this kitchen table? Here’s a thought: Have you ever gone back through a failed résumé to analyze what went wrong?
True, going back through a résumé to look for mistakes isn’t enjoyable, especially if you already know you didn’t get the job. But the good news is that now, that résumé is no longer personal. Instead, it’s an object on a table; dissecting its mistakes will get you the answers you need to get out of this loop.
So, take a seat (maybe try out a new one), and print a copy of your résumé along with the job listing. When you look at the job listing, underline the following in different colors:
1. The qualifications for the job (red)
2. The general responsibilities for the job (blue)
3. Words that indicate the type of person the company is looking for (green)
4. Words that the company uses to describe itself/its interests (black)
Then, go back to your résumé and try to find the same color components. Underline where you’ve described how your past work experience would fit the qualifications for this job. Underline the words that you used that mirror what the company is looking for, and what they stand for as a brand. When you compare the job description to your résumé, do you see certain colors reflected more than others? Do you see large
portions of your résumé that aren’t underlined at all?
The point of all of this underlining and re-examining is to help you see your résumé in a different way. Now, you aren’t looking at a failed résumé. You are looking to see if that résumé was really designed to get you that job in the first place. If you aren’t seeing a good balance in the colors you highlighted in both documents, you haven’t targeted your résumé to the job you want.
A good résumé (like an exit from Groundhog Day) is all about building a relationship. For Phil, it was a relationship with the people of Punxsutawney, his producer, and himself.
For you, it’s a relationship between the skills you have, what that company needs, and how to marry the two in one document. You have all the tools that you need to get out of the loop, it’s just a matter of putting them to use.