The 5 Key Elements of a Resume
- Spells Out a Concise, Clear Message
- Is Tailored to the Job Description & Industry
- Directs the Reader via Your Story
- Is Compelling & Captures the Reader’s Interest
- Results in an INTERVIEW!
Effective Stories
If I asked you “what did you do today?” You probably wouldn’t tell me a chronological story including details like taking a shower and brushing your teeth. Instead, you might say something like, “it was a normal day – but the best part was that I saw the Presidential motorcade while walking into work!” This event – perhaps only 30 seconds of your whole day – may be the highlight of your response.
You should remember this when thinking about what to include in your resume. If you previously worked as a public relations professional, you may be tempted to list on your resume that you wrote dozens of press releases and made hundreds of pitch phone calls, because these consumed much of your time. But in fact, it may be clear that you did these things simply from your title. If, for instance, you had to speak on-the-record to report one time when your supervisor was out of town, this may merit an entire bullet point, for example, you could write something like this: “Reported to executive team on behalf of supervisor during key leadership meeting.”
Situation, Action, Result (SAR) Template
Take the time to use the SAR bullet template to create your own Situation, Action, Result (SAR) statements for your resume and be sure to use the resume resources found on the MBA Career Resources landing page.