Don't Create a Job Description Resume

Tips on Finding a Job >> The Job Description Resume

Back in my resume screening days, nothing frustrated me more than the dreaded "job description resume." Instead of listing a series of accomplishments, this type of resume merely contains a list of previous job descriptions from the applicant's past. If you're serious about getting a job, you need to avoid this common pitfall.

How do you know if your resume falls into this trap? Here's a simple test. Scan your resume for the words "responsible for" as in the following phrase: "I was responsible for producing TPS reports on a daily basis..."

If you have an abundance of these phrases, then you probably have a job description resume. Why do hiring managers dislike this kind of resume? Because it only says what you were responsible for in your previous jobs. It doesn't say what you actually did. In other words, a job description resume is like saying, "I showed up for work every day." You won't get very many offers from that!

Notice the difference between these two resume bullet points:

• I was responsible for producing TPS reports on a daily basis, with the appropriate cover sheets on them. [blah]
• I created an inter-departmental reporting system that streamlined the production process and eliminated mistakes across the board. [hooray]

You can clearly see the difference in the above comparison. In the first example, I didn't actually do anything. I'm simply saying what my responsibilities were. Did I meet them? Did I exceed them? Nobody knows. But in the second example, I'm explaining a specific accomplishment and how it helped the company.



No hiring manager likes to receive a list of responsibilities, because it doesn't help evaluate the job candidate. And if a hiring manager cannot evaluate you through your resume, you can forget about an interview. When they have a stack of resumes before them, managers will not call you for clarification about your resume. They'll simply toss it aside. But you can avoid this fate by listing specific accomplishments.

Learn More: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of lessons. Visit the table of contents page to get more tips on finding a job.