Like a Lantern in the Fog, Your Resume is Visible but Mysterious

By By Bob Deakin

Like a lantern in the fog, your resume is visible but mysterious. Employers know someone’s out there, but don't know what they are capable of. 

As requisite as resumes are, they are little more than a boarding pass. You still have to prove who you are and show what you bring to the table. 

That’s what interviews are for. Until that happens, you are an enigma.

Someone Told You They Liked Your Resume?

I cannot remember the last time I used a lantern, nor can I remember the last time someone told me they liked my resume. How about you?

Most organizations use an Applicant Tracking System ATS to screen applications for keywords. Therefore, no one ever sees your resume unless it passes the audition. Then it’s onto the next ATS and eventually - if you’re the next American Idol - the judges on the HR team.

If you make it to the final round, yes, someone may even tell you they like your resume.

“The Old Pond, A Frog Jumps In, Sound of Water” - Matsuo Bashō

Like a haiku, the resume expresses much but suggests more in as few words as possible. 

You might include that you are a leader and thrive on teamwork. That’s haiku code for saying you don’t need motivation and you’re not a dick, two terms the ATS won’t pick up.

Career details are dull, but you cannot write a resume like a short story thriller. Resume experts encourage listing accomplishments and awards to stand out. Sensible, impactful, and efficient when applicable. 

I won employee of the month three times in my position at a consulting firm. Will that set the ATS ablaze or put me at the top of HR’s call list?

The Vintage Mission Statement

My objective is to serve as a leader and improve team culture by encouraging innovative ideas and forward-thinking in the creation of innovative technology solutions to improve lives.

The old mission statement or objective, once popular at the top of resumes, stated just that. Usually awkward, it became joke fodder for insensitive managers as they fielded applications. Since it was for a specific position anyway, the statement did little more than repeat the obvious. 

“For years, many career experts advised job-seekers to also include a resume objective. But, these days in such a competitive job market, this section is considered outdated,” says Jessica Sweet, owner of Wishingwell Coaching, in an interview with The Muse.

The mission statement focuses on the applicant, not the employer.

“They’re looking quickly at hundreds, sometimes thousands, of resumes, and they want to understand, ‘Is this the right person for the role?’” Sweet adds. “An objective statement is here’s what I, the job seeker, am looking to do. They’re not on the same wavelength.”

Like a Lantern in the Fog

Keep your head up. We have all been there. It’s harsh to explain in a page or two that you're worth someone’s commitment. Ask yourself why you want the job and why the employer should hire you. Be honest.

You need this job, but do you want it?

The answer is easy, but the question is difficult.

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