Bill Jackson was an experienced executive in his late 40s. He lost his job as assistant chief engineer of Maverick Ltd. when his boss retired and a new engineering vice president was brought in. Al though Bill had been job hunting for several months, he had not had an offer that really interested him.
One day Bill had a particularly discouraging interview with Champion Company - it was for a job which really excited him and for which he felt well qualified. But he was sure that he had failed in the interview. That evening as he was getting his thoughts together for an interview with Arrow Company the next day, his mind wandered back to the experience at Champion. As he thought about it, he suddenly became indignant and blurted out, "I know damn well I'm qualified for that Champion job. After all, I straightened out the development-engineering problems on the Widget Project which everyone else was ready to give up on - and it went on to become one of Maverick's most profitable lines. Then I reengineered the 'What's Its line' when it was going downhill so drastically, and it became reestablished as one of the most important products of the company."
Bill went on to recall three similar accomplishments. He realized that he had never even mentioned two of the items in his resume or many of the seven or eight interviews he had had to date.
He also realized that he had mentioned two other accomplishments only briefly in a couple of interviews because he assumed that the employers would automatically understand the full implications of them. Judging from their reaction, they apparently didn't.
For example, Bill had completely overlooked one activity: his membership on the building committee for a major addition to his church. This gave him valuable experience in dealing with an architect and in overseeing construction. Aspects of this experience, including his persuading the committee to select a relatively unknown architect - which turned out to be a very successful choice - were important points in his being offered his next job as a division general manager. Overlooking key accomplishments is frequently a way job hunters undersell themselves.
In every first interview Bill had had, he had been asked to describe his education. In each case he explained that he had been to the University of Kentucky and had majored in mechanical engineering. In reviewing the Champion interview, he recognized that he had been greatly understating the implications of this education.
So, in the Arrow interview the next day Bill described it in this way, "I went to the University of Kentucky and majored in mechanical engineering.
While I was there, I carried on a 20-hour-a-week job which allowed me to pay 75 percent of my expenses. I graduated with honors with a B+ average and I played three years on the baseball team and was vice president of my fraternity." The executive vice president of Arrow was obviously impressed and he stated, "That shows that you are obviously damn smart and highly motivated." This example illustrees another great difficulty for many job hunters - they communicate their accomplishments intelligently. Bill Jackson's experience is not unusual at all according to many of the best outplacement consultants. In fact, less than 1 percent of all job hunters overstate their accomplishments, and the vast majority greatly understate them. Let's see now how you can overcome this difficulty.
A key to selling yourself is to show examples of what you've done - your accomplishments. To get a complete list of your accomplishments, you may have to tap your subconscious - which you can easily do by following the steps listed here. Your major step is to make a comprehensive list of them. For each of your jobs list all of your responsibilities and your key accomplishments in them - include even the minor ones. To help you recall your accomplishments, think about the changes that had a considerable effect on your job. For example:
- A new boss.
- A sale or a merger of the company.
- A new system.
- A new subordinate.
- New equipment (such as a computer).
- A new peer you worked closely with.
- A new product
- New legislation.
- A new office or plant.
These peg points provide an easy method of recalling various things you did on a job that you may have forgotten. For each peg point, ask yourself what changes occurred in your work and what were your resulting accomplishments. For example, four years ago Jane Foster came in as purchasing agent. Several months afterward Bill Smith was moved over from buyer of raw materials to buyer of subcontract assemblies. A few months later Smith was asked to be department coordinator on the new quality-control system. Foster's appointment was a peg point for Smith to recall these two changes in his duties.
Another useful way to analyze your experience is to write down your answers to the following questions.
What promotions have you been given? Why were you promoted?
What merit salary increases have you been given?
What were the comments of your boss when he gave you these increases?
What added responsibilities were you given in any of your jobs? What comments were made as these assignments were given to you?
What committee assignments have you been given in addition to the regular responsibilities of your job?
What other leadership roles have you assumed on the job or in the community?
What special projects were you given in addition to the regular functions of your job? Under what circumstances were you asked to represent your organization to outsiders (either on the company premises or outside)?
Where have you excelled over your peers in any activity?
Your files also can be another useful memory jogger, as can your diary or expense books. The buddy system of working with another job hunter in a brainstorming session can often help you re call past achievements you might otherwise over look.
Different stages in a project can mean different accomplishments or skills. For example, you may have been responsible for the computerization of a system in your department. You may have had major involvement in various stages such as the analysis of the old system, the development of the new one, the implementation phase, the use of the resulting system, and expansion or refinement of it at a later time. Each phase may represent somewhat different skills and accomplishments.
A single accomplishment may offer an opportunity to demonstrate a number of key skills and personal characteristics. For example, you may have prepared a report that brought about an important change in the company's operating procedures, a change that met with considerable resistance. Such a report could show your skills in being analytical, persuasive, having perseverance, being imaginative, working under pressure, ability to meet a deadline, and so on.
Examining your accomplishments in depth will provide you with the basic information you need for your resume.
