RESUME WRITING WORKSHOP
BOSTON COLLEGE WORLD-WIDE WEBINARS:
Resumes – Top Ten Tips for Creating a Powerful Message
with Donna Sullivan ’85, Vice-President, Transition Solutions
Today’s Agenda
• Understanding the Basics
• Defining the Product
– Skills/Strengths/Interests
– Accomplishments
• Creating the Strategy
– Know Your Market
– Understand Your Differentiation
• Selling the Message in our Soundbite World
Foundation for Development
WHAT is a Resume?
• A Historical Document?
• A laundry List of Jobs/Titles and Companies?
• A Paper that you pull out every time you change jobs- so
that you can add the latest?
………A SALES document!
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#10 – Understand the Product First
What is a SKILL?
What is an INTEREST?
The intersection of the two is the KEY to Success
STRENGTHS
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#9 – Define Your Product
Go from Generic to BRANDED
Example
“Strong written and verbal communications skills”
Instead perhaps…..
“Extensive ability to interact at all levels of an organization from non exempt
to the executive suite”
Think WHO,WHAT,WHEN,WHERE,HOW…WHAT
SYSTEMS,PROCESS, TOOLS?
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#8 – Never leave a Strength Hanging
Support Your Sell with Facts. Be able to support every
strength you sell with an ACTION and a RESULT that
proves you have it.
Accomplishments are the Proof
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Examples of
Accomplishment/Differentiation

Drove sales from $4.5 million to $7.2 million while operating with a 38-40 percent gross profit margin by forging
alliances with key accounts and by spearheading highly effective inventory control and productivity enhancement
initiatives.

Increased charitable funding by 50% within three years which increased charities funded from 1,000 to 2,000 by
building case and gaining buy-in from senior management.

Spearheaded effort to understand and address issues faced by female associates and customers which
accounted for 58% of associates and 65% of customer population resulting in increased donations from $3.5
million to $23 million over 5 years, and increased volunteerism from associates and customers

Delivered double-digit growth as a result of an effective campaign of corporate events and in-store samples that
elevated brand and product awareness; exceeded annual EBIT targets in 2013 by $3MM.

Negotiated agreement with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) resulting in the recovery of $1.8
million for the Authority for utility and other services provided.

Launched Volunteers of America’s first-ever centralized direct response program by growing the donor base from
0 to 125,000 and expanding participation to include 24 of 38 local offices with 10 on waiting list.
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#7 – Understand Who You are Selling To
A Resume is Designed to Sell TO Someone
When they “Buy” You…..You get what you want.
No I’s, Me’s, My’s….
Direct Sell
Don’t Repeat
Don’t Repeat
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#6 – Don’t Show ’em….Tell ’em
People Read what you write
Quickly and Sensing….Not Intuitively
People do not Look for Messages
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#5 – Have a STRONG Summary that Directs the
Reader
Lead with WHAT you are
 Support it with strengths you possess
 Experience you have had
 Proven results you have achieved
The more generic you are at the top of your resume,
the less likely you will be noticed
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Writing a Strong Summary
• Avoid clichés, fluff, and overused language
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–
–
–
“People Person” - UGH
“Results-oriented professional”
“Excellent communication skills”
“loyal”
• Create a “mini-resume”
• Reference specific accomplishment highlights
• Include keyword competencies if you wish
– Look for creative ways to present them
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Summary Example
Retail Professional
Corner Store | National Chain | Virtual Marketplace
A highly successful sales, merchandising and management professional with particular expertise in retail healthcare.
Breadth of experience includes early career roles as a store manager for both small independent establishments and
regional chains; then advancing to category management roles at the first internet pharmacy to do business on the Web;
culminating in leading the marketing/ merchandising functions for a multi-million dollar business within a leading national
pharmacy and retail healthcare chain. Success has been based on a thorough knowledge of the sales/ merchandising/
marketing process, extensive product knowledge, creatively and effectively working with vendors/ partners, a keen sense of
customer expectations and the ability to find/hire/retain superior talent for all aspects of a physical or virtual large retail
operation.
Sales Strategies | Brand Positioning | E-Commerce | Retail Operations
New Markets/New Operations | Market/Competitor Analysis | Hire/Retain Top Talent
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Summary Example
Media/Marketing Executive
Strategic Planning/Management/Measurement
A Marketing Professional with extensive experience managing creation and execution of marketing programs through
multiple media channels. This includes search engine marketing, digital display advertising, direct mail, print, broadcast in
the consumer package goods and consumer services industries. Driven leader with continual success in growing revenues,
fostering brand awareness and managing multi-channel media campaigns to solve a variety of marketing challenges.
Assess business needs and develop tactical plans to leverage media channel power and pinpoint target audience. Talent
for cultivating trust and respect with clients, vendor partners and colleagues.
CORE COMPETENCIES
 Media Strategy and Media Planning
 Campaign Performance Analysis
 Paid Search Campaign Management and Optimization
 Relationship Management
 Target Market and Audience Identification
 Contract Negotiation
 Campaign Performance Analysis
 Team Management
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#4 – Direct, Crisp, To the Point Content that
Supports Your Summary
• Overt message of value
Everything after your summary should support your summary
• 2 Pages is the Norm
• Highly skimmable
– Short paragraphs – no more than 4–5 lines
– No “laundry lists” of bullet points
– Bold, spacing, lists, charts, boxes… all toward the goal of helping
the reader grab information in a very quick read
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#3 – If YOU can’t Sell YOU, No one Can
• Identify those value adds that NO ONE but YOU can sell
– DIFFERENTIATORS
• Avoid dry, detailed lists of job duties; give readers credit for
knowing basic job functions
• Include job details in achievement statements rather than job
summaries
• Frame each position within the context of challenge and/or
opportunity
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#2 – Be Different (Good) Not Different (Weird)
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•
•
•
Graphs / charts
Tables
Color
Visual design
All within the context of the Industry/Function you are
pursuing
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Example of Different- Good
Key member of executive team that increased shareholder value 330% in 4 years for the largest
hazardous waste/environmental services company in North America ($830M revenue).
•
Drove up shareholder value, boosting stock price from $10.50 to $45.22.
•
Achieved revenue growth both organically and through acquisition.
•
Initiated and led (in collaboration with McKinsey consultants) the company’s
first strategic planning process; resulted in formation of regional
sales and service organization to control costs and streamline market approaches.
•
Conceived and implemented a vertical markets organization
to ignite sales in 6 strategic industries; realigned corporate account sales structure.
•
140%
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2009 2010 2011 2012
Revenue Growth (in millions)
Developed and introduced first long-term incentive plan for corporate senior managers to ensure goal alignment, encourage
retention, and increase equity ownership.
•
Accelerated growth of professional services organization to 250 outsourced staff at 70+ customer locations. Direct all facets
of the business from strategy through general management.
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Example of Different - BAD
Fred Flinstone
50 Granite Way
Bedrock, USA
508 555-1212
508 342 4545
617 234 4343
Objective
To get a challenging job as a Customer Service Manager in the Rock Industry so that I can learn more and excel in my career
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
#1 – SELL what you have – Don’t FOCUS on what
Doesn’t Sell You
People are forming opinions based on what you write
 Dates
(months/years –when, where, why?)
 Experience
(more than 25 years experience…)
 Kitchen Sink
(I’m a plumber, an accountant, a CEO, a
singer)
 Education
Highest first moving down, leave out the
laundry list of training unless it sells you
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
Resumes are SALES Documents
• Sell what sells you
• Leave off what doesn’t
A Great Resume Gets you in the Door. It is then
Up to YOU to Get the Sale.
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
1. Understand Your Product First
2. Define Your Product
3. Never Leave a Strength Hanging
4. Understand Who You are Selling to
5. Don’t Show ’em….TELL ’em
6. Have a Strong Summary that Directs the Reader
7. Direct, Crisp, To the Point Content That Supports Your Summary
8. If YOU can’t Sell You, No one Can
9. Be Different ( Good), Not Different (Weird)
10. Sell What You Have, Don’t Focus on what Doesn’t Sell You
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
Additional Challenges
Q/A
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Top Ten Tips
Resume Development
Resume Assistance
Alumni Connection for Boston College – Alumni Rate
Transitionsolutions.com
Seek out Resume Certified Professionals – Google on Internet
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Free and paid
http://www.resume-now.com/
http://www.gotresumebuilder.com/
http://www.sarmsoft.com/ (download)
https://www.resume.com/
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Contact Information
Donna Sullivan ’85
Vice President
Transition Solutions
dsullivan@transitionsolutions.com
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