Resume stuff that’s Purely Fluff

So, you’re a “dynamic, high-performance executive with a proven ability to drive profit to the bottom line." So what? All six-figure executives do this - what's your point?

Get rid of the fluff and put in numbers that have an order of magnitude - like "increased EBITDA by $20 million last year on $300 million in sales through highly-targeted marketing." What was your impact, how long did it take, and how did you do it? Be as specific as you can, but be careful you don't give away proprietary company information.

Here’s another - you're a “team player with an outstanding track record who gets record-breaking results and increases sales." Well ... all six-figure executives do this too. What does outstanding mean? Whose record did you break? How much sales did you drive to the bottom line?

Test yourself on every single word. Assemble a room full of executives and ask them - who’s NOT dynamic? Who’s NOT high-performance? If it’s fluff, get it out of there!

Omit the vague and self-praising adjectives in your letter. Use them sparingly and only when they are fully backed up by the numbers somewhere else. Besides, do you think the decision-maker will believe that you’re a good judge of yourself?

Comments

[Bruce Lewin]

Seems like salient advice on differentiating yourself...