How To Make Your Resume Specific And Results-Oriented
Topics: investment banking, investment banking resumes, resume tips, resume problems
“I’ve been getting a lot of tips on how to write it, mostly from my staff. They really seem to be up on this stuff. They tell me I have to use the active voice for the resume. You know, things like “Commanded U.S. Armed Forces,” “Ordered air strikes,” “Served three terms as President.” Everybody embellishes a little.”
-President Bill Clinton, White House Correspondents Dinner, April 29, 2000
As a professional who reviews resumes on a frequent basis, I see a flood of resumes from different people with different backgrounds every week.
Generally the undergraduate/recent graduate resumes I see fall into 1 of 2 categories: they are either very impressive and don’t need much work aside from minor formatting issues, or they are good but suffer from a few common problems.
Common Problems
The two most common problems I’ve seen are not being specific enough and not focusing on results. If your resume reads, “Compiled information and research,” those reviewing it might rightfully think that you yourself don’t know exactly what your responsibilities were.
Focusing on the results is equally as important: why would someone hire you if you can’t get results?
Sample Resume Improvement
Here’s a good example of what NOT to write on your resume, if you are applying for financial services jobs:
“-Researched acquisition targets in the construction and home-building industries.”
This is not specific enough and does not give me any insight into how you did this, what your process was, or what the results of your work were.
What resources did you use to research these? Did you speak with experts? Reference the Wall Street Journal? What criteria did you use to make the final selections? Revenue? Profitability? Scale? Management teams?
Those are all crucial details left out of this example.
Here’s an improved version:
“-Researched over 100 acquisition targets in the construction and home-building industries using Capital IQ and Factset and narrowed list down to 10 best companies. Used financial screening criteria such as revenue growth and EBITDA margins. Also used qualitative criteria such as market dynamics in construction sub-segments, strength of management teams and exposure to subprime mortgage.”
This is much better than the first version, but could still use some improvement: the results of your labor. What did you spend all those hours doing, if not for the results?
Sometimes people say they don’t know what the results were or are not able to directly tie anything to their work. If this is the case, be creative and come up with results.
I’m not suggesting that you lie, but as Bill Clinton points out above, sometimes you do have to exaggerate slightly. Don’t suggest your beautiful Excel graph resulted in $1 million of additional revenue, but claiming improved efficiency or time/money saved is fine.
Here’s an example of how we might add a focus on results to this example:
“-Researched over 100 acquisition targets in the construction and home-building industries using Capital IQ and Factset and narrowed list down to 10 best companies. Used financial screening criteria such as revenue growth and EBITDA margins. Also used qualitative criteria such as market dynamics in construction sub-segments, strength of management teams and exposure to subprime mortgage. Resulted in private equity firm doing additional diligence on 3 of the companies.”
I will admit this is a bit of a stretch – in this particular case, it would be quite difficult to tell what the true results were.
And sometimes you may indeed not be able to determine the results. But if your resume does not have a single mention of results anywhere on it, you can definitely find a few instances where you do have tangible results and expand on those.
Ian Spellfield, a former investment banker, advises students and young professionals on how to get investment banking jobs. You can read his blog, Mergers & Inquisitions, at www.mergersandinquisitions.com .
Previous Articles Highlighter:
How Can Search Engine Optimization Benefit For Your Website? (1)
Topics: website design, search engine optimization Search Engine Optimization is a process of selecting the most appropriate targeted keyword phrases related to your site and ensuring that this ranks your site highly in search engines so that when someone searches for specific phrases it returns your site on tops.
How To Plan A Science Project (2)
Writing a Report Although there are many ways of writing about scientific work, the usual form for a written report is something like this: Title - accurate, but not self-consciously long in an effort to impress Summary - brief statement of the problem and the gist of your research Introduction - reason for your interest in the problem, relevant work done by others, background information Discussion of problem and hypothesis you are investigating Details of materials, equipment, methods, steps of experiments, controls Summary of observations and data Conclusions drawn from observations New questions, possible applications, future plans, if any Appendix - graphs, tables, photographs, drawings Bibliography and acknowledgements Now you know the basics, it is time to start your own scientific project!
Container Gardening Drainage - How Vital Is It For The Healthy Growth Of Plants? (3)
A number of vegetables can be produced in these containers, and so can a variety of flowers. But for all these plants to have healthy, long lives, an adequate container gardening drainage system for removing excess water is vital.
Selecting Wheels For Your Ride (4)
There are brands like Momo, Zigen, and many more. The designs can vary from three spoke to four spoke and so on. You can have silver rims, white rims, or even gold rims.
How To Price And Market Your Greenhouse Plants (5)
You may find yourself growing specialties just for one outlet, which will want even more than you can grow (a pleasant and profitable experience). When you arrange sales to a large chain store, you may be asked to ship sample plants direct to their central buying station.
How To Handle Money For College (6)
If your allowance is to pay for clothes and important supplies at school, have this clearly understood and allocate funds for these expenses. (2) Plan the spending of your allowance as carefully as you plan your study courses - both with your parents and on your own.
How To Begin A Scientific Career (7)
You can be alert to scientific meetings, lectures, science fairs, demonstrations, tours, seminars, congresses, clubs and all the other opportunities that may exist in your community. When you join such activities, you also may find opportunities to talk to scientists and teachers who are working in the fields that interest you most.
Principles Of Keeping Good Aquariums (8)
However, small fishes and young fishes are usually more active and young fishes are still rapidly growing. They therefore consume more oxygen weight for weight, and allowance is made for this to the extent that 1 ounce of 1-1/2 inch fishes is allowed five times the oxygen consumption of 1 ounce of 2-1/2 inch fishes, and each ounce of 6-inch fishes is allowed rather less oxygen than that of 2-1/2 inchers.
How To Get Goals In Hockey (9)
And you will not be able to shoot your way out of a paper bag unless your technique for getting the puck away is sound. Your Stick and Other Hockey Needs Your choice of stick should be made with care so that, after you have used a few, you know what hand, lie, length, and weight suits you best.
How To Help Your Child To Read (10)
As Un able is seen on the wall or door frame, it is said un able. The thinking is already in process, and the mental picture produces a positive feeling (I am able to spell un able), and the word is built.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Fixing The Gap So That You And The Customer Wins! (1)
This shows up as all those leads generated by marketing have a checked pattern of concise follow up. In the trade show world, there is a statistic that 80% of trade shows leads are never followed up.
How Home Owners Can Skip Through Their Amortized Schedule And Beat The Banks (2)
It is worrisome to see some homeowners who have been paying for many years on a mortgage, only to refinance and be right back where they started from. We can not expect our home values to rise any longer; in fact, the opposite is now taking place for many homeowners across America.
Understanding Your Air Bags (3)
Topics: auto, air bags There are a lot of safety features in your vehicle like your seatbelt and your car's bumper but one of the technologies that have made vehicles safe to be in is the air bag.
Subprime Mortgage Rates For Some Borrowers May Be Frozen (4)
There is already talked about subprime mortgage rate being frozen for borrowers who are not in arrears. There is a mounting pressure for the largest financial institutions in the US to freeze some subprime mortgage loans rates.
Is College Really Worth It? (5)
An Increased Knowledge Base College teaches you to think rationally. It boosts your power to grasp developments in our fast changing world. It empowers you to independently evaluate the authority of information you here without counting on some endorsement of a so-called expert.
Information About Online Culinary Arts Schools (6)
In fact, many hotels and corporations encourage their chefs to go online because they are still able to work. Naturally, online chef school can't guarantee anyone a job, but typically place better than 90% of there graduates in a job in their field of study.
Free Articles: A Tasty Recipe For Building Your Business (7)
Be aware that your article should not taste like anyone else's. If it does, lawsuits and other unfavorable reactions could result. Tip: Prepackaged information may be used if proper attribution is given with the article or if the wording is restructured to be as different as possible.
In The Trading World, Opportunities Come And Go To Create Fast Serious Personal Wealth (8)
Clinton was in office and around $10 per bl.; the reverse in Gold when it was around $240 an oz.; the Stock Market Crash of 2000 and more. To find out more.
How To Easily Install A Car Stereo Yourself (9)
You will just want to start out by pulling anything away from the dash that is needed when trying to take out the existing stereo that is in your car and even more when you are installing the new stereo.
Planting And Feeding Your Trees (10)
Topics: free landscaping idea, landscaping product If a tree is planted and fed right, it will last for decades, maybe more than a hundred years. It is well worth while following the guidelines below, to make your trees almost indestructible.
Permalink to How To Make Your Resume Specific And Results-Oriented