Talent Tip #61: Google This: How to Create a Winning Resume

You know that I’m always talking about resumes, resumes, resumes. I beat on the topic like a drum on Christmas morning.

So, when two free-market friends recently recommended a post about creating a great resume, I was all over it.

And this isn’t just any piece about resumes. It’s written by Laszlo Bock, the SVP, People Operations at Google. Bock’s post, My Personal Formula for a Winning Resume, outlines how to make your accomplishments more impactful.

Bock writes:

“…how do you make your accomplishments stand out? There’s a simple formula. Every one of your accomplishments should be presented as

Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]

In other words, start with an active verb, numerically measure what you accomplished, provide a baseline for comparison, and detail what you did to achieve your goal.”

Brilliant! Bock illustrates his point using several examples inspired by actual resumes.  For each, he provides three bullets. The first is fine, but nothing notable. The second is an improved version of a similar accomplishment. The third includes Bock’s suggestions in italics. Here are two of the examples he provides:

   “College student participating in a leadership program

• Member of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT)

• Selected as one of 230 for this 18-month professional development program for high-achieving diverse talent

• Selected as one of 230 participants nationwide for this 18-month professional development program for high-achieving diverse talent based on leadership potential, ability to contribute to this MLT cohort, and academic success

   Finance or consulting professional

• Responsible for negotiating service contracts with XYZ

• Negotiated 30% ($500k) reduction in costs with XYZ to perform post-delivery support

• Negotiated 30% ($500k) reduction in costs with XYZ to perform post-delivery support by designing and using results from an online auction of multiple vendors”

I’m already imagining how Bock’s advice could transform many of the resumes I see – from executives to interns, from communication managers to technology gurus, from fundraisers to financial officers.

For more details, check out Bock’s post. A big thanks to Victor Joecks and Richard Lorenc for pointing me to this article!

Claire Kittle Dixon is the Executive Director of Talent Market.