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Enhancing Your Job Interview Strategy Through a Strong Resume

When it comes to job interviews, many individuals are familiar with the fundamental strategies—conducting thorough research, arriving on time, and presenting oneself in a professional manner. However, beyond these basics, Richard Bolles’ renowned book, “What Color is Your Parachute?”, offers a less conventional but valuable insight: don’t allow your resume to dominate the interview agenda.

At first glance, this may appear challenging, as candidates typically have the opportunity to ask questions only at the conclusion of an interview. Nevertheless, the elements listed on your resume can guide the discussion toward more compelling narratives about your qualifications rather than merely detailing your career history. In interviews, emotional resonance often trumps factual evidence, making it essential for candidates to share authentic stories that underscore their suitability for the position.

According to Bolles, the primary purpose of crafting a resume should not simply be about preparing for the interview. Instead, each bullet point must be evaluated based on its potential to earn you an interview invitation while avoiding elements that could confuse or raise concerns for reviewers.

To take your resume from adequate to exceptional, you should reassess your bullet points with an eye toward what stories they tell. Steve Dalton, author of “The Job Closer,” identifies three tiers of resume content based on its origins and descriptions: a basic resume outlines job responsibilities; a good resume draws from performance reviews to showcase significant projects, while a great resume highlights your “greatest hits,” highlighting impactful stories you wish to share during the interview.

Dalton notes that while basic resume language has long been deemed sufficient, there is ample opportunity for enhancements that can significantly improve interview outcomes. For instance, a basic bullet point like “Responsible for recruiting students for the department’s graduate program” can transform into “Developed the recruitment strategy to enroll 20 students into the department’s graduate program” on a good resume. The pinnacle of this transformation on a great resume could read: “Optimized a $10,000 recruiting budget for the department’s graduate program by crafting innovative recruitment strategies through a targeted digital marketing campaign, resulting in a 25% increase in enrollment.”

Although this last bullet point might seem lengthy compared to conventional advice suggesting brevity, Dalton affirms that such elaboration is suitable if the details are carefully curated.

“Great resumes will feature fewer bullet points, but each will carry greater weight,” Dalton explains. “During interviews, you want to emphasize your most impressive achievements, so you should avoid putting yourself in a position where you might have to discuss less notable experiences.”

There is an inherent risk when interviewers select points from your resume, potentially inviting discussions on less impressive tasks. To mitigate this, candidates should present only bullet points that lead to conversations about their key success stories.

Once an interviewer sees a compelling resume example, they may want to delve deeper into your recruitment strategies and how you might apply them in their organization. Interviews present an opportunity to weave logical resume details into engaging narratives—perhaps sharing a memorable story about a student you successfully recruited or detailing how you maximized the recruiting budget.

While storytelling captivates interviewers, the function of resumes is distinct. Resumes are designed for reviewers to skim through quickly to decide who merits an interview, whereas stories are intended for in-person engagement, aimed at persuading hiring managers to extend an offer.

Despite their differing purposes, the most effective bullet points should serve as springboards for rich storytelling during interviews, enabling candidates to connect with interviewers on a more emotional level.

Source
www.higheredjobs.com