It happens more times than we can count. A client asks us to prepare their resume package, and when our writer sits down with them and starts asking questions about what they did that makes them stand out, the apologetic reply comes back: “Well I really didn’t do all that much.” Yet, after asking more questions, we invariably discover that our client has done a great deal to make their employers successful, they just don’t remember their achievements when we asked the question – or when they wrote their previous resumes.

Part of the reason clients find it hard to remember some or all of the accomplishments that make them an ideal candidate for a better job is a longstanding reflex, first learned in childhood when our parents taught us: “Don’t boast” and we obeyed. This “don’t boast” reflex is a major reason why most people from janitors to CEO’s find it difficult to write effective resumes without help.

At Fast & Focused, our writers specialize in asking questions that get behind memory blocks and uncover our clients’ true strengths and achievements. Here are two examples drawn from our case files.

The first client was a university graduate in marketing who wanted a position in public relations at a hotel but confessed in the same breath that she had no experience whatsoever except for a couple of part time jobs. The conversation went like this:

“Did you ever put on, or help put on, any kind of event?”
“Well I helped with a couple of conferences and I ran an art exhibit.”
“Tell me about the conferences.”
“Well . . . some importers from country X wanted to import Chinese goods and some exporters from X wanted to export their goods to China.”
“And what did you do in the conferences?”
“Set up the PowerPoint, got the food, set up the chairs.”
“Tell me about the art exhibit.”
“Well some painters from country X were introducing their work to the Greek art community . . .”
“Wait a second, was this an official X embassy sponsored event?”
“Yes, it was.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, I booked the gallery, hired the caterer and the wine merchant, worked with the artists to set up their work, and acted as hostess on the night.”
“How did you land this job?”
“My father was the Ambassador to Greece from country X”
“Did he say anything to you after it was all over?”
“Yes, ‘Well done.’”

With that, our writer knew his client would get multiple interviews - and she did; five interviews in 16 days.

Our second client was a very experienced project manager and technical executive. He had a fairly good resume, but he knew that he needed something exceptional since he was applying for a C level post with one of Canada’s largest and best run companies. One of the biggest improvements we made came out of this exchange:

“You are an engineer; you run projects. Now when you are managing projects sometimes something goes wrong and you, the leader, have to manage the crisis and solve the problem. Did this ever happen to you in a major way? Did a situation arise that threatened to derail completion of your project?”
The reply was “Yes.”
“Tell me about it.”
We were working on a big signals project for a top 5 subway system and it not only had to include new features but it had to be integrated with the old system. A key component of the system was subcontracted and right before the deadline the subcontractor called and said he couldn’t deliver the component. So I had to design and make the component on short notice, which I did.”
“And what happened.”
“We met our deadline and because the system integrated perfectly with the old system, my employer won additional contracts worth hundreds of millions.”

And with that reply, our writer knew his client would get the interview he wanted: which he did, three days after the resume was submitted.

How many of your achievements lie forgotten in the back of your mind? Commission Fast & Focused to write your resume package and we will find them and add them to your resume.