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You Might Be Making These Resume Mistakes & Not Even Know It
Not every business leader is the same.
No matter the industry, salary, or career stage, no two leaders come to the table with the same story. And while every professional should have a résumé as a tool to help establish their brand identity, I've noticed a pattern with advanced business leaders and executive-level clients. Typically, they tend to remain in their positions for long periods of time, thus making their résumés outdated and out of touch with what's necessary to stand out in a saturated job market.
I've had clients tell me that they've never interviewed for a job before or ever had a résumé, since their opportunities came through word of mouth. Don't get me wrong, that's a great thing, since I'm an advocate for uncovering "hidden positions" through your network.
But that doesn't replace establishing your personal brand, building a digital footprint, or setting yourself up as a leader in your field. Once you correct the following errors, you will be on your way to being recognized as not only the right candidate for any given position, but as a thought leader making an impact.
Error #1: Not Writing Your Résumé for Your Target Audience
It's not easy to write about yourself, and what sounds great to you doesn't necessarily meet the standards of your target audience of companies, executive recruiters, and hiring managers. Your audience matters when you're writing anything, especially when it's your résumé. Your audience determines how you present your information, so you have to keep the reader in mind during the writing process.
First, you must understand what they're looking for. Ultimately, a hiring manager is looking for someone to solve their problem. If your résumé doesn't present you as the number-one choice to solve that problem, it's inadequate. In addition, when you're writing with your target audience in mind, you don't make assumptions.
No longer will you assume that the reader knows what you mean or add abbreviations without explanation. You know whom you're writing for, so you focus on getting your impact across. If you make the reader search for the impact, they won't. They'll just move on to the next candidate.
Error #2: Offering No Brand Positioning
Brand positioning, otherwise known as brand strategy, is necessary to make you distinct from the rest of the applicant pool. It helps answer the questions "Why you?", "Why here?", and "Why now?" Your brand positioning must start from the moment someone looks at your résumé.
Your opening value position statement isn't the place for abstract industry jargon that gives no insight into your expertise. It should deliver a compelling picture of how you want the reader to perceive your personal brand.
Once you set forth a brand positioning statement, it's your job to reinforce it with concrete, impactful examples in your résumé. If your value position statement says you're a fintech expert recognized for developing innovative IT and business solutions that increase profits while delivering cost reductions, but there's nothing in your résumé that reinforces this statement, your claims are just filler with no substance.
Why should the reader believe you? Without résumé brand positioning, your résumé is vague, unfocused, and lacking a competitive edge.
Error #3 - Not Telling a Complete Career Story
To solidify your résumé as high-caliber, you must show what you can do, not just simply tell. Follow the P-A-R method to ensure your achievements are complete. The achievements don't have to be in P-A-R order, but you want all the pieces to be included.
P – Problems. What problem(s) were you hired to solve?
A – Actions. What did you do to correct the problem(s)?
R – Results. What were the results? Be as specific as possible, including metrics if possible. Hiring managers and recruiters love numbers! But only include benchmarks you can prove and discuss in-depth in an interview.
Example:
Slashed IT support costs 45% globally by developing and implementing central database and creating 6-week internal support training program that created 100 self-sufficient users.
In this example, you can see what the problem was (high support costs), the results (slashed costs 45% and created 100 self-sufficient users), and the actions (developing and implementing central database and creating a 6-week internal support training program).
I'm sure it's been drilled in your head that you have a split second to communicate your worth on one to three sheets of paper. Correcting these errors will allow you to package your expertise in a way that can't be ignored and that will advance your candidacy. Now it's time to get specific about who you are and what you bring to the table.
This story was originally published by Niya Allen-Vatel on CareerGlobal.co
Featured image by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Niya Allen-Vatel is a 3x-certified certified résumé writer, career coach, and brand strategist helping ambitious leaders build their brands to boost credibility, increase opportunities, and establish themselves as an expert in their niche. She is the owner of the premier career branding service, Career Global, based in New York City.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."