Crafting Powerful, Achievements-Based Resumes: Your Clients' Unique Selling Points

In the competitive job market of today, a well-crafted resume is the key to standing out among a sea of applicants.

As a resume writer, your role is not just about summarising your clients' work history; it's about effectively marketing their unique selling points (USP) to prospective employers.

Let's explore how you can do this, along with some valuable questions to draw this information from your job-seeking clients.

WHY A UNIQUE SELLING POINT MATTERS:

Before diving into the strategies, let's understand why a USP is crucial in a job application. In essence, it's what differentiates your client from other candidates, and tells the story of their valuable point of difference. A strong USP communicates how they can bring value to a potential employer, addressing the key areas of making money, saving money, improving quality, saving time, or providing other value-adds.

STRATEGIES FOR UNCOVERING YOUR CLIENTS UNIQUE SELLING POINTS:

1. Interviews

Start by conducting in-depth interviews with your clients to understand their career history, accomplishments, and aspirations. Use open-ended questions to encourage them to share their proudest moments and challenges overcome.

2. Quantify Achievements

   Encourage your clients to quantify their achievements wherever possible. For instance, if they've contributed to revenue growth, ask for specific figures or percentages. If they've saved costs, request details on the amounts saved. Some ways you can encourage your client to ‘switch gears’ into this kind of thinking, is to ask: “What were the measurable outcomes of this action?”

3. Highlight Unique, but Relevant, Skill Sets

   Identify and emphasise your client's unique skills and strengths. Are they exceptionally skilled at project management, data analysis, or customer relations? Highlight these skills throughout the resume by ensuring you use the C.A.R. method to describe their achievement – challenge, action, format.

4. Showcase Problem Solving Skills

   Describe how your client has solved problems or addressed challenges in their previous roles. Describing the impact of their creative solutions, innovative thinking, or successful process improvements will show the reader how this candidate could potentially add value to their organisation, too.

5. Testimonials

   If available, include quotes or testimonials from colleagues, managers, or clients that speak to your client's exceptional qualities. These can add credibility to their claims.

6. Keep it Relevant

   Customise each resume for the specific job application. Highlight experiences and achievements that directly align with the requirements of the position – remembering that what you present as a marketable trait should be directly relevant to the person who is hiring the candidate.

HOW CAN WE GATHER THIS INFORMATION?

In my experience, it takes some time to learn how to best extract this information from your client’s mind. Most Australians are socially conditioned to be humble, not sell themselves, and they certainly don’t keep track of their workplace achievements (especially the informal ones!). Here are some questions you can ask to support your client interview process:

1. Can you share a specific achievement or project where you made a significant impact on your previous employer's revenue or profitability?

2. What challenges have you successfully overcome in your career, and how did you do it?

3. Do you possess any unique skills or expertise that set you apart from other candidates in your industry?

4. Have you received any recognition or praise from colleagues, supervisors, or clients that speak to your exceptional abilities?

5. Describe a situation where you improved the efficiency of a process or workflow. What were the results?

6. How do you see yourself adding value to your potential future employer? What makes you the ideal candidate for the role?

7. Tell me about a time that you went ‘over and above’ for a customer. What was the challenge, what action did you take to solve the problem, and what was the outcome?

Remember, as a resume writer, your mission is to help your clients communicate the skills and achievements that qualify them as the best candidate for the job.

By effectively marketing their unique selling points, you can create resumes that catch the eye of hiring managers and open doors to exciting career opportunities.

With the right questions and a keen understanding of your client's strengths, you can craft compelling job applications that make a lasting impression.