (what you stand for)
How do I convey my achievements?
Use the “CAR” Method: Challenge → Action → Results
Achievements are measurable outcomes you’ve made to move the business forward. In aggregate, these achievements should speak to the challenges you’ve faced, the actions you took, and the results you drove (the CAR method: Challenge, Action, Results). This is also commonly referred to as SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact). REMEMBER THOSE THREE THINGS.
What writing format should I use for my bullets? Remember this: “Verb → Noun → Metric → Result”
Any time you write a bullet point on your resume, that bullet should contain a verb, noun, metric, and result (impact). Example: “Launched 24 A/B tests in 2021, increasing the conversion rate of the core funnel by 18%, resulting in $25 Million in gross sales.”
- Verb: Launched
- Noun: 24 tests
- Metric: 18% conversion rate
- Result: +$25 Million in sales
OK, NOW WHAT? HOW DO I BEGIN?
I’m glad you asked! Do this:
My advice:
- Use my template above. Download it. Go line by line. Remove my name. Put in your name. Remove my phone, email, address, and Linkedin. Put in your phone, email, address, and Linkedin. Remove my company. Put your company. You get it.
- 1st time around… crank through it. Don’t overthink it. Just crank. Put words on paper. I like to tell people: “If you only gave yourself 15 minutes to unload all of your thoughts on what you accomplished at each company onto a page, what would you write? Now. Do it.”
- On the 2nd time… finesse it. Once you’ve finished your 1st time around, then go back a second time and finesse. Take your jumbled words and craft them into a verb+noun+metric+result.
- Pay attention to these small details. Italicize what I italicize. Bold what I bold. Months within dates should either be ALL fully spelled out, or ALL be abbreviated. No periods at the end of a bullet. Consistency, consistency, consistency.
- Use strong verbs. “Led,” “Managed,” “Won,” “Hired” etc. Skip verbs like “Assisted,” “Supported,” etc. In hockey, there’s the person who scored the goal and the person who assisted him with the puck. Do you know who people remember? The person who scored. Score.
- Paint a more personal picture of yourself. I’m about to get flogged by the true working professionals out there, but you should bring your personal self to life in your resume. If you’re an athlete… include it. If you’ve started a website you’re proud of. Include it. If you won some big ass award. Include it. And most importantly, include 2–3 interests at the very bottom of your resume. Prior to the me-too movement, I created the “me-too moment.” You want someone who is scanning your resume at the end to think: “Oh man, me too!” The easiest way I’ve found to accomplish this is by including an interest that is both specific and generic at the same time by using colons. “Running: Completed the Boston marathon and 26 half marathons.” or “Snowboarding: Have snowboarded all 51 highest skiable peaks in the U.S.A.” The generic + specific company hooks someone on the generic piece and wows them on the specific piece. Try it out. Trust me.
DONE? GREAT!
When you’re done with the above, reach back out to me and I’ll have someone on my team review it.
Don’t overthink this.
Just do it.
That’s the skimmy gang. I hope this was helpful. Good luck out there.
